Varanasi/Agra

When the time came to exit the train, we gathered our stuff and prepared for our arrival! As soon as we tried to get off the train, people flooded the doorway. There were women literally grabbing our arms and pushing us out of the way to get on the train. Finally, a man shouted “they get off so you can get on!” When we got through, there wasn't even a platform to exit. We literally had to jump off of the train and try to avoid the masses of piles of fecal. It was EVERYWHERE. There was trash everywhere, it was like we stepped off in to a trash yard. As we walked towards the station, we were approached by an English speaking taxi driver who offered to show us around for the day. Flustered with what just happened, we compromised a fare for the day and got in to his rickshaw. This is when it hit me. A bucket list check off for me, I WAS IN VARANASI! After doing a 15 page research paper on the Ganges River last semester at CLU, I was determined to one day visit the site, I would have never guessed it would be the very next semester! Varanasi is the oldest city in the world and to this day remains a Holy city. As we drove to a hotel to freshen up and use the “toilet”, I didn't even want to blink. It was straight out of a movie. I was in the olden days, there was no signs of the 21^st century anywhere. There were open sewage lines along all of the streets, dirt roads, alley ways with women washing clothes out of containers. The food was lined on the streets surrounded by flies. There were hundred and hundreds of cows roaming the streets. The sound of people working in little shops was stunning. It was time for the GANGES RIVER!!!! The driver took us down a small alley way and it looked like we were lost. Fear not, at the end of the alley was a set of huge stairs that led to a river. I was standing at the Holy river. It was the best feeling in the world. I felt accomplished. I felt as if all of the work that I had put in to this trip, payed off at that very moment. We walked down the stairs and to the banks of the river. We then got in a small boat to take us on a 2 hour tour up and down the river. We got ripped off bad. I paid 800 rupees for 2 hours while others apparently paid 200 for the same time. It was only $16USD though, so it was still worth it! A little boy was on the boat and prepared little bowls with flowers and tea lights for us to release. He gave us 2 each, and instructed us to release them in to the Holy water in honor of our loved ones. So we did. After, we pulled back to the show momentarily and he said “ok, now you pay me!” WHAT! “100,100,100” pointing to each of us. This little kid ripped us off! He never said that we had to pay for them, and we had already over-payed to be there anyways. We didn't have 100 on us, so we just gave him what we had. Dgjadnkgjsbdgksd . The rest of the time out on the Ganges was so peaceful. The banks were full of people washing, bathing, praying, worshiping, brushing their teeth, and just being in the water. My hand accidentally touched the water and I freaked out a little.

We were told that we can take pictures everywhere until we got the the burning ghats. The burning ghats is where they perform ceremonies where the cremate bodies. When we got to the site, there were 2 live cremations going on. At the site, there are on average 400 cremations per day. The ritual is a ceremony that only men are allowed to attend. The priest on site explained that women are not allowed because they are too sad and they cry. When there is sadness, it puts the soul at unease. The body is given an oil massage and lathered in a butter from a plant. Then, the family drapes the body in cloth. It is then put on a pile of wood. Then more wood is put on top, the wood is a special kind of wood that hides the odor, there was no bad smell at the ghat. Then, stuff is drizzled on top, and the eldest son or husband circles the body 5 times, and then lights it on fire. The priest then asked us for money and said that it was for our karma to give to him. UHMM... I am good with my Karma. My God's got my back, thanks! :) After spending some time here, we got back on to our boat to head back to our driver on shore. We spent the rest of the day exploring Varanasi. We visited the Hindu University where we visited the temple,and had lunch. Then, we visited a silk factory where we saw the women threading material. I bought a silk duvet cover for my mom. It is beautiful! We shopped, shopped, and shopped some more. It finally reached evening, and it was time to find our way 14 hours west to Agra. This would be a whole other adventure.

It was impossible to get train tickets this late in the night, so we had no other choice then to hire a driver to drive us over night to Agra. This turns out to be one of those “what are you thinking Maya!?” moments. Anyways, it happens and we get in to the car. We left at 6pm and would plan to arrive sometime the next morning. We drove for 14 hours straight! This was the scariest thing that I have ever done! The driver only stopped 2 times through the night and was stoned out on cigarettes and coffee. He even admitted to not having slept very much before hand. I was sitting in the front seat, so I had a front row view to the most terrifying driving ever! Every time I would wake up, we would be going AT LEAST 100mph, and in to on coming traffic. I couldn't do anything but close my eyes and pray. Prayer has become a norm while in vehicles on this trip. At around 10pm, we stopped for a dinner break at a truck stop in the middle of no where. The small restaurant was packed with men who were driving through the night. I had the BEST Indian food here that I would have the entire trip. I went with another girl to the restroom only to find a man in the woman’s toilet, demanding money from us. OK then, we left, and decided to hold it until the morning. We got back on the road, and were trusting that we were back on the road to Agra.

After only a few hours of disrupted sleep, morning rolled around and we were in Agra! THANK YOU JESUS! Our driver had taken us to his friends hotel where we could use the hole and freshen up before we went to the Taj Mahal. While in the room, we had a view of the Taj from the window! At this time, our driver went to the room to sleep, and we met up with another guide who would take us to see Agra. Seeing another one of the wonders of the world was breathtaking. Before coming here, I talked to a girl that said “the Taj is cool, but if you have seen pictures, you have seen it.” WRONG! We walked towards the entrance and as we got closer, I was wondering where it was. I couldn't see anything. All of a sudden, we turned the corner and BAM. The Taj Mahal. It is the most grand and beautiful thing that I have ever seen. There were thousands of people there, including an SAS trip. It was nice to see some familiar faces, but it has been equally as nice to not be associated with some of these people. Our tour guide took us on a tour, explaining all of the history behind the Taj. As we were leaving, we decided that it would be neat to go buy a saree and come back in the evening to take pictures. So, we headed to a little silk shop, and did some more shopping! Pretty Pretty was the owner of the store. She was a little Indian lady who was THE nicest and funniest person I have ever met. We spent 3 hours in her store, trying on clothes, sharing Chai Tea, and just laughing and having a great time. Once I found my perfect saree, we said our goodbyes and took an auto-rickshaw back to the Taj. Unfortunately, we had to pay 750 rupees again, but $30 to see the Taj Mahal 2 times was totally worth it! Later, I found out that I could have gotten in for 20 rupees because I look Indian. Once we got back in, we attempted to put our sarees back on, but failed, miserably. We were pointed at, we were laughed at, we were stared at, and we had our pictures taken while being laughed at. After giving up on trying to put it back on correctly, I kind of just draped it over my shoulders and got a few pictures.

During this time, the other 2 girls that Ashley and I were traveling with went to the Agra Fort. We decided to meet back up in time to catch the train back over to Delhi to catch out flight the next day. So it only made sense that we would get separated and not see them again until we were back in Cochin.. STRESS. Ready for another transportation nightmare? STAY TUNED!