Sarnath

Part of a 2 week holiday back blip starting here on October 14th...

After a day spent traveling this is just what we needed. We had left Darjeeling by car at about 8am, catching a sleeper from New Jalpaiguri to Mughal Sarai (for Varanasi) at 1pm. Our arrival at Mughal Sarai was 1am, so 12 hours, and we didn't really see the point in sleeping (besides, the beds are uncomfortable). The one chap we had in with us in our cabin was nice enough, but one thing we've noticed about conversations is how one-sided they tend to be. And Indians have no qualms about revealing details.

We are asked questions as well though (the answers are usually brief and then more chat from the other side of the cabin). Top question is how we like the food and is it too spicy for us. This accords with everywhere we are eating telling us which dishes are not particularly spicy. The thing is, we like hot food! I make a damned good Laksa that is way hotter than anything we had yet to experience in India, but like the Parisians not lettign you speak french, the Indians don't seem willing to let us eat what they are eating. Most frustrating.

Anyway, the hotel in Varanasi was perfectly comfortable, and the following morning we had a relaxed start to visit Sarnath, the site of Buddha's first sermon. With the sun shining and the biggest crowds left outside the gates trying to sell you all sorts of differing types of tourist tat it was a pleasant hour walk around the ruins where there once stood numerous monasteries. The giant stupa in the picture is on the site believed to be the exact spot that Buddha gave his first sermon.

Our guide is a wonderful cynic, decrying religion as ignorance for most of our stay, though he does give us a lot of information on 'pure' Buddhism (not 'Tibetan' Buddhism) and it's more a way of life than a religion, just aimed at solving problems and getting along. Okay, so I've made that a bit simplistic, but the gist is one which I've got a lot of sympathy with.

We also started seeing loads of chipmunks here...

Tomorrow we were supposed to be leaving Varanasi for Agra, and the Taj Mahal. Things didn't exactly go to plan, so there may be a mini-rant in the next blip, but be prepared for the full-on rant the day after that...