Namaste :-)

Rambling thoughts from a stray mind...

We are waiting for a train to take us back to Delhi. Apparently there has been much rain there over the last week which has brought about a premature increase in mosquito breeding and the threat of dengue as a result. I am preparing myself mentally for the discomfort of my skin being covered in repellent and the relentless temperatures. Still, I am very excited to be going back to the city that brought me so much culture shock back in November.

Part of me is still in Tibet somewhere or is that part of Tibet is still in me? Should it be the latter I hope that it remains so. I am still deeply touched by the Tibetan people and their sense of internal happiness. It is true that each day could be our last, therefore we should start each day anew and live in the present. There is happiness to be found in such philosophy :-) The landscape has filled my soul with natural beauty, although now when I think of Everest there is a mark in the shape of a black tarmacked topped road rudely cutting through the beauty of the region like an ugly black strike through :-(

Nepal I feel so unfamiliar with, I really have no right to speak of it with any true knowledge. No guidebook and not much time there resulted in it being a transit country for us, it is however a country of beauty and a mix of cultures that would be worth exploring further in the future. My memories of Nepal are the ride down from the Himalayas and the dry arid environment of the Tibetan plateau into tropical heat and humidity. We did some great cycling to Kathmandu particularly our toughest day on the bikes which was a true test of character :-) I am surprised that I managed to survive the bus journeys on the twisty roads - about 3% of the roads were straight. This is a recipe for disaster when you suffer from travel sickness as much as I do. Choking diesel fumes through the window, coupled with a lack of aircon (in the case of the ride from Pokhara to the border) and the heat would normally ensure that nothing but torture would follow as the bus blasted horn and swerved back and forth. Luckily I adopted a concentration, a method of mind over matter and focused on the view out of the window, my gaze fixed at the same angle and distance from the bus for the duration. Anytime I strayed from this fake horizon my stomach would churn. My eyes were quite tired after several hours of this and I did not get the best view! But I made it :-)

Now in India, the chaos has become a familiarity and it is less disconcerting. I love how everything is so organic, breathing and flowing. The people that we meet who are "students" and want to practice their English (and eventually take us to an Emporium of some sort) are too obvious now and are laughable. The tricks to extort cash from us are all here in Varanasi but now they are far much more amusing and occasionally frustrating. We have been with a couple of young travellers over the last few days who are grateful for our company - their having been in India for only the two days that they have spent with us. I feel empathy when I see the wide eyed expressions on their faces as they view the intimidating environment that surrounds them and try to make sense of it or to try and find something familiar. I remember how that felt, even if you have been on the road for a while, India has a uniqueness that cannot be prepared for and you find out truly what it is like at best when you are in the deep end - a bit like having a child :-)

Time is pressing and so are my eyelids. The temperature in our room at night is at least 35C and I am not getting enough sleep in the heat. Maybe we shall splash out on an aircon room at some point...

...we are off to get some food for our fifteen hour journey in the soft sleeper carriage... no AC. Gluttons for punishment I tell you :-)

Until next time...