So there I was, on a train to Benares -- very tired from the long trip from the US. (And on that first trip to India, unaware of the need for a buffer day between disembarking from the plan, and embarking on the next stage of the adventure.) The train ride was uneventful ... I slept for much of the time. When I was awake, stared happily at the passing landscape... "I'm in India... I'm in India... I'm in India.... "
Arrived in Varanasi around dinner time -- straight to the hotel. The Hotel Paris is a little rundown, but clean. Very safely located in the Cantonment, along with the other, more upscale Western-style hotels. On that first trip to India, staying in an Indian-style hotel close to the river was just beyond me. The hotel room was not luxurious, but huge and clean and airy and just fine for me.
The next day... I took a cab into Varanasi, and told the driver that I needed to have Indian clothing made. He took me to a fabric/tailor shop -- and was visibly taken aback when I told him not to wait for me. I spent a long time in the fabric shop. It's quite an experience... the shopwallas take down bolt after bolt of gorgeous fabric (or saris - but that day I was shopping for fabric), flipping each bolt out to display several yards of fabric. I chose some lovely silks, and the shopwalla said that they would "take care of the stitching." I arranged to have the finished salwaar kameez delivered to my hotel, and leaving the shop, set off on foot. For a few blocks, I was happily just looking at the people and the little shops and the animals and... and... I'm in India! I'm in India! But then the neighborhood seemed to be more autoparts than anything else... and I was getting very tired. I spotted a stand of autorickshawwallas by a small hotel, and the first guy in line took me back to my hotel. He seemed pleasant, and had at least some English, so I asked him whether he would be available to drive me the following day. This turned out really well for me. In the morning, he would be waiting for me. He took me to many temples, various other tourist sites, shops, etc. around Benares. When I would wander off to explore an area, Prakash (and many other drivers) would just hang out and wait. Sleep. Tell stories. Smoke. Wait some more.
We also spent a whole lot of time down by the Ganges. Prakash took me to Kedar Ghat - not a big tourist attraction, so not crowded. His friend was the local chai-wallah. We spent hours sitting at Kedar Ghat, talking some. He helped me practice my devanagari. We chanted to Ganesh. (We knew the same chant... Jai Ganesha, Jai Ganesha, Jai Ganesha deva... Mata jaki Parvati, pita Mahadeva.). It was very sweet.
Toward the end of my stay, I wore a sari when Prakash picked me up. We headed for the Ganges so that I could bathe. So I started down toward the water... and I was unsure of my footing where the steps went into the water ... and the water was *cold* .... and I was suddenly all too aware of the amount of pollution and bacteria in Ma Ganga near Benares.... and I hesitated. I heard Prakash behind me, and he was using words and hand signals to try to tell me that it would be ok if I did not enter the water. But I called back up the steps to him... "I came a *long* way to do this!" And slowly entered the water and submerged. As I came up, I noticed a boat full of tourists ... taking my picture! (Who is that big white lady, and what is she doing in the sacred river with all of the Indian devotees?) I was actually very glad that i had followed through. It was not a transformative experience for me - -but a very good one.
I drank chai by the Ganga daily -- not without a bit of trepidation about the Ganges water - -but I watched the water boiling, so that was ok. I survived my bath in the river. And I stayed healthy for the whole trip.
Prakash drove me to his home on the outskirts of Benares, where I met his wife and his two small children. They lived in a single room, with his mother and other family members living in the other room.
I spent ten happy days in Varanasi, and then left for Agra. Saying goodbye to Prakash was difficult - having him as my driver and guide made a huge difference to me.
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