Finalizing in Varanasi, Landing in Kathmandu

Hi Yall...

We just landed in Kathmandu nepal, part of this was written in Varanasi, and the rest in Kathmandu, enjoy.

We are in Varanasi... And this is where our trip in India ends...

I must say that we are not sad and are looking forward for a change.

We are not sick of India and both of us think that we will return in the future, India has a lot to offer and is a very interesting and beutifull country, but it is hard on the western traveller and we want to see something different and want to change the atmosphere a bit.

You have asked us a lot about why a lot of travellers, and Israelis in particular, come to India..
Well.. i guess its, as allways, a combination of things... But the major factors are: There is a lot to see here in terms of Culture, History and though we havnt seen a lot of it, landscape and scenery (it was too cold to travel to the north of India). It is dirt cheap. This factor cannot be ignored... it is mind boggeling how some things here are sooooo cheap... from food to travell to accomidations to drugs... which brings in the next factor, the drugs here are the best in the world and are cheap cheap and relativly a no hassle deal. You don't have to use drugs to enjoy India, that is not my point, but and this is a big but, it is accessable enough here that a 20 something year old person from a western country will in most chances use a few times while he/she is in India. When Israelis finish their army they are in some way searching to get back the few lost years from the end of their childhood and come to the far east to let their hair down and have a good time. They are young and have been in the army so the conditions here are easy to get along with. They tend to spend a long time in one place, because moving about here is hard and there are pockets of serene quiet in certain places in India (Goa, Hampi, Jaisalmer...). Places that we also enjoyed imensly.

So i guess those are the main reasons...

Varanasi itself is hardly a beutiful place. It in many aspects is an extract of India... both the ugly and the culteral... The Ganges river, also called "mother", is the largest open sewage line on the planet. Yet all life in the city revolves around it and is fed by it. The river side is used for bathing, laundry, cooking water for the stalls lined up on its banks. At the same time there is an enourmous amount of industrial and HUMAN sewage pored into the river before it reaches Varanasi and while it runs through Varanasi. To top that off, the cattle is washed in the river. All this is done a few meters apart. Additionaly the banks of the river are used as public toilets where the locals urinate and deficate.

The real treat are the burning ghats where funurals take place. Day and night people are brought down to be cremated. The family pays what it can to buy wood for the burning. Families that don't have a lot of money cannot buy enough wood and the bodies (or what remains - half burnt bodies) are thrown into the river. Young children and pregnant women are not cremated and are weighed down into the river with stones. As we all can imagine the amount of Indian capability, some of them float back up.

So you have a body of water polluted with sewage and dead bodies and its considered sacred and the locals drink and bath and wash their clothes in its water. This whole concept is the biggest example of how India is CRAZY.

That is our summery of India - Crazy. MESHUGAIM.

But that is the charm in India. India is totally ununderstandable to western minds. It is a total different cultural evolvment from what we went through in the west and that is it's seduction. The experinces in India are mind and body rattling and there is never a boring moment. That is why India has such a powerfull effect on people. Its Crazy.

Again i must stress that we have not suffered in India!!! We enjoyed it imensly.

Our time in Agra with Yoav was great. We were spoiled and happy and there is a lot to see in the city and around it. We stayed in posh hotels and had fancy Indian cuisine (yumm yumm). Thanks again Dad :)

THE TAJ MAHAL.

There is no way we can describe it in words. The pics you will see here soon (we will develop in the next few days) will not be able to fully convey the enormousness and beuty of The Taj. It is defenatly one of the most impressive human built monuments in the world. It ranks with any other name you can try and conjure. It is TAJ MAHAL...

The last week was a great way to end India and the first half of our trip (3 months to go). We saw the most impressive monuments it has given mankind and have witnessed its most utter craziness. We have the feeling that we have richly tasted India in the amount of time we had.

We just landed in Kathmandu and are walking about with a smile. You can feel its a different country, though influenced by India it is still seperate. We will use the next few days to organise ourselves for the travel here.

Thats all for now,
we hope to read your comments so please don't hesitate to write...

and will post the finall pics from India soon...

Sorry for all the typos.
(we couldn't spell check this on this old computer)

Lots of warm kisses,

Hila & Mr. Morphhh Sleazy.