Given how hectic and crazy the past few days have been, I’m happy that today was just a “kick back and relax” transit day. With an early afternoon flight out of Khajaraho en route to Jaipur, we savored the luxury of sleeping in. 🙂 Unfortunately, I’ve gotten into the habit of waking up at 8 am of my own accord, this happens pretty consistently for me regardless of how late I went to bed the previous night.
The downside of visiting a smaller town is the limited amount of conveniences that we have grown accustomed to as Americans. This is not to say that neither of us were adaptable. Contrary to that, both Nick and I have the prior experience of traveling through Asia, and we were prepared for the likelihood of the squatting toilets, limited hot water, lack of heat, and taking sponge baths from a bucket. Still, warmth would have been nice given how cold it was in the room last night and this morning.
Our flight to Jaipur included both a stop in Varanasi and a layover in Delhi. Varanasi, is recognized as the Holy City for Hinduism, and is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. It is set along the Ganges River. You may recall that the Ganges is the Holy River. It is considered sacred and is personified as the goddess Ganga.
Credit: Babasteve
The common belief is that bathing in the river, results in remission of sins and facilitates Moksha – liberation from the cycle of life and death. Many Hindu’s pilgrimage to the Ganges to immerse the ashes of their dead. The river is also a water lifeline for millions of Indians across the country, as it is the largest body of water in India. Unfortunately, the cumulative purpose of the Ganges has resulted in it being named the 5th most polluted river in the world.
At Varanasi, I picked up an interesting row-mate named Wayne. It turns out that he was also born and raised in New Jersey! (Jersey City to be precise). He also happened to spend a few years living in Houston.
Sometimes I think the world is so large, that I can’t even begin to explore all of it, and then coincidences such as these happen that remind me how small the world can actually be. We had a very thorough conversation and I quickly became envious of him. Wayne is a General Orthopedist that works in contracted positions. This has somehow allowed him to work in Europe, Africa, and now Asia! He also happens to own some great sports cars (although they are in storage) such as the Lotus, Ferrari, and Maserati. Still, my jealousy had its limits. Averaging 18-hr days for continuous weeks with a brief reprieve of a week here and there takes its toll.
We parted ways at Delhi and Nick and I caught our connection to Jaipur, “The Pink City.” After arriving at our hotel, we were both happy to settle into our rooms and savor a long, relaxing hot shower. I also had time to Skype with friends from back home ^_^.
e next morning, we were greeted by clear skies bursting full of sunshine. I don’t believe I’ve breathed any fresher air than I did on the side of Mount Zeus. There was something so quintessentially pure about the moment, a second of peace with no clock, no city fumes, and the microscopic presence of man.
CestLaJu 