Welcome to India!
Three weeks in India, and 300 times I have asked myself WHY did I come here??? This place is insane: overcrowded, dirty, dusty, polluted, busy, chaotic, dangerous. Trains are slow and never on time. It's not safe to walk down the street; it's a non-stop obstacle course with pedestrians dodging motorbikes, motorbikes dodging auto rickshaws, auto rickshaws dodging cars, cars dodging trucks and buses, and everyone dodging the holy cow. I thanked God that I made it back alive every time I returned to the guesthouse.
But things have taken a turn for the better. As mentioned before, on the train to Khajuraho I met Arezo from Southern California. She had been praying for someone to travel with, and the moment I met her I realized I'd been praying for the same thing. In Khajuraho we met Robert from Sacramento, another corporate runaway who'd recently met the Dalai Lama in Bodhagaya (the place where the Buddha achieved enlightenment, I think). They were heading next to Agra, so we all met up there at my favorite Agra guesthouse, the Tourists Rest House (not punctuated). There we met Peter from Missouri, a deep sea diver/wet welder on a side trip to India after finishing a job in Thailand (I think).
Traveling in India is just better when there are men in your party, so I was over-the-moon happy to welcome Robert and Peter into my life. It didn't hurt at all that both are stand up guys, well traveled, infinitely interesting, generous to a fault, and great company. Together the four of us roamed the streets and markets of Agra, enjoyed perfectly strong coffee at India's Starbucks, Cafe Coffee Day, feasted on street food, and toured the moghul town of Fatephur Sikri (see photos in another post). Major coup on the travel trail.
Arezo and I have now moved on to Rishikesh, which was my intended destination in India for yoga and all things enlightened.
Peter from Missouri, at Mama Franky street food stall (some seriously great Indian food).
Robert from Sacramento with the super-cool plastic hat men are required to wear in order to enter the tomb of the really important someone at Fatephur Sikr. Very cool.
But things have taken a turn for the better. As mentioned before, on the train to Khajuraho I met Arezo from Southern California. She had been praying for someone to travel with, and the moment I met her I realized I'd been praying for the same thing. In Khajuraho we met Robert from Sacramento, another corporate runaway who'd recently met the Dalai Lama in Bodhagaya (the place where the Buddha achieved enlightenment, I think). They were heading next to Agra, so we all met up there at my favorite Agra guesthouse, the Tourists Rest House (not punctuated). There we met Peter from Missouri, a deep sea diver/wet welder on a side trip to India after finishing a job in Thailand (I think).
Traveling in India is just better when there are men in your party, so I was over-the-moon happy to welcome Robert and Peter into my life. It didn't hurt at all that both are stand up guys, well traveled, infinitely interesting, generous to a fault, and great company. Together the four of us roamed the streets and markets of Agra, enjoyed perfectly strong coffee at India's Starbucks, Cafe Coffee Day, feasted on street food, and toured the moghul town of Fatephur Sikri (see photos in another post). Major coup on the travel trail.
Arezo and I have now moved on to Rishikesh, which was my intended destination in India for yoga and all things enlightened.
Peter from Missouri, at Mama Franky street food stall (some seriously great Indian food).
Robert from Sacramento with the super-cool plastic hat men are required to wear in order to enter the tomb of the really important someone at Fatephur Sikr. Very cool.
posted by No Day But Today | 1:05 AM
1 Comments:
ahhahaha great pictures.. you make it all sound so fun.. reunion?!?!?!?
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