Health update: slowly but surely getting back to normal and focusing mainly on that. I should probably wait until I am closer to being 100% to give my honest opinion about Varanasi. Right now, it is probably the last place in the world that I want to be, which in a way is kind of a cool experience to have. I mean, even when bad things happen, its still part of the adventure, and sometimes the toughest things while traveling (in my experience) make for the best and most memorable stories in the long-run. India has not defeated me yet! (India, please, this is not a challenge!)
The entrance to my guesthouse room is on a fourth floor balcony. When I went out this morning, I saw hundreds, if not thousands, of kites in the air. Small, diamond-shaped, hand-made paper kites. And the rooftops of the buildings all around me were covered with people (all guys) with kite strings in their hands, aggressively maneuvering them. Walking through the alleyways, there were kites on the ground, kites in trees, kites caught up in telephone wires. And everyone was shouting (Im not sure what). I asked the hotel owner what they were saying and he said people were competing with their kites (Im not sure how) and whenever someone wins, they, and all their friends shout that they won, or something like that. Its their once-a-year kite festival. Who knew?
Just from my few short walks in my hotel vicinity, I can tell you that this place, Varanasi, could take volumes to write about. Penny & I thought Myanmar was “different”, but this takes the cake. I find myself wondering a lot of the time what planet I am on.
Oddly, I see hardly any tourists here. I mean, I can sort of see why-- the place is an extreme dump, to put it mildly. I think "apocalyptic cesspool" would more accurately describe it. I guess thats good for keeping tourists away; otherwise, I dont see why this place wouldnt be flooded with them and loose all of its other-worldlyness.
By the way, there are some very dear sweet cows in the alleyways around here. They will flirt with you and bat their eyelashes. I pet one for a while the first day I arrived and then walked away and paused to look at something and felt a wet nose on my elbow. The same cow had followed me like a puppy dog wanting to be pet. Aw!
The cows here really get treated like, well, sacred cows. There are also goats and dogs in the streets and every now and then I see pigs. I think goats are the scapegoats of the bunch. They’re always getting chased away and seem timid and afraid, where as the cows are just walking around flirting with everyone. No chickens anywhere though— I think probably because of the rooster problem they’d have. Everyone here seems to go to bed at the same time 10pm? and wake up at the same time 5 or 6am?. Its completely silent at night except for the odd yelling goat or barking dog or bellowing cow.
Last thing, I have been down to the Ganges a few times now too. I actually saw a snake charmer with a real cobra in a basket there. It was super cool. I keep meaning to go back and check it out further but I only saw him one time.
