Morning tuk-tuk ride through dusty streets and busy vegetable markets.
Carts piled high with cauiliflowers, and fat chewy peas which we have
had often for dinner these days. Delicious Gobi Mattar. Four nervous
cows blocked the road, then one got its head under a truck and backed
off in serious alarm which caused a stampede uncomfortably close to
our open-sided vehicle.
Arriving in the old city we wandered down to the river, at last buying
one of the dayglo orange/yellow scarves that I have been admiring
since we arrived in India. Had a 3 rupee cup of tea from a disposable
clay cup ( guide book warns that chai wallahs near the river wash the
glasses with river water:-) Then we took a beautiful spacious boatride
along the famous ghats with our guide pointing out all the old
Maharaja palaces from each state along the banks. He also recognised
which state all the various boatloads of pilgrims were from. The
Ganges is the first water in the world. It sprang from the spot where
Shiva placed his trident.
Walking through the narrow streets beyond the burning ghats is
entering another world. No sense of direction, or order. How can so
many sweet shops make a living so close to one another? What do all
the wandering cows eat? Why do the men pee everywhere? And, more
urgently, where do women pee? Eventually we emerged onto a main
thoroughfare and spotted a 'smart' hotel- well it had a sign in
English, marble stairs and a reception area. The toilet had seen
better days but we were grateful to find one.
Then the luxury of a rickshaw ride, feeling like a moviestar as you
watch the sights go by and small children and shopkeepers wave and
call out to you. Delicious cashew nut curry with naan at a restaurant
catering to the variety of westerners in town and serving the best
apple cake we have found!
After a brief foray into the hippie shops of Assi ghat we took another
hair-raising rickshaw journey home to our Jain guest house in Sarnath
where we are so well looked after. Two buckets of hot water later we
sit on the roof drying our hair and reading.
