holy, holy, holy

well from the colors of rajasthan we moved on to the holy city of varanasi, which is just one of its many names. it is often referred to as banaras, and less often referred to as kashi or.. another name i’ve already forgotten (apologies).

people later asked us what we thought of varanasi; our rather banal reply of ‘interesting’ was met with laughter and rightly so. it’s surely an understatement. but a city like varnasi is hard to describe. certainly it’s unlike any place we’d ever been, and what we saw there was fascinating. so i’ll do my best to go beyond the ‘interesting’.

we arrived (which in itself was a godsend, given the strike/slowdown of air india employees we left behind in delhi) to an airport whose baggage claim consisted of a fifty foot conveyor belt in a tiny room. i shoved my way in and got our bags, while continuously dissuading the would-be coolee hoping for a tip. our taxi ride into the city, a mere 11 miles away, took an hour and a half. we learned, among other things, that traffic and electricity our two of the main problems facing varanasi.

upon arriving at our hotel, ganges view, we got a glimpse of the river as promised. and after a refreshing nap (yes, nap. can you tell i wasn’t feeling 100%?) we decided to venture out for an evening boat ride. having been warned that the ganges is dirty i was expecting worse. sure, it’s a murky greenish color and there are plastic bottles and refuse floating around the banks, but the way people are bathing and splashing in the water, you’d never know. i suppose absolving souls of all sin has a way of overshadowing such earthly concerns.

our first boat ride, just before dusk, gave us a good introduction to all the ghats and temples along the river. we floated along at a leisurely pace (though it was not so leisurely for our industrious boat driver), watching as people washed clothes, prepared for ritual pujas, lit funeral pyres, and just enjoyed the river.

after that night we thought we had seen most of what the river had to offer. wrong! the following evening we took a rickshaw ride down to dasawamedh, the main temple/ghat, for a different perspective. walking down the steps to the river is a fun experience in itself, as you pass all the cows, the traditional parasols (unfortunately becoming less common), and people preparing offerings. from here we took another boat ride. we followed basically the reverse course of our previous trip so we assumed the sights would be similar (but hoped our cameras would hold out this time – the batteries of both cameras had died the night before).

we got in the boat just as the sun was beginning to go down and people were starting to gather in preparation for the big nightly pujas (prayer ceremonies). but first we continued farther down the river to manikarnika, the principal cremation ghat. our driver stopped the boat and we sat floating, transfixed. in the thirty or so minutes we sat watching we saw several bodies brought down to the river, one fire being lit, and several others continue to burn. we learned that the cremations are continuous and there are often 300 or 400 in a single day. first the body is dipped into the holy river for a final ritual bath. then it is brought out to the banks to dry. meanwhile the eldest son will shave his head, purify himself in the water and dress all in white. he brings down a torch from the eternal flame in the shiva temple which he carries as he circles the body 5 times and then lights the fire. there can be no tears, or the soul of the deceased will be disturbed (this explains why women are never present). we watched in almost silence, fascinated by both the holiness and the unfamiliarity of the whole procedure.

finally the spell was broken by sounds of puja preparations wafting down from farther down the river. we turned around and paddled a little farther down to the main ghat where we again took up anchor, so to speak. people were already beginning to gather, both on land and on water. devotees filled the steps along the river as priests lit the ritual fires and began placing offerings of food and flowers. we watched as families came down to the river to light their candles and release them. we did the same, releasing our little candle/flower bowls (made of dried leaves) and watching as they floated away. just as the sun went down and darkness began to set in, the ceremony began as worshipers started singing and clapping. some of the visitors in the boats surrounding us joined in too. again we watched transfixed by the unfamiliar ceremony, totally immersed.

eventually we were able to tear ourselves away, watching as the reflections of the lights on the water grew smaller with each oar stroke. we saw other parts of varanasi during our stay - crazy streets, busy temples - but surely the essence of varanasi is there on the ganges, the holiest city on the holy river.

color theory

well we’ve arrived in rajasthan. we had heard that this state was known for being very colorful and early on this proved to be true. even on the train approaching udaipur we could see bright colors dotting the fields and rows of vegetation. women everywhere, it seems, wear bright oranges, pinks and yellows, and men’s turbans are often swirls of orange or red. one of our first experiences of the local color was in a brief visit to the local vegetable market. women in green and orange saris seemed to match their produce, sitting before their orange tomatoes and gourds and light green guava and legumes. the mix of colors, along with the various other sounds and smells, made for a stimulating introduction to rajasthan.

we continued to encounter color everywhere we went. at one of the local memorial sites a group of women in their variegated saris and dupattas gathered for a ritual cleansing after a recent death. again on worship day at a shiva temple we witnessed groups of men and women seated chanting, their head coverings bright even in the dim, womb-like interior of the temple. as we entered jodhpur it was clear this city was to be no exception. upon entering the main market area (central for both locals and tourists, what few there are), we were immediately confronted with rows of fabrics - meter upon meter of bright fuchsias and marigolds bundled in neat stacks. further on, nearer the landmark clock tower, we saw carts full of bangles, bound together with shoelaces, their glass and gold embellishment glittering in the setting sun. then as night approached and we ascended to a rooftop restaurant we caught a glimpse at the counterpart to all these warm rich colors: the beautiful blues of the houses of jodhpur. the view from the fort the following day was even more stunning. as we walked down the hill entering the small residential streets we got a closer look at the blues, greens, and indigo that color the doors and walls of the town below.

more and more i’ve begun to notice here that color, like religion, is almost a way of life. even garbage trucks and city buses are decorated not only with deities but with bright splashes of color. women wear their brightest scarves, not only for religious rituals, but for working in the field or gathering water (which they really do carry on their heads). the whole notion reminds me of what i’ve heard about rangoli, chalk art decoration that adorns the entryways in many houses in the south. each morning women will diligently create elaborate abstract designs in colored chalk or powder on the ground, knowing that they will only be trampled and scattered by careless feet, to be recreated again the next day. there’s no special occasion required for such use of color; the beauty of the color is just a part of daily life. not a bad concept, i have to say.

hippies, hikers, and himalayas

that would be kathmandu in a nutshell. but that wouldn't really do the city justice. the fourth 'h', or rather the first, would have to be 'holy'. i mean, you can't spit without touching a shrine or temple of some kind (note: while spitting seems to be common i'm guessing this would be frowned upon in actual practice). i've never seen a city this focused on faith; it even has jerusalem beat. of course, like the middle east, kathmandu is a bit of a mix. along with devout buddhist and hindu devotees there are the new age wannabes, hippies, and rastafarians, similar to the tour groups of pilgrims that flock to jerusalem (though i'm still not sure which group is more obnoxious).

what's first immediately apparent in nepal is that religion is everywhere. not just omnipresent, but almost tangible. kathmandu and surrounding districts - patan and bhaktapur - are literally filled with temples just feet from one another. a few days ago i had never seen a shiva linga in person; now i'm quite sure i've seen dozens, if not hundreds. in just a few days we were able to hit all the major highlights, spiritually and architecturally speaking. we even managed to squeeze in some views of the mountains.

i'll level with you. after a while, the temples - and there were hundreds - started to run together a little bit. and this is coming from someone who gives people dirty looks for saying that all cathedrals look alike. while i did appreciate the novelty of being able to identify certain deities i had just studied (thank you, non-western art history), the sheer amount of visual information is almost overwhelming. still, it was fascinating to watch the devotees - monks and laypeople - quietly chanting mantras or giving offerings. if you can get past the people hawking their wares or guide services, it's quite pleasant.

along with religion, nature seems to form the second of the twin pillars that constitute nepal. with the himalayas as a backdrop it's not hard to imagine why. so our first morning in the city we set out to see the famous mountains by air. we got up at the crack of dawn - 5am to be exact - to catch our flight. (side note: of the five airlines i saw, four were named after hindu or buddhist deities.) after paying extra fees and waiting nearly another hour at the tiny gate we boarded our itty bitty propeller plane. everyone had a window seat and as we ascended the flight attendants pointed out the mountains to each individual passenger. the views were stunning, and even through the scratched windows you could make out the craggy rocks and snow-capped peaks. certainly awe-inspiring and yet i still cannot understand people's desire to climb these things.

our second look at the mountains came this morning, when we got up at an even earlier hour (so obscene i won't even print it here) to drive to nearby nagarkot where we were promised a fantastic view of the sunrise. after an interminable 20 minutes of driving 10 miles an hour over bumpy dirt roads we started making our way uphill (this was when our driver decided to speed up to 50 mph). the road can only be described as tortuous (torturous, if you happen to get carsick, which miraculously we did not). with each turn you were sure there wasn't any higher point, only to be greeted with another hairpin turn. every now and then our driver would slow down to about 40 when we had to pass a group of mopeds or a delivery truck. did i mention there are no seatbelts in the backseat? at any rate, somehow we made it to our destination, a hotel at the top of the mountain that afforded incredible views, as promised. the mountain range was beautiful, with its staggered peaks, each level a darker shade of blue than the last. within a few minutes the sun began to peek over one of the crags and slowly lit the whole valley. the effect was stunning. definitely a top 5 sunrise. we followed this up with a delicious and expensive breakfast at the swanky hotel on the hilltop.

so there you have it: nepal in a nutshell. natural splendors, incredible architecture, the people's tranquil dispositions, and the delicious new spicy foods - i must say i'm impressed. and we haven't even gone shopping yet!

dil dilli

alright, let's back up a minute. delhi deserves a better post than just a driving explanation. so i'll go back to the beginning.

well first off i don't think i've ever anticipated a trip as much as this one (specifically india i mean). the entire plane ride i was just giddy; i think i was probably grinning as we pulled our luggage off the belt (though in fairness half of that was probably relief). not even a 14-hour flight could sap my excitement. although it was a pretty pleasant flight; international movies on demand tends to keep people happy. though i think i was probably the only one on the plane who watched a bollywood movie followed by bonnie and clyde. at any rate i was eager to get out and see india. even the wave of heat (like walking into a hot car) that greeted us as we left the airport was almost welcoming, in an odd way.

my first impressions of india weren't the dirt or the crowds - that i'd been expecting. what i was struck by was the spirituality that seemed to be everywhere. deities appear on dashboards, business logos, and of course in small shrines dotting each street.

delhi, as i hinted at below, is a pretty crazy place. we quickly discovered that we couldn't walk anywhere and auto-rickshaws became our main form of transportation. we only had a few days but we did manage to hit some of the highlights. for me this was seeing the islamic architecture (mamluk and mughal) with that typical indian red sandstone. the qutab minar complex has some spectacular carved ornamentation and humayun's tomb shows an early persian influence (pre-taj mahal). we even made it to the modern art museum (coincidentally on international museum day), which showcased an interesting mix of traditional indian motifs (read: more gods) and western styles and techniques.

and the food! well, let's just say that anywhere where it's okay to eat indian food every day is alright with me. we've tried some different dishes and some old favorites, though we're looking forward to having some mangoes, chai, and lassis. it was just so fun to be surrounded by these parts of india, some familiar and some new. the beautiful clothes, the movie stars, the music (our tv was constantly switched to bollywood or punjabi music channels).

alright, so delhi as a city is big and pretty overwhelming. just thinking about maneuvering around connaught place (the main square and a giant roundabout that's currently full of construction) is tough. maybe i have a soft spot for the city because it was my first introduction to india. but really is that such a bad thing?

incredibly india

well first off, we arrived safely in Delhi. i think i can say so far that India is everything i expected it to be (hot, noisy, crowded) and more. it's lively and exciting and i'm loving it. India just has the most.. culture (for lack of a better word) than any place i've been to. everything is so.. indian.

perhaps the most jarring thing about Delhi is the driving. i was prepared for reckless, ridiculous driving. but after being in Delhi for just two days I can attest that it is as crazy as they say. (‘they’, the faceless guidebook gurus I suppose.) and this wasn’t our first exposure to ridiculous driving – we thought we were well prepared having been to Morocco, land of no lanes and tiny streets, and even Greece, land of aggressive drivers. but India has them all beat. just on our drive in from the airport we passed bikes, rickshaws, mopeds, auto-rickshaws (basically a motorized scooter with a bench attached), oxen, buses, and even an elephant. the streets themselves are a free-for-all; flashing lights and horns mean get out of my way, red lights mean jam right up next to all the vehicles around you. three lanes (ha) of traffic really means four. at any given moment you could probably reach out and pat the deity adorning the rickshaw next to you, though on the back they all read ‘distance please’ (perhaps dramatic irony?). honking is not an angry gesture but a mandatory one, used to signal one’s presence. our driver confirmed that if you don’t have a horn, you don’t get a license.

but of course, as with any way of life, you quickly get used to it. we took auto rickshaws with pleasure, sitting back to enjoy the breeze and admire our drivers’ impressive skills. after two days of this constant beeping and skillful maneuvering, on our taxi ride to the airport i heard an unfamiliar sound. it was a turn signal.

summer forecast

this summer's plans include 7 countries and dozens of cities over 3 months. it's going to be a whirlwind; stay tuned.......