Kolkata Kolkata...

Sooo

After a marathon run of the Northwest, about two days in Amritsar, two in Dharamsala, another two in Rishikesh and about a days worth of traveling to each place, I've realized that the whole sightseeing and tourist getup sort of travel is DEFINITELY not for me. I got a week to chill out in Varanasi and Sarnath, which is about a half hour rickshaw drive from Varanasi's old city. There's not much in Sarnath, a bunch of old Buddhist ruins and holy places, except for the week I was there...His Holiness the Dalai Lama was giving teachings. Dunduddunnn! There were probably a thousand plus people, mostly monks and Tibetan refugees there, all spread out across a huge awning covered field listening to him. I went for a few hours, and listened for two of the days he was speaking. He was mostly reading from religious texts and giving feedback on the teachings and it was a bit hard to follow the radio transmitted translations, which were heavily accented and full of pauses and throat clearings. But it was neat to listen to the chants and prayers that they performed before and after all of his teachings. Some of the monks were chanting so deeply, so low that it felt like the earth was shaking, like giant machinery was running somewhere nearby. It was pretty crazy. I stayed for the tibetan bread and butter tea (basically hot water and hot/butter - not my favorite) that was passed around, a pretty sweet treat considering the enormity of people at the event. Everyday around 11 and then again at about 3, some of the young monks would run through the aisles at full speed to pass around snacks and tea to everyone. It was a bit wild to see all of these safron robed men streaking through the crowd, some dripping with sweat after working so hard.
One day I went to checkout the Archaeological museum and some of the ruins in Sarnath, outside the park where the Dalai Lama was speaking. I was walking around this park, full of temple ruins and the bricks from ancient monasteries where Buddha gave some of his first teachings when I was stopped by a bunch of posche looking security guards. They said that "He" was going to be walking through in the next few minutes. At first I wasn't really sure who "He" was, but then it dawned on me...Dunddudunn! The Dalai Lama! And I got to see him from about twenty feet off as he walked around this huge, old brick stupa through the ruins and into another adjacent park. A group of Argentinian tourists called to him "Ohee Dalai Lama!" with thick Spanish accents and he waved and put his palms together in our direction. Pretty lucky coincidence, I was definitely in the right place at the right time there. After having been a little weary about spending so much time in Varanasi/Sarnath, and not really quite sure why I was doing so, the experience turned out to be well worth it.

I went from Varanasi to Jaipur, Rajasthan, the desert and jemstone/precious capital of India, to stay on a farm just outside the city. Saharia Organic Resort, where I weeded, dug holes, painted trees, with cow shit, cleaned a swimming pool (that turned from black to blue, with enough ammonia that is), and learned how to cook some Indian delights with a girl from Sweden, a woman from Canada, a Guy from LA, and a few Indian families living on the farm. It was wonderful, probably one of the most beautiful places and most wonderful experiences I have had so far in India.

I'm back in Kolkata now, after staying with a future Indian reality TV star in Jaipur, and spending close to thirty hours on a train ride without a reserved seat. But I survived...with a bit of a cold, and even got to see the Taj last minute.

Damn it feels good to be back in Kolkata!