Oh My Golly Gosh

Oh my golly gosh the Dobbe’s experience their first taste of India. It is crazy, mad,cows everywhere,rubbish,people,an explosion of your senses in every way. Kids being offered hashish at every corner and spotting dead bodies in the Ganga (Ganges)

We are in Varanasi – It took us 24 hours to get here from Kathmandu – Left at 6.30 am and had a day of firsts for us. Caught a small taxi, and 2 buses to the boarder. Walked across the 200m strip of chaos to reach India. The kids still smiling and loved having one foot in Nepal and one in India. Another very local bus for 3 hours to a city called Goraktapur. That was entertaining. Georgie, me and one other women and the rest were staring men. The bus was exploding with them down the aisles. They had a small TV screen at the front with a terrible Bollywood movie on and LOUD screeching music. Within 10 mins I had been spat on – They chew this tobacco/spice mixture called Betel juice that is red and rots their teeth (It really looks bad!!!)They spit it out when they have had enough and this time it was on my leg running down to pool between my toes. I screamed and the man got his filthy cloth out to wipe it up. Max need to have a pee so luckily had an empty Pepsi bottle that was put to good use. We were cracking up. Arrived in the dark and found the train station. Just ioo’s of people lying outside as well as inside. We were all tired and it was pretty chaotic.

We lat on the dirty marble floor by the platform with everyone else and Marty found omelets from a hot plate on wheels that was wrapped up in newspaper (it was delicious) and our first taste of chai (a hot milky, sweet tea). We all brushed our teeth and spat onto the train tracks and clambered onto the train around 1015 pm.( we were lucky to get on the train as had sat there wondering if it was our train and had asked plenty of people – got the head wobble response- for ½ hour) We were travelling on 2 AC. A step down from first class and we were given a couple of sheets, pillow and a woolly blanket. You fold down the seat and can pull the curtain so have your own little cubicle. We were spread out throughout the carriage and good ole Mum and Dad found some more reserve and made sure the babies were all tucked up and OK before cuddling up ourselves around midnight. The lull of the gentle train movement had us asleep in minutes. We were woken at 5am by the conductor and within 5 mins were staggering back onto a platform this time in Varanasi. Not one complaint from the kids this whole time which was amazing. I think their eyes were so wide open with amazement. A tuk tuk a ride to a guest house, the biggest dump Marty and Tom found (I must say I sat on my bottom in the tuk tuk with the others total knacked and not moving!!!) The room was sort of clean, the toilet water was running out the bottom of the toilet onto the floor, at the door was a huge pile of smelling rubbish, it was down a smelly narrow alley way and called Elvis. We dropped our bags and with a mammoth effort walked through some alley ways and out onto the Ghats just as the sun came up above the Ganga. It was a red ball and we all just went WOW. Jumped on a little row boat and spent 2 hours spell bound. Rowed down passed all the ghats seeing people bathing in the dirty water, lighting blessing candles surrounded by marigolds, passing the burning Ghats with dead bodies about to be burnt and being burnt, buffalos bathing, monkeys scampering, dogs scavenging and  the daily rituals of Varanasi life.

Spent 3 days here wandering the narrow alleys, making friends with the locals (they all know us) and trying out the Indian food. Found this great local place and to our amazement the kids tucking into spicy Thali’s (the local meal here similar to Nepal but more dishes and chapattis) and Masala Dosa’s. It’s hot here and no jerseys needed. We have all loved it  and the kids have totally taken it in their stride. We changed places to stay within a couple of hours. I couldn’t bear it. Max, Georgie, Marty and I are sitting on the balcony (6.30am) overlooking the main Ghats with the best view ever. Max snuggled in his blanket still and I am struggling to concentrate on the computer as always something to see or hear. Heading off this afternoon to Agra on the train- a 13 hour trip. We are laughing as this time have booked sleeper class. No luxury of sheets, curtains or separate beds. It will be interesting to see how many locals we will be sharing the beds with!!! Today we will catch our first cycle rickshaws to find some buffalos swimming and walk back up the Ghats.

We think this place is amazing!!!!! And what a cool experience it is for us all.