The World Strikes Back....

In a quite literally vicious below the belt move, unprovoked, the world made its move and bestowed on me the full joys of Delhi-belly: 12 hours toilet-hugging, cramping dry -retches, 36 hours of no eating and in the midst the most unpleasant 6 hour train ride I've experienced...Fortunatley Hiren "Florence Nightingale" Naik came to my rescue perhaps remembering the days I nursed him attentively through mumps or perhaps because he was fed up of being kept awake by my vomiting...At least now though I can honestly say I've had the true Indian experience and fortunately it came on the last night in the city and so didn't make too much of an indent into our plans.

Before being struck down we had the most amazing day visiting the Swaminarayan temple, this huge, intricately carved buiding which was architecturally and spiritually breathtaking. It was so peaceful and calming that I almost forgot I was in India. Swaminarayan was a young boy who left home at 11 and became one of the greatest Hindu spiritual leaders and took Hinduism back to its original concepts of peace, meditation and good deeds after it had become lost amongst pedantic rituals that seemed to distract from the principles of the faith. It was a fascinating tour and the most impressive place I have visited in India.

I tried to hold onto these calming feelings during the horrendous Delhi-belly plagued train to Jaipur which unfortunately wiped me out for the day I was there so stayed in bed all day emerging only to enjoy my first bit of food in a couple of days from the gorgeous rooftop terraced restaurant at our hostel, The Pearl Palace, and then going for an evening walk being invited somewhat randomly to a wedding by the rickshaw drivers that had brought us from the station!

The following day we made the 10 hour round trip to Agra, principally to visit the Taj Mahal - pretty gruelling journey but you can't visit India and not "do" the Taj! It was definitely impressive and again extremely peaceful but much smaller than I imagined and most certainly not worth the extortionate entrance fee they charge which has increased from 15Rs to 750Rs in one of the biggest tourist scams considering its pretty much a garden and a mausoleum. Still, I found it interesting that the mausoleum was built by the Prince to hold his beloved wife who died giving birth to his 16th child. For 16 children she got 20 000 workers, 21 years and marble imported from all over the world to create her resting place, not a bad way to ensure you're remembered!

On the way back from the Taj we got "carjacked" by two rogue drivers who instead of taking us to the station took us all over the city to visit shops in order to buy something to gain their commission from the shopkeepers. Every time we asked to go to the station they took us to another shop and every time we entered it was like stepping inside Auntie Wainwright's shop in Last of the Summer Wine where you can't escape without coming away with something, however undesirable it is to you! Hiren and I are now well-versed in the language of no and so made the most of the journey and actually quite enjoyed being taken to the textiles and marble workhouses and being given tours by the shopowners with explanations on how the hand-knotted rugs are weaved by runners on these gigantic looms at lightning-finger pace and the painstaking process of creating a mosaic marble table. How any of the owners, taking a look at us, thought we had money to afford on purchasing a 20ft rug or a five seater marble table and chairs was beyond us but it was fun watching them try to haggle the price down in hundreds of pounds!

In a way the carjack was a blessing in disguise as our train was delayed by 6 hours so not getting to the station earlier meant we reduced the amount of time we waited on the platform trying to avoid the almost continuous rain of birdpooh coming from where all the feathered monsters had come to roost for the night. At about 2am we finally got our train and arrived in Varanasi absolutely exhausted and then had to wander around in the heat of the day trying to find a hostel....

Varanasi is the most sacred place in India as it sits on the banks of the Ganges which Hindus believe if you bathe in guarantees you entrance to heaven and ends the cycle of rebirth. It's also smaller and quieter than the big cities we've been to though the temperature has been 42 degrees for the duration of our stay!

