March 19, Monday

March 19, Monday

Checked out of my NICE hotel at 10 am and was driven to the airport for my flight back to Delhi. I saw the peaks of the Himalayas over the clouds !   The sun was shining on the snow / glaciers and it was a spectacular sight.   They were far in the distance, but at the same height we were flying.

Everything went smoothly, and my luggage was even the first out on the carrousel.   Caught a taxi to the downtown area near Connaught Place.  I booked my own hotel through Booking.com and am staying at a small, brand new boutique hotel called:   Apartment 52.

They haven’t been open for very long, only a few months and they are probably trying to get some good reviews to attract other clients.  They have upgraded me to a nice extra big room with a couch and kitchenette (microwave and fridge, dishes and cutlery).  It is beautifully decorated and on a very quiet street off one of the main roads.  There are only 18 rooms and as far as I can tell only 5 are occupied right now.

 
 
 

I can now put the Varanasi experience behind me and enjoy my new digs for the next 4 nights.

I have to make arrangements to print all the documents I need for my visa to China, and go there tomorrow morning at 9 am to get the ball rolling. There is an option to pay extra and get next day service, which I will use.

The travel agent in Montreal is anxiously waiting to receive that visa to finalize my trip with them.

I spent a few hours on the internet and got my documents printed off.  By the time I was done it was 8:30 pm and too late to try to go out and find a restaurant.  They only serve breakfast here.   I remembered that I had an oatmeal mixture in by “goodies bag” so I dug that out, boiled some water and had warm cereal and a nice cup of English Breakfast tea.

Slept very soundly after watching a few movies on TV.

More general notes about India:

They drive on the left side of the road here, like in Africa and the British Isles.   Have to research why