thankfully none of us suffered any gastro issues
throughout the trip.
Language was not an issue for us. Of course, we
had Nek, who could translate for us, but generally
people spoke enough English so that we could
make ourselves understood. We slowly learned
some Hindi words (mostly for menu items) and
would attempt them on occasion. Reading is a
whole other matter! Learning the alphabet in
the flowing Devanagari script would be
incredibly difficult.
We flew from Delhi to the city of Varanasi in
the state of Uttar Pradesh, on the Ganges River.
It was clear that Varanasi was unlike any other
city we had yet visited. We stayed in a locally
owned and operated hotel on the banks of
the Ganges. Our rooms had lovely balconies
overlooking the river. The restaurant was on the
rooftop. One could spend hours watching the
various activities in the river below, from people
doing their daily ablutions, to others washing their
cows and water buffaloes, to still others praying in
the holy waters. Varanasi is India’s holiest Hindu
city with a spiritual legacy dating back nearly three
thousand years. While the river is the focal point
of the city, the labyrinthian lanes are filled with
temples, shops, markets, restaurants, cows, and
priests. It is a fascinating city. We could have spent
more time there—the atmosphere was special.
But alas, it was time for us to depart India. We
had approached India with a little trepidation,
but also with curiosity and fascination. We look
back on our journey with great memories and are
thankful that we parked our worries and fears at
the door and made our way there. ●
As we saw in last spring’s article on the Balkans
and as we see here, Dee MacPherson dares to
wander off the beaten track. At home, she enjoys
her friends, takes piano lessons, bowls, golfs, and
tends her garden.
Mehrangarh Fort in the city of Jodhpur.
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