INDIA

INDIA

We have all thumbed through photos in magazines and books,  seen movies produced and directed by Merchant and Ivory such as Passage to India, and read books about India and its many mysteries.  Saratoga now has one of the largest populations of Indians in Silicon Valley and I have met many through Foothill elementary school. But for many decades I put off visiting India because just Life got in the way.  But in November of 2018 I took a giant leap of faith with Michael and we joined 18 others on an unforgettable journey to this mysterious land.  Varanasi was not our first stop but it certainly was the most unusual of the cities and villages we visited.

VARANASI

is in the district of 

UTTAR PRADESH

Welcome to Varanasi and the sights and sounds of the holiest city in India

President Modi now has plans to remove a major part of the old city and create a tree lined paved path leading down to the Ganges

This stairway and the temple on the Ganges above will remain as it is 

The common mode of travel not only in Varanasi but all of India is by bicycle or TuTut.  Streets are crowded and the sights and sounds of thousands of people, cows, chickens, cows, merchants and food stands is overwhelming.

Buying a garment can be mind boggling.  Which one should I choose and how much time do I have?

Thanks goodness for the kindness of strangers.  Rebecca, on the left, and Davida on the right became life savers in more ways than one and responded to our needs when required.  Since there are few hospitals and nary a western pharmacy we sometimes needed a little bit of traveling advice from those who had traveled a rugged road.

A traveling monk comes to bathe in the Ganges.  One of the requirements is that once in a lifetime a Hindu must  travel to the Ganges and immerse themselves in the waters by the city.  We will not speak of sanitary conditions here.  Let's just say none of us took a dip.

Fellow travelers on the road.  Cows are everywhere and I have seen up to 40 of them traveling on a main thoroughfare with cars driving slowly surrounding them. They lay in the street and walk on the sidewalks.  Get used to the presence of them. You can't ignore them or else you might trip and cause some damage to the poor souls, sacred as they are.

A visit to Sarnath where Buddha gave his first Sermon.  Lovely park with temples and  statues of the Great Buddha surrounded by beautiful gardens.

Ganesha, elephant God in Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism.  He is the god of many good things such patron of the arts, lord of Astrology, and God of the Harvest.

When we traveled in Varanasi the wedding of Nick Jonas and Priyanka Chopra took place in Jodhpur. Along with tens of thousands of other couples all over India who were married at this time.  There are special days that young people marry throughout the year for good luck. 95% of all marriages are arranged in India.  The wedding celebrations go on for days and above is a wedding parade in the evening with portable fluorescent chandeliers carried by participants.

The colors of India

Michael above the Ganges

A Sitar performance in the home of the musician

Our farewell dinner

On our way to Nepal armed finally with Vog masks in defense of the pollution that permeates many places both in India and Nepal.  They were life savers purchased in the airport in Delhi