Notes from a Wandering Daydreamer Life as it should be...

ok, so i wrote this blog a while ago but it didnt seem to post. good thing i had a backup saved on email. here it is (again)...... So it is a little overdue, but finally here is my last blog for india and first for nepal. despite being here in kathmandu for almost a week now, i have been enjoying doing very little for the first time in quite a while and so struggled motivation to catch up on my blog. however today there seems to be a large strike and everything is closed, except this internet cafe so now i have the perfect excuse. After my last blog, we headed south. down and out of the mountains from shimla on a tiny toy train. winding through the steep mountains that could have been straight from australia in some parts. after 6 hours and 109 tunnels later, we arrived at the end of the line and a 4 hour wait in the stifling heat of the plains for our train to delhi. after almost a week in the relative cool of the mountains it was a bit of a shock to come back to the 40 degree heat again. We knew that despite being there for little over 12 hours (and most of that time spent sleeping) delhi was going to be a bit of a tough place. We were proved correct. We arrived at 10pm into another sea of chaos at the station. despite out best attempts to get a prepaid rickshaw, drivers did not seem interested and the man who was meant to be organising everyone was more intent on puncturing the tyres of the rickshaws that had been parked there and whose drivers had left them - even just for a few minutes. We finally found a rickshaw who would take us - and long story short - 90 min later we ended up at the hotel's address, which was a block of flats. we ended up at a hotel around the corner, despite the best efforts of the driver to stop us from going there as they werent going to give him any comission. by early the next afternoon we were back on a train pulling out of delhi bound for agra. we were in for a pleasant suprise when we got to our hotel in agra. it was no more than 500m away from the entrance to the taj mahal, and on a road that any petrol powered vehicles were not allowed down due to pollution concerns at the taj. so from the rooftop we had an amazing view of sunset over the taj and it was quiet. no constant horns and the sounds of traffic. the next day we were up and at the taj by 6am, in an effort to beat the heat and the crowds. it was a good idea, as although there were still quite a few people about, it was possible to get a few photos of the taj with few or no people in the shot. it was pretty surreal to finally visit the taj mahal, one of the most famous buildings of all time. I guess its a bit hard to properly descibe it all. but it really does look like it does in the pictures. although its a little smaller in real life than i expected. we wandered around, taking it all in for a few hours, before leaving at about 9am when it stared to warm up and the tour buses started to arrive from delhi. we were certainly glad we made it early from the numbers of people now arriving that night as we were waiting for our overnight train to varanasi, while we were enjoying a spectacular sunset over the taj a dust storm came out of nowhere, engulphing everything. we had to retreat inside and not long after the heavens opened and the downpour began. everyone seemed to headoutside to enjoy the feeling of rain. After the rtain cleared an amazing sense of clam descended on the town. as we headed through the dark streets to the train station, all lights out due to a blackout, it was eerily quiet. people seemed much more relaxed and there was little traffic on the roads. even at the station, the sea of humanity that you always found was no longer heaving. everyone was calm and sedate and many people were just sitting quietly or sleeping. it was rather surreal. finally, only about 50min late we left agra and on to our next destination.... varanasi on the ganges. varanasi is one of those places that you hear so much about and have expectations of, yet you still dont know what to expect.. what we found though was a pretty interesting and unique city. we were staying at harischandra ghat, just south of the main area, right on the banks of the river. below us on the banks of the river was one of the areas where cremations were taking place. all day and into the evening bodies would be carried down to the water with much chanting for one final bath in the sacred water. then they would be placed on top of a small bonfire, which after some wheeling and dealing with the man selling the holy ffire, it was set alight (with varying degrees of success) and the body cremated. the following morning men would come along, sifting through the ashes looking for any remaining gold to be sold at market. walking along the banks of the river was certainly an experience. there were many cricket games, washing of clothes and dishes, kids taking a swimming lesson and thousands of pilgrims taking their holy dip in the river. they were certainly brave as the river is so polluted there is no dissolved oxygen in the water. it's septic. the following night as we went for a boat trip up the river, enjoying a new spectacle of it all,i was brave enough to dip my feet off the edge into the green water. my feet didnt fall off but i was suprised at how slimy the water felt as i rubbed my feet together. we definatley felt that we had saved the best of india till the end. agra and varanasi were much more enjoyable than many of the other places we had visited. although there was still a sense of relief when we arrived at varanasi airport. mum and dad were flying to mumbai and then back home, while i was flying north to kathmandu.(it had been a last minute decision, as i couldnt bear the thought of another 2 days of constant travel) although there were only half a dozen flights at the airport all day, both of our flights were delayed almost 3 hours, and i finally arrived in a much cooler, calmer kathmandu. there was a week until i started my program. at first i planned to get out and do things to make the most of my time, but after getting comfortable they days quickly flew by without realising it. after exploring kathmandu and nearby bakthupur, doing a spot of shopping, waking up to my first strike experience where everything stops (even the annoying hash dealers on the street) and finally suffering my first acute case of delhi belly, the week was already up and it was time to start training. I am now down in Chitwan, right next to chitwan national park. this is home for the next 3 weeks and is a fairly simple place. electricity is sporadic and there is internet in the town, but life is a lot slower and calmer. a world away from india just over the border. I will keep the blog updated as often as i can with the happenings here and the work we are doing. everytthing is a little unclear yet and still trying to work out what is happening. trying to adjust to nepali time...