Ghandhi wouldn't be staring

Lifa and I arrived in India and made it to our shabby hotel in one piece (just). Delhi is indescribable. Hot, sweaty, noisy, pushy, smelly, polluted, crazy - maybe combine those words and times them by thirty...you'd be getting closer. We survived 2 days of it including almost dying in a bicycle rickshaw, almost dying of heat during regular power cuts, almost dying arguing with buddies over prices, and almost dying trying to get to the train to get out of the city. We checked out the Red Fort (a main attraction) and have moved on to a smaller and better place - Agra, home of the Taj Mahal.

Agra is more manageable and our little lodge is just so fantastic. A rooftop restaurant (which serves banana lassis and chocolate and banana pancakes - a new addition to the menu because of us) overlooks the center city area and the Taj - just totally amazing. My first glance definitely took my breath away. So far the biggest problem here has been: What am I going to wear to the Taj Mahal? A nice change from the utterly frustrating experiences of Delhi pesters. Now don't get me wrong, the in your face style of nattering is everywhere but perhaps we're just getting a little more used to it, or my crazy "no" dance is scaring most of them away...some of them laugh at me - laugh all you want, it works.

There is a festival of some sorts (Hindu Gods and such) going on outside. Elephants, floats, lights, hats, music - it's totally crazy, India styles. Because of the fact that the town has been turned into a Hindu Vegas there has been consistent and long lasting power cuts all day. It's so freaking hot without the little fan going I can't even explain. Too bad we didn't know about the festival earlier...we would have stayed another night to party with the locals. But alas tonight we are hitching a ride on the overnight train to Varanassi, one of the holiest cities in India where bodies are burned and dumped into the most polluted river in the world. Part 50 is considered not swimmable water, the Ganges is part 1.5million.

I have now figured that in India, where ever you go, no matter how tourist oriented, there is always the stare. And I feel, personally, that Lifa and I get started at more than most. We even caught two different men taking pictures of us with their cell phone cameras at the train station. Trying to be sooooo sneaky. I don't like to think what they do with those pictures. I'm going to get a t-shirt made with the Hindi writing "Ghadhi would be staring". Just something we have to get used to but some days it's just particularly aggravating.

Okay - so I'm out to the holy city to see one of the most famous rivers in the world and cleanse my wrong doings.