Varanasi Video
Varanasi on the Ganga River
Varanassi is one the holiest cities in India. Most come here near the end of their lives to die here or to be cremated and dipped in the Ganga river after they are dead.
VIDEO OF VARANASI
(click on to view)
Food Kitchen in Amristar
Amristar's Sikh Food Kitchen
The Sikh's hospitality shows as volunteers head to the Golden Temple and donate their time cleaning and cutting up vegtables for the thousands of visitors and locals that come for the free meals they provide three times a day.
On the streets of Kalcata India and the home of Mother Theresa
When I arrived on Sudder Street, the backpack community and the majority of inexpensive guesthouses for tourist I had no problem attracting every street gal that was working the area looking for a handout. At one point I was sitting on the sidewalk with all of them massaging my head, arms, legs and even scrapping the dead skin from my feet while other tourist looked on giggling.
I felt very much at ease with all of them and eventually heard each of their stories about bad and lazy husbands, husbands that were drunk and set them on fire, or just a husband that had died and forced them to beg on the streets. The babies that they couldn't feed because they were going without milk and how they were tired being hungry. "Can you buy us some rice?" they would plead.
At first the story went that they all lived on the street and they pointed out spots where they slept at night. But, later in the evening I looked for them in these same spots and they were no where to be found.
I eventually felt bad for some of them and went through my backpack looking for things that I no longer needed and could certainly give to them. When I brought the stuff over they inspected it and than rather than dividing it up among themselves, a pair of nice leather shoes, sandals, a satin sheet and a purse that I just purchased in India they instead put it into a bag with very little excitement or gratitude for the items.
The gal with the bad sandals that could have used my sandals, wasn't wearting them the following day and I thought it odd. One gal however; saw the purse and claimed it as her own. She put her things into right than and there and threw back across her back and wore it with pride. That made me feel good, at least someone would use the gifts I brought.
But, the next day I spoke with her and it turns out she'd had a falling out with all the other gals because she took the purse without them all agreeing on it. Her aliance with them changed and her bond with me became closer and that's when I began to find out the truth behind some of their stories.
The sleeping on the streets was not the case and most of this gals begging on Sutter Street where the low end tourist reside were actually living in homes outside these areas and usually traveled here to work. Some had babies, families at home and husbands. The gal with the scars on her chest from the husband that threw hot oil on her, turns out it was an accident and she caught her sari on fire while cooking instead of the violent story she had me believe.
The complaints about not having enough food to eat and not enough to feed their babies and can you please just by me some rice to feed my children ploy all seemed valid at the time. But, than you realize that some of these gals do not look under nourished and if you do fall for this story only to realize that the rice you bought for them is than returned to the same small market for cash later when you are not around.
I remember in McCloud Ganj a small boy who along with his other mates certainly were street boys. He eventually walked me into a shop and pulled a couple items off the counter and put it in front of the cashier. "If you could just get these items for my small baby brother, " while he pulled a large containor of dehydrated powder milk and a few other food items for a baby. I asked the cashier how much the milk was and it was something like $20- just for the milk alone. You can bet if I had fallen for this scam the boy would have been back in there to return the items for cash and that is how he works the tourist that come through the town on a daily basis.
The gal with the bad sandals that could have used my sandals, wasn't wearting them the following day and I thought it odd. One gal however; saw the purse and claimed it as her own. She put her things into right than and there and threw back across her back and wore it with pride. That made me feel good, at least someone would use the gifts I brought.
But, the next day I spoke with her and it turns out she'd had a falling out with all the other gals because she took the purse without them all agreeing on it. Her aliance with them changed and her bond with me became closer and that's when I began to find out the truth behind some of their stories.
The sleeping on the streets was not the case and most of this gals begging on Sutter Street where the low end tourist reside were actually living in homes outside these areas and usually traveled here to work. Some had babies, families at home and husbands. The gal with the scars on her chest from the husband that threw hot oil on her, turns out it was an accident and she caught her sari on fire while cooking instead of the violent story she had me believe.
The complaints about not having enough food to eat and not enough to feed their babies and can you please just by me some rice to feed my children ploy all seemed valid at the time. But, than you realize that some of these gals do not look under nourished and if you do fall for this story only to realize that the rice you bought for them is than returned to the same small market for cash later when you are not around.
I remember in McCloud Ganj a small boy who along with his other mates certainly were street boys. He eventually walked me into a shop and pulled a couple items off the counter and put it in front of the cashier. "If you could just get these items for my small baby brother, " while he pulled a large containor of dehydrated powder milk and a few other food items for a baby. I asked the cashier how much the milk was and it was something like $20- just for the milk alone. You can bet if I had fallen for this scam the boy would have been back in there to return the items for cash and that is how he works the tourist that come through the town on a daily basis.
Taj Mahal in Agra
The Taj Mahal is located in Agra, India. It was built by Shah Jahan as a memorial for his second wife, Mumtaz Mahal who died giving birth to their 14th child in 1631. The death of her left the emperor so heartbroken that his hair was said to have turned grey overnight.
After her death he started construction and it was all finished by 1653, some 22 years later. Not long after it was completed Shah Jahan was overthrown by his son Aurangzeb and imprisoned him in the Agra Fort where he spent the rest of his days looking at the window to the Taj. Can you imagine how painful this must have been for him.
(20,000 people worked on creating the Taj made of white marble).
Stampede at Ashram in UP leaves 65 dead
People in groups seem to panic, but especially in India.
I was recently trying to board a sleeper train at night and they had mis-labeled the car on the outside and the locals and I were attempting to get on before the train left and find our seats or beds. What a nightmare it was! The shuffling and conflict that this created was a nightmare and you say the ugly come out of complete strangers who fought there way through the train car like mules. It was exhausting and all civilness gone.
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