So the 40 hours on the train turned out to be barely 35 which wizzed by in no time. lots of snoozing and crunchy munchy snacks. actually it was kind of like one big party. people walking up and down the isle and stopping for random chats along the way.. maybe doing some business, maybe looking for a husband, maybe trading baseball cards.. however the problem with such a long journey is that the people whom i had good chats with at the beginning of the trip, by the end had a freakish amount of facial hair and had most likely changed their shirt, which resulted in much confusion and unnecessary re-introductions.
Eventually, we did make it to Calcutta and had a nice sweaty peruse around the town. Met some very cool folks and spend some paradise-ful fun in an AC restaurant. Sean and I are, you could say, not the all time greatest at navigating with maps due to the distraction that in depth chatting can produce. This has been the cause for many a late night wandering adventures. And Calcutta was a good place to be lost. At night the city is bustling with kids bucket bathing in the street and women singing and old men selling any spice you could imagine in huge people sized sacs. The policemen trying their very best to direct traffic with whatever they could find lying around.. random umbrellas.. cobs of corn.. you know, the usual. In the morning we saw a few goats being sacrificed at a temple- the headless goat twiching and squirming and rythmically splurting innards from the hole in it's neck probably wasn't the best right before breakfast.. but hey.
After a few days we hopped on a train for a quick overnight journey to Varanasi. It's one of the most holyiest cities in India where people come right before they're about to die, in order to be burned on the banks of the Ganges River. Today we took a little boat up the river and saw everthing from people bathing, getting cremated, drinking, getting married and doing laundry along the banks. Raw sewage flows right in and sometimes bodies can be spotted floating on to Nirvana and yet every evening all the folks from the town gather for one big group bubble bath. Rub a dub dub.
Sean's a champion and has used his secret detective skills to track down the ultimate nicest, begbug free hotel in all of the city. there are about two rooms on each floor and probably eight or nine floors piled on top of each other and joined with a unregulation staircase which is more like climbing a later. our rooms are right across the hall (oh jeez, it's always so fun being next door neighbours.. almost as much fun as top bunk train bed neighbours) and both rooms have gorgeous views of the ganges river and the activity going on. I can even hear the fire crackling from the cremations (which continue 24 hours, 7 days a week.. 200 people a day) from my window as i lie in bed. yes, bit creepy.
So i've been debating weather to put my hand in the Ganges so i can say i did, but living with the inevitable rash that will come with it. oh the dilema. Righteo well i guess it's time for a mango shake and some serious sitting time on the roof.
Nat. rashless. for now.
xoxox
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