12th of May, 2023.
Hitchhiking in India.
Do you know that famous scene from The Lion King, when Mufasa dies? There is a stampede of buffaloes which run over him and, eventually, he gets killed. Well, that same thing happened to me in Kolkata, and I fell like I almost got killed. The station was super crowded, but people were not moving, they were waiting for the designated station of their trains. I just had no idea that, when the call was made, everybody would run frenetically, in what I can only describe as a human stampede. And I was Mufasa. Although in the opposite of the beloved lion, I have survived, the experience was quite traumatic.
It’s funny how I had this feeling that this time I would be caught in the train without a ticket. Laugh. And I am. We are very close to Varanasi when the ticket man come asking everybody for a ticket, including mine. I tell him I cannot find my ticket; he asks me how much did I pay for it; I have no idea of how much it should be, so I just say some numbers to him, which he seems doubtful about it; some other guys are also caught without a ticket. We are all supposed to leave the train in the next station, but some guys by the door tell me I should not leave, that I can just stay there and everything will be fine. But because the other guys are getting out, I don’t feel well by staying, you know? It’s not fair! And it is not as we are too far from my destination anyway, so I just get out.
I was told before that, if this ever happened, all I had to do was to board in the next train. But for not really knowing which train would go to Varanasi, I decide to go by hitchhiking. I could see the highway from the train, when we were coming, so I know that it is not that far. Unfortunately, my plan doesn’t work really well, at least not as fast as I wished. I have to walk a great deal. I ask for help in a school to make my sign saying “Varanasi”. Unfortunately, the lady in charge offers to make for me but I think the reason is simply because she though I was doing it too slow. The result is: she makes the most hideous sign I have ever had! Seriously, I felt like making her eating the sign. Laugh. What to do?
I am lucky enough for a man in his motorbike to stop and offer to take me closer to the highway. From there, Aman and Pangaj, from Prayagaj and going to Varanasi, pick me up. They can speak a little bit of English and tell me they are from the army. They drop me off in the entrance of the city. All I need to do is to cross the bridge and start my exploring journey.
From where I am, Namo Ghat, it’s a long walk, alongside the Ganges (or Ganga in Hindi), passing through all the Ghats. They are all so beautiful and I love their architecture. Ghat comes from the Sanskrit word Ghatta (“a landing place”), and it means a series of steps, leading to the river / water. But what you see in the beginning / end of these Ghats is a kind of gate, temple or building, which is constructed with a unique architecture. They might look neglected or abandoned to some eyes, but for me they look stunning! Most of the photographs you’ve seen of Varanasi online, are taken from the river, inside boats which people rent (mostly private) to tour around the almost 90 Ghats here. And perhaps that’s the reason why the look so amazing! Taking photos from the Ghats, by the river, is not that easy and rewarding in terms of great photos. But I am happy!
And I am also very tired. I walk for over one hour until I finally decide to get inside the town and find my way to the highway towards Jaipur.
It becomes very difficult and confusing to arrive where I want to. People keep on giving me wrong directions and I ended up in the completely opposite side of where I should be.
It is night time already when I finally decide to ask for shelter to some locals. They have a small food shop by the road, and I explain everything to them. Luckily for me, Shakti and other members of his family can speak English, so everything works out well. We talk about many different topics because Shakti has strong political and philosophical points of view. I also chat a lot with his niece, Aditi, and she is a pearl! What a wonderful young lady! She is so smart and has a super open mind about all things.
I wish we could talk for longer but it is quite late already and I am exhausted from the long day I had. After eating something, they show me the room where I will be sleeping, together with Shakti’s mom, another lovely lady. Everybody in the house is extremely kind and lovely and I am so blessed for being here with them.
Next morning, Shakti drives me in his motorbike to the highway, from I can start hitchhiking to Jaipur.
13th of May, 2023.
Again, I have no recollection of how I got to Jaipur. I do have some names written down, and some photographs of the way, but I don’t remember, for example, where did I spend the night of the 13th, knowing that I only arrived in Jaipur on the 14th. Laugh. That’s what happens when you take over a year to write your “memoirs”. The names are: Uaish (and some notes about airport); Shiva and Erik; Padam (who took me until about 40 km before Jaipur); and Vishnu, who took me to Jaipur. That is it. I am sorry.
10 Years Around the World 