Incredible India

After leaving Mizoram I spent the night and the morning of the next day in Kolkatta. The difference was night and day, in fact I'm slowly overcoming a second culture shock. Mizoram is a peaceful place with lush, green rolling hills and friendly people. Entering Kolkatta is like a sensory bomb going off in your mind. There are so many people, vehicles, buildings, sights, and sounds that your mind literally cannot process all the information being sent to it at once. Rev. Zolawma set me up at a Mizoram guest house next to Mother Teresa's Mission (called "Motherhouse"). This section of town is less crowded and the streets have far less beggars so it was a nice place to slowly get adjusted.

The next day I was on a train headed out to Gaya. The train's I've booked are all AC units because I refuse to be on a train for 6-24 hrs during an Indian summer without AC (one 2.5 hr car ride from Waco to Houston without AC taught me that). The AC cars have small sections with bunk beds essentially. Thus far, I've had the top bunk which has been fun since only the bottom bunk can be converted into a bed. So my 6'2" body plus backpack must squeeze into a bunk made for someone who is 5'5".

My stay in Gaya was a quick one but filled with various happenings. I stopped in Gaya because it is the train station about 12 km away from Bodhgaya, the place where the Buddha achieved enlightenment. After a quick dinner and rest, I made the trip from Gaya to Bodhgaya via auto-rickshaw. Bodhgaya is an interesting place because the town is filled with Buddhist monasteries belonging to the major centers of Buddhism (i.e. China, Japan, Thailand, Tibet, etc.). I made my way to the temple built around the sacred spot where the Buddha meditated. I wish I could say I was able to spend some time under the Bodhi Tree contemplating the nature of the universe like the Buddha did over two millenia ago. However, my reflection was cut short as hustlers always wanted to talk to me. Here are some common Indian hustles:

"Hello sir, I am an English student and I would like to practice my English with you!"

"Hello sir, you are a foreigner so let me show you around the town." [After which the person will try to charge a large, bogus "tour guide fee"]

"Sir, instead of auto-rickshaw I will take you around on my motorcycle if you just pay for gas."

Basically, in India if anyone approaches you acting friendly or trying to help you, they just want your money. If you have to approach someone to help you, they will kindly do it for free. Needless to say, in the past few days I've begun to practice my anti-hustler techniques. Much to my mother's joy, I haven't really felt any danger at any point. I suppose being a foot taller than everyone helps but also because most people just want to cheat you, not hurt you (there's more money in a good con haha). But other than the hustlers, everyone is very nice. I walked into a Thai monastery and listened to a young monk talk for a while about Buddhist practices and his life as a monk. I snuck into a Tibetan monastery and ate momo during the heat of the day before having a big adventure traveling way out into the country to see the Dungeswari Cave Temple where the Buddha meditated.

Since my adventures in Gaya, I've been here in Varanasi staying with a former PTS student who has been kind enough to take me in. His name is Kerry, a PhD student at UC-Santa Barbra doing research on a unique expression of Christianity. He has been not only a great new friend, but an incredible resource into the life of people here in Varanasi. For instance, because of his contacts here in the city we were able to attend a Pentecostal home worship service amongst the dolet (formerly called "untouchable") community. I've been able to walk along the ghats, where Hindus come each day on pilgrimage to bathe in the holy river Ganges. For those of you who are unfamiliar with Hindu culture, Varanasi is Hinduism Jerusalem or Mecca. In addition, it's one of the oldest cities in the world with a culture that's remained nearly intact. The city would be akin to Athens if you could still go up to the Acropolis and listen to philosophers and intellectuals teaching.

I've eaten at incredible local restaurants and met a lot of friendly locals as well. Although I can't speak any Hindi, Kerry is able to translate everything for me. Today was quite hilarious as we found ourselves in a seminar marketing computer training software in a pyramid scheme. I wish I had time to write about it but needless to say I had a very enthusiastic young man sitting next to me yelling into my ear when to clap, shout, stand up, and telling me how many rupees I could make. Fun stuff. Oh, and I took a walk/boat ride at sunrise along the ghats to see the brahmins (holy men) praying, chanting, and performing ritual bathing alongside other devotees. As you can see, my brain is a little scattered. I've got so many experiences in my head to process it's tough to commit them all to page. Indeed, I think tonight Kerry wants us to go out after dinner to see a Shiva temple.

It'll be sad to leave Kerry and Varanasi tomorrow night as I'm just beginning to scratch the surface here. There is so much to this city to explore and to learn it's a pity I have such little time here. From here I'll spend a few days in Agra to see the Taj Mahal and other famous sites in the city. Then it's off to Amristar to spend three days admiring the Golden Temple and holy city of the Sikhs. On the 22nd I'll make my way to Delhi to say with Dr. Thanzauva and his sons who I befriended at AICS. By that time I'm sure I'll be desperate for some time with friends so I look forward to spending the week with them. Delhi will probably be my next chance for internet so I hope this blog can hold you over until then. Of course, time on the road might force me to spend some internet time connecting with the outside world so I might seek some time in at Amristar.

I hope all is well with everyone back home and although I am really enjoying my travels I look forward to some time stateside. Thanks for all the comments everyone, until next time...

pax et bonum