It was March in Varanasi, and I had arrived as part of a three-week tour around India. I hesitated signing up for it all those months ago, when I was still mapping the route I’d take through Southeast and South Asia, an eight-month adventure that I’d thought of for years. I had never taken a tour of any kind, and I envisioned a bus full of khaki-wearing, sunburnt tourists, the kind who refused to eat street food or use a public toilet. As a solo traveller, I finally decided it would be easier and safer to travel with a group, even if it meant our days were sometimes planned down to the hour.
Tag:
India
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This place was sacred. Bodies burned day and night on the ghats, the steps leading to the Ganges; it was not uncommon to find bits of ash in your hair or on your skin. I balked at the chance to drink tea with the holy men after I learned that the Ganges was the source of the water, even though, as my guide told me, “It will make you closer to India.” I watched each morning as men and women bathed in the river, washed their faces in the river, drank from the river. Hindus and Jains came here to die, the Ganges serving as the divine cosmic road to salvation. Tourist boats rode up and down the water, the people on them snapping photos of cremations.
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New Delhi, India Two years ago, I spent some time in India. I coordinated my weeks there so that I was able to attend…
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Agra, India Once in a while, when you’ve been up since the crack of dawn and you’ve already seen one of the most beautiful places in the world, sightseeing just doesn’t appeal…
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The Train From New Delhi to Jaisalmer, India I had heard a lot about travelling through India before I even set foot in the country myself; I am always wary of these…
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Amritsar, India My brain is full of Spanish verbs and vocabulary; I have no English words tonight. I spent my afternoon at a local market here…