Being a non-Hindu I am considered a pollutant so was not allowed to enter the Golden Temple which annoyed me. I wasn't as irritated as Hiren though who when he came out had been fleeced out of 2000Rs by brahmins claiming he couldn't pray at each individual shrine without paying any money. These kind of attitudes were in complete contrast to the welcoming given to both of us at Swaminarayan and added to the level of discomfort I have felt at times with the attitudes of many Hindus who seem to value making money and personal prestige ahead of the values of their religion. This is a somewhat sweeping statement that does not reflect their faith at all but does perhaps reveal the problems with a decentralised religion that varies from village to village and is easily manipulated by corrupt brahmins with no outlet for objective redresssal and the caste system which still taints their religion as well as attitudes to non-Hindus.

This experience was a shame especially as I have been enjoying the daily arati at dusk on the riverbanks where brahmins lead devotional and prayer sequences for believers that involves an elaborate process of circumambulating spices, petals, candles and a whole host of other objects amongst the clanging of bells, drums, clapping and chanting. Sitting facing the river while this goes on is an extremely meditative opportunity (as long as you ignore the touts trying to get you to buy little floating leaves of petals and candles to place on the river for good luck) irrespective of your religion. It also in no way tarnishes my admiration for the energy of the Indian people who are busy getting on with life and who value the family - its seems a sharp contrast to the sanitised lifestyle in the West where pleasure and enjoyment are far too often sought in stimulants and artificial artifacts or putting aside the joy of what is known here as "spontaneous happiness" in favour of a greener pastured future that is perpetually put off.

Another highlight of our stay in Varanasi was doing the 5am boat trip along the river to see the sunrise. In itself it is a beautiful sight but even more so when you take into consideration the many people who come to bathe in the waters and even more disturbingly send dead bodies into the water (again believing in the purifying qualities it possesses as a gateway to heaven) alongside these people washing themselves and drinking from it!

Initially we stayed in a non-ac guesthouse to try and economise but after nearly melting in the night we moved out of La-Ra India and descended into the labyrinth back alleys before settling on a cooler option at Ganga Fuji complete with a great restaurant in which the owner guides you through the menu (particularly helpful with nut allergies and a newly gained post-Delhi-belly wariness!) to the tune of live, traditional Indian musicians.

We spent our last day taking a daytrip to Sarnath, the birthplace of Buddhism. The temple is still standing and marks the spot where the Buddha gave his first sermon. Subsequently, many other temples were erected and each country now has its own though most are dilapidated and in ruins which is a shame. Still sat under a bodhi tree and tried to find enlightenment in the very peaceful gardens that will help us cope with our train and two buses into Nepal over the next 48 hours.

India has been fast, frenetic, crazy, hot, indescribable, perplexing and hits you like a brick wall. I'm glad we've visited it first as it's pretty energy-sapping and we've really zoomed around taking in everything, so looking forward to a bit of lakeside chilling in Pokhara before hitting up our trek!

Favourite Place: Swaminarayan Temple - peaceful, inspiring and meditative
Favourite Accomodation: Pearl Palace - the rooftop terrace is the closest we'll get to luxury
Favourite Food: Lassis and pineapple raita
Most Bizarre: Cows might be sacred but when you have to vault them during the blackout power-cuts to get back to your hostel you wish they were in fields rather than given keys to the city
What I'm Going To Miss: Sitting in a cafe watching the mad, crazy world go by in all its colours and smells, friendly strangers who sit and chat with you on the riverside or offer you rooms in their houses or to take you to strange parties!
What I'm Not Going To Miss: Hiren pimping out my white-boy skin to flag down rickshaws, bicycle rickshaws (quick way to the pearly gates...), touts that dupe you or call you a "roastbeef" when you refuse their wares, beggars (no matter how many you see you can't ever get used to it), the Indian national disregard for spatial awareness...
Books I Read: A Spot of Bother, Mark Haddon (not a patch on Curious Incident but reclined on a sofa was a good way to pass a day post-vomiting), On Beauty, Zadie Smith (not at all what I expected from her but once I got into it was a good read, albeit inspiring nostalgia for being a student not that anything that happens in Wellington is anyway reminiscent of my time at uni! As always though, when all the characters are so wholeheartedly dislikeable found myself slightly detached and not caring enough for them to make it any more enjoyable than a good holiday read)
Favourite Quote: "(God)...is the atheism of the atheist"