Day 12 – From Orchha to Varanasi

We’re on a sleeper train! And this time, we were actually on it overnight! It’s 7:30 in the morning and most of us just awoke from a not-entirely-terrible night’s sleep, despite being on a sleeper train in India. And I’ve convinced myself that it’s only one creepy crawly that I keep seeing multiple times, so that’s helping a little.

I’m feeling a million times better, and I haven’t had to hit the can in over 12 hours now! So grateful for Louise and her Imodium; definitely something I’m going to need to pack on my next trip. (The Imodium, not Louise, although packing Louise along too would be nice; she’s a gem.) All that ails me now is a sore neck, but a night in a proper bed with a proper pillow will hopefully clear that up (if Tylenol doesn’t do the trick).

I skipped out on yesterday afternoon’s temple activities in favour of staying close to a toilet, as I haven’t been getting much warning when the uhh… wave comes in. Orchha was a good place to miss stuff, as it was just more temples and nothing that I was too crazy about. Hopefully this is the only round of illness I deal with on this trip. No one’s been able to pinpoint what made so many of us sick, but we suspect Pizza Hut might have been one cause. I accidentally rinsed my toothbrush with tap water a few nights ago, so it could have been that too.

India is still so surreal. I feel like it’s a dream. Last night I was feeling well enough to venture into the “town” (aka the rows of shops lining the street to the hotel) with Melanie and Montana, and on our way we passed a dead puppy. It looked like it had just lied down on its blanket on the side of the road and died, and it had definitely been there at least a few days, as its face was deteriorating and its belly was sunken in.

The people in Orchha were way more calm. They still wanted you to go into their shops, but at least this time they didn’t shake bangles and anklets in your face and make it impossible to see where you’re going. The desperation here is ridiculous; you’ll be in a shop looking at a pair of shoes, and they’ll hold a pashmina literally between your face and the shoes, blocking your view. Then they don’t understand why you got fed up and left their store. I guess if only one out of a thousand times that they shove something in someone’s face it results in a sale then it’s worth it, but they don’t seem to understand that if they let people shop in peace they’ll be more inclined to buy.

It’s working in my favour though; the more they harass me, the more fed up I get, and the less I spend (and have to pack around).

As I didn’t know if I’d be well enough to go into town yesterday, I bought a pretty purple purse to house some stuff. My daypack doesn’t always hold everything I need, and I’m concerned I’m going to kill the zippers on it if I keep constantly weighing it down with my laptop and Shantaram.

Bringing Shantaram was a bad idea, and I’ll probably mail it home. It’s over 900 pages and it’s equivalent to packing a brick around. I’ve got a few things clothing-wise, plus the bangles and silver jewelry that I bought that I can mail home. It’ll lighten my load, and free up some space in my pack (to later fill with more souvenirs, of course).

We’re on this train til around noon today, so I’m going to attempt more sleep in an effort to pass the time faster. We’ll be in Varanasi for two nights, and then we’ll be in a coach all day headed to the Nepalese border. India is almost over!