Varanasi

Varanasi is the spiritual heart of India and the holiest of the 7 sacred cities in Hinduism. After watching the travel documentary, "Departures", it was the place I was looking forward to the most while visiting India.

Varanasi was a fascinating place, and the high points of the trip lived up to most of my expectations, but I still left a little disappointed. I realize Varanasi is one of the oldest cities in the world, and India is still a developing country, but the sewage, drainage, and sanitation of the city were failing before my eyes. I talked to many travelers and I heard the same reoccurring theme, Varanasi is really polluted. 

I'm a little conflicted about criticizing a place as an outsider, however, this is the holiest city in India. I couldn't help but think that the city, especially the Ganges, should be protected like the Taj Mahal. The river that runs along the city bank is worshipped like a goddess (Ganga). Hindus come from all over to bath and wash themselves "clean" in the river. Spiritually the river water is pure and that's a false and potentially dangerous assumption. 

I wouldn't want my rant to discourage anyone from visiting Varanasi because it's still a magical place. I just hope that future generations will also be able to visit such a holy and important city. 

1st Row: Varanasi is believed to be where Buddha founded Buddhism. 

2nd and 3rd Row: Life on the Ganges. The city has 87 Ghats (access areas to the waterfront). Many celebrations, religious ceremonies, washings, and cremations happen at the various Ghats. 

You'll see bodies being transported throughout the city. It's a scene I will never forget... A body held over the heads of family members, mourning and chanting. All the bodies are kept in a few large buildings by the waters edge until it's time for the cremation to occur. Hindus believe that this is a "rite of passage". It prepares their life for the afterworld. 

*Picture taken from google images because you're not suppose to take pictures while observing the cremations. 

There's an average of 80 cremations a day. It's a 24 hour a day process that is very intense to witness. The many families grieving their loved ones, the smell of burning flesh, it's a powerful scene that brought me to tears.  

*Picture taken from google images because you're not suppose to take pictures while observing the cremations. 

A picture of Manikarnika Ghat, "Burning Ghat". It's one of two cremation locations in Varanasi. I choose this picture because it shows the different hierarchies of the caste system, even in death. 

*Picture taken from google images because you're not suppose to take pictures while observing the cremations. 

Udaipur

If there's one place not to miss in India, I believe it's Udaipur. It may not be as recognized as the Taj Mahal, but In 2009, Travel + Leisure magazine voted Udaipur the best city in the world. Typically top 10 lists are a sure bet you'll be let down, but I knew nothing about the city so I had no expectations. 

Like so many of my travel plans, the recommendation to go see Udaipur came from a random stranger. Me, and the stranger (traveler turned entrepreneur), were chatting it up at The Bagel Shop in Mumbai. These conversations usually start out a little competitive.

Me: "Where have you been?"

Stranger: "here, there, and one time I went skydiving." 

Me: "Wow, sounds amazing!"

(And then the questions are repeated while trying to out do the other)

The conversation then shifted to where my next destination would be. I was telling her how Mumbai is too hot and too populated for my liking. I rattled off a few ideas of where I might head to next. She heard me out and then kindly shot my plans down. Then she started talking about a little town in the heart of Rajasthan. It was surrounded by pristine lakes, mountains that could be trekked, and magical palaces that were still used by a king. I was sold!

Udaipur is known for it's palaces, uniquely shaped windows, lakes, filming of Octopussy and The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, and of course the king! I was lucky enough to go to the annual Horse Worship Ball at City Palace.  

October is a special time to visit because it's the beginning of the festival season. It seemed like there were fireworks and revelry happening every night. 

I made a special connection with Udaipur and a large reason why is the kind people of the Greco House. I arrived as a solo traveler, but left with many friends. 

Above (1st, 2nd row): Krishna showing me the Sas Bahu Temple, teaching modeling poses, taking me to prayer, and of course, introducing me to the bhang lassie. 

Fact: Krishna was on The Bachelor (India) and made it to the top 5. It must have been destiny not to get selected because him and Juliana seem pretty happy now. 

Above (3rd row): Tinku, Juliana and the birthday girl. It's customary to smash cake in the face of the birthday person. 3rd picture from the left, Thali (traditional Indian dish). 4th picture, Hindu powder colors. You seem them everywhere around temples and on the foreheads of the people who have prayed that day. 

Thank you to Krishna, Juliana, Tinku, Keshu, and the rest of the Greco team!

India - Mumbai (Bombay) + Bhopal

I was told by many travelers that India is the one country that can't be compared to any other. They say you can't really prepare yourself for your first visit so expect the unexpected. I thought, yeah, yeah, yeah, I've had this country circled since day one. I've read Lonely Plant posts and Rough Guide articles. I know what to expect. I mean I've been traveling the world for months now. 

As soon as I stepped off the plane and into the streets of Mumbai my world changed forever. It was sensory overload and I was having a difficult time trying to make sense of it. I think it was 100 degrees with 100% humidity. My shirt instantly soaked through. The smell was something I couldn't pinpoint and changed slightly depending which way your nose pointed. One part diesel fuel, one part curry, two parts street sewage, a pinch of salt from the sea, and a generous cup sweat. And then there's the sound of the horns. Forget the rush hour sound you're use to, between the motorbike, car, and the tuk tuk drivers, these guys put on a symphony of non stop ear piercing noise. It's its own language. You can't really escape it, and there's nothing you can do to fight back because you don't have a horn to articulate your frustrations.

The amount of people in the city was staggering. No matter how you define city population, and there's many according to wiki, Mumbai breaks into the top 10 in almost all of them. Even more impressive to me, it's the 3rd most densely populated city in the world (wiki). It's something you feel and can't seem to get out of. To put it in perspective, Mumbai is 17 times more densely populated than NYC.

India was unfamiliar and unpredictable so I have to admit I was a little uncomfortable at times while traveling. It pushed my limits and tested my patients, but it also enticed my curiosity, stretched imagination, and challenged what I thought was possible. India showed me what hope looks like, and what it looks like not to have any. It's an inspiring place that taught me a lot about myself and forced me to think differently. 

India is a country you could travel to a hundred times and realize you still know nothing about it and the way things work. That's why it will be cool to come back some day. 

Mornings were never the strongest part of my day. Many thanks to Greg for housing me while in Mumbai. It was nice to have a fellow traveler and someone who understood Indian culture in my corner. 

Bhopal'n with my friend Dave from university. We joked that we haven't talked to each other in 10 years, and of all the places in the world, we decided to reunite in Bhopal. I had a great time catching up and telling old war stories. It was just like ol' times.

A special shout out to Peter from Sweden. He introduced us to the world famous "Snake Guy". Correction, he introduced me. When the snakes came out Dave was no where insight. 

Zanzibar

Dhow at sunset. 

One of my favorite sunsets of all time. The moment was just about perfect.  

Sun washed door. Besides their beaches and picturesque sunsets, Zanzibar is well known for their uniquely design doors.  

Zanzibar pizza. It's like thin crust Chicago style pizza. That's gotta be an oxymoron, right? Whateves, it's damn good.  

Serengeti National Park

Click on the frame above to see additional pics of the park. 

The Election

While I was in Tanzania I couldn't help but think that this country should be further along. It has all the natural wonders and ingredients of a great nation. 

I know I'm just an outsider looking in, and I know next to nothing about the country's history, but the people deserve much more action than what they've seen in the past. I'm keeping my hopes up that the newly elected president, the man they call "the bulldozer", John Magufuli, will be part of the change instead of politics as usual. 

Tanzania's new president.  

Bukoba

Originally I had no plans to go to Bukoba, a small lake town in north west TZ, close to the Ugandan boarder, but when Mr. Kyabukoba insisted I had to visit his village, there was no way I was turing him down. It turned out to be one of the highlights of my trip. Here's a short clip and some pics to show off it's fertile beauty.  

The banana is a fundamental part of the Bukoba diet. 

Constitine Mutalemwa's father. If I remember correctly he's in his early 90s. Speaks English and is a former physician. Luckily we caught him before he went to bed (6pm / dark). 

Bukoba bricks. Made from soil, compacted, then fired. You can find these across the villages in TZ but not in the same color. Bukoba has deep red soil. 

Me and my man Edwin. Constitine's associate. He's an advocate (lawyer), future bar owner, and my friend. He looked after me while in his hometown of Bukoba. 

At one of the sixteen national parks in Tanzania. Yea, we're those guys... 

Samkai soup (fish soup). The simplest, but most flavorful soup I've ever had.  

The red soil of Bukoba. It reminded me of driving to Myrtle beach as a kid. The soil changes from brown to red once you hit the Carolinas.

Fish market. No fish, right? The majority of the fish are small, bundled in potato sacks and sold as feed. 

A monument to MV Bukoba. A lake Victoria ferry that carried passengers between ports of Bukoba and Mwanza. It capsized in 1996 killing over 1,000 passengers.  

On the banks of the Lake Vicotira (second largest fresh water lake in the world). Samkai, banana, and white bean soup. Ingrediates that you can only find locally. Edwin and I didn't have to look too far for his favorite dish.  

Pool. The preferred game of locals. Unfortunately for this local, home table advantage didn't work. JG 2, Edwin 1.  

Mount Kilimanjaro - Morning, outside my guesthouse. One day I would like to climb the highest peak in Africa. Unfortuately I'll have to wait till next time. 

Picture curtesy of Jenny Vigue. A quite & brave French girl who I met at the guesthouse. She has loved Africa ever since she was little and read about it in books. She particularly is fond of Nambia, a country I've heard so many good things about.