varanasi.
leaving kathmandu. elaborate lunch with real brezels. why did it take me so long to find them? buy my 1st package of indian money. for that you need a bag not a wallet. it's going to be fun.
in the plane to india a monk takes my seat. a stewardess chases him away but another monk takes it again. these monks seem not to have any manners. the stewardess is visibly embarrassed and freaks out. they all get a speech about obeying rules. hey, that's almost like in germany. i just grin and tell her to relax: 'calm down. they're monks, let them have fun with the seat. there's lots of other seats here for me.'. i end up next to annik, a french-canadian girl from montreal. thanks monks. we decide to travel together after we find out that we have the same schedule. she seems to be tough enough to go my speed.
arrival in india. the first minutes will decide whether i like it or not. standing in line. it's like in the supermarket where i always choose the wrong queue. everything must be signed and stamped several times. 'i like your job, stamping is my hobby' - 'yes, good job'. i decide to like india. extensive taxi-bargaining. they don't get my funny comments. annik only laughs. they argue in front of us who will make the deal with us. 'stop the moaning. it's all a matter of the price, guys. make an offer i can't refuse and you get the deal'. certainly we don't want to pay enough. we get in and off the taxi twice. signing a paper each time. one for getting in and one for getting off. 'either you take my price or you won't have any money to feed the kids tonight'. at the end they agree to my offer. i think i will have lots of fun here. we drive to varanasi with lots of hunking and very loud indian music (i have to admit you need time to get used to it). 'you like it?' - 'yes excellent, indian music is so cool :-)'. it's terrible and terribly funny at the same time. i make faces but they don't get it. the usual question: 'what's your relationship?' - 'we just met at the airport an hour ago but i'm already working on the schedule for the wedding' - 'oh, congratulations'. annik seems to be comfortable with my humour: she doesn't protest. when i ask the driver what his relationship to the guy next to him is, he doesn't get it, or maybe he doesn't want to understand :-). annik bursts with laughter. the streets need a bit of cleaning: 'hey, i like the dirty indian dirt' - 'yes india is very nice.' interesting response. well, it is. good fun. good hotel with marble bathroom. disappointing buffet (as usual) at top-hotel.
6 am, bargaining with some rickshaw drivers. always let them make the offers, force them to argue with each other first. after 5 minutes somebody loses his nerves and offers a free ride! that's an offer i've never heard before. i agree instantly and get into the rickshaw without allowing more discussion. the other drivers are upset and surprised about my boldness...welcome to india, guys, everything ist possible. i think for free is quite cheap (the driver got his money anyway). already chaos on the streets.
arrival at the main gath. everybody wants to sell something. we just need a boat. we end up at 30% of the first offer. i don't have time and the mood for more bargaining, it gets light. pure craziness: bathing, brushing teeth, laundry, praying,.. everything happens in the dirty holy water of the ganges. incredible pictures. i feel i could do this for another 100 days. pure life.
strolling through the medieval old-town. we pick up a guide. the narrow lanes are much more interesting than the temples. at the cremation place we observe the actions from a hospice, where people wait for their death several parallel cremations in different stages: soaking the corpses in the ganges, preparing the woodpiles, male relatives and friends around the corps on the pile, the closest relative walks 5 times around the body and burns the pile. the burning is very fast, much faster than in kathmandu., i wonder why. altitude?. finally the ash is thrown into the ganges, the fire is extinguished with a bowl of water, the bowl is broken. this symbolizes the end of the relationship with the dead. the widows/widowers live 10 days in recession. after that there's a big party. the wood for the burning and the party cost real fortunes. i don't even try to calculate. the hospice manager just says it can ruin the families.
annik signs a traveller cheque and this guy doesn't want to accept it anymore for unknown reasons. annik is in panic, 'losing' a cheque is not funny. the quarrel starts. i threat to inform amex to make sure they'll lose the licence :-(. no success. despite his complaints our guide doesn't get any money as he brought us to this crook. 'i'm happy when you're happy? this time we're not. you said you know somebody reliable - he was not'. i don't have much humour when it comes to transactions, it can ruin your whole vacation.
little temple tour. organize the bus to khajuraho. another boat ride in the evening. a guide recommends 200 rupees as an acceptable price. he's shocked later when i tell him we got it for 100 rupees. he slaps my back: 'you're no fun to bargain with, you're worse than the indians themselves. good job.' - 'i know, too bad i like bargaining. i doubt that the indians like that :-)'.
returning to the hotel we encounter 'perfect horror': first i think it's just indian music played with terrible loudspeakers but it's not: an open-air concert with a famous indian singer (so they say). she's really terrible :-). she can't sing or dance at all but she obviously thinks she can turn on the guys with here exaggerated moves. it's unreal. i don't dare to laugh because i fear i could cause a fight as the people seem to be honestly impressed. crazy country. when i start do dance copying her style the people go nuts. spontaneous applause. i love these people. nobody could say they don't have humour.
in the plane to india a monk takes my seat. a stewardess chases him away but another monk takes it again. these monks seem not to have any manners. the stewardess is visibly embarrassed and freaks out. they all get a speech about obeying rules. hey, that's almost like in germany. i just grin and tell her to relax: 'calm down. they're monks, let them have fun with the seat. there's lots of other seats here for me.'. i end up next to annik, a french-canadian girl from montreal. thanks monks. we decide to travel together after we find out that we have the same schedule. she seems to be tough enough to go my speed.
arrival in india. the first minutes will decide whether i like it or not. standing in line. it's like in the supermarket where i always choose the wrong queue. everything must be signed and stamped several times. 'i like your job, stamping is my hobby' - 'yes, good job'. i decide to like india. extensive taxi-bargaining. they don't get my funny comments. annik only laughs. they argue in front of us who will make the deal with us. 'stop the moaning. it's all a matter of the price, guys. make an offer i can't refuse and you get the deal'. certainly we don't want to pay enough. we get in and off the taxi twice. signing a paper each time. one for getting in and one for getting off. 'either you take my price or you won't have any money to feed the kids tonight'. at the end they agree to my offer. i think i will have lots of fun here. we drive to varanasi with lots of hunking and very loud indian music (i have to admit you need time to get used to it). 'you like it?' - 'yes excellent, indian music is so cool :-)'. it's terrible and terribly funny at the same time. i make faces but they don't get it. the usual question: 'what's your relationship?' - 'we just met at the airport an hour ago but i'm already working on the schedule for the wedding' - 'oh, congratulations'. annik seems to be comfortable with my humour: she doesn't protest. when i ask the driver what his relationship to the guy next to him is, he doesn't get it, or maybe he doesn't want to understand :-). annik bursts with laughter. the streets need a bit of cleaning: 'hey, i like the dirty indian dirt' - 'yes india is very nice.' interesting response. well, it is. good fun. good hotel with marble bathroom. disappointing buffet (as usual) at top-hotel.
6 am, bargaining with some rickshaw drivers. always let them make the offers, force them to argue with each other first. after 5 minutes somebody loses his nerves and offers a free ride! that's an offer i've never heard before. i agree instantly and get into the rickshaw without allowing more discussion. the other drivers are upset and surprised about my boldness...welcome to india, guys, everything ist possible. i think for free is quite cheap (the driver got his money anyway). already chaos on the streets.
arrival at the main gath. everybody wants to sell something. we just need a boat. we end up at 30% of the first offer. i don't have time and the mood for more bargaining, it gets light. pure craziness: bathing, brushing teeth, laundry, praying,.. everything happens in the dirty holy water of the ganges. incredible pictures. i feel i could do this for another 100 days. pure life.
strolling through the medieval old-town. we pick up a guide. the narrow lanes are much more interesting than the temples. at the cremation place we observe the actions from a hospice, where people wait for their death several parallel cremations in different stages: soaking the corpses in the ganges, preparing the woodpiles, male relatives and friends around the corps on the pile, the closest relative walks 5 times around the body and burns the pile. the burning is very fast, much faster than in kathmandu., i wonder why. altitude?. finally the ash is thrown into the ganges, the fire is extinguished with a bowl of water, the bowl is broken. this symbolizes the end of the relationship with the dead. the widows/widowers live 10 days in recession. after that there's a big party. the wood for the burning and the party cost real fortunes. i don't even try to calculate. the hospice manager just says it can ruin the families.
annik signs a traveller cheque and this guy doesn't want to accept it anymore for unknown reasons. annik is in panic, 'losing' a cheque is not funny. the quarrel starts. i threat to inform amex to make sure they'll lose the licence :-(. no success. despite his complaints our guide doesn't get any money as he brought us to this crook. 'i'm happy when you're happy? this time we're not. you said you know somebody reliable - he was not'. i don't have much humour when it comes to transactions, it can ruin your whole vacation.
little temple tour. organize the bus to khajuraho. another boat ride in the evening. a guide recommends 200 rupees as an acceptable price. he's shocked later when i tell him we got it for 100 rupees. he slaps my back: 'you're no fun to bargain with, you're worse than the indians themselves. good job.' - 'i know, too bad i like bargaining. i doubt that the indians like that :-)'.
returning to the hotel we encounter 'perfect horror': first i think it's just indian music played with terrible loudspeakers but it's not: an open-air concert with a famous indian singer (so they say). she's really terrible :-). she can't sing or dance at all but she obviously thinks she can turn on the guys with here exaggerated moves. it's unreal. i don't dare to laugh because i fear i could cause a fight as the people seem to be honestly impressed. crazy country. when i start do dance copying her style the people go nuts. spontaneous applause. i love these people. nobody could say they don't have humour.