Cleanse the Soul in Varanasi, Rinse In Agra

Taj Mahal

Originally uploaded by ¡arturii! www.arturdebat.tk

So there I was, covered in crickets, overlooking train tracks caked in human excrement, awaiting a train that was bound to be later than the station had announced, starving for food after a 24 hour fast in the hopes of kicking a stomach bug and thinking “India sucks”. In fact, I believe the words “i hate this place” may have escaped both of our mouths more than a few times in the past few days. But for some reason, that chapter felt finished the second we got off the train in Agra. The air is drier, the city feels cleaner, the people have been friendlier, and we’re being reminded of the side of India that isn’t out to screw, gawk or carelessly poison your food, but the India that infects you with the most powerful optimism in the world after approaching you to just practice its brilliant English.
While packing my crutches and leg into a autorickshaw outside the train station, a number cab drivers came to inspect my situation. As the rickshaw engine started up, one of them told me “Just remember, even if bad time, still best of time. Okay?” He’s right. I’m currently sweating my ass off, my shoes are still caked in varanasi’s holy cow pooh, but I’m staring at the Taj Mahal as I write this and thinking that even at its worst, this is a damn fine adventure and I haven’t been this happy in ages. The best part of all is that we still have two months left, most of which will be spent on gorgeous beaches. I can’t wait.
Off to the Taj Mahal in a few hours to catch the sunset and catching a train to Jaipur tomorrow to explore desert palaces in Rajasthan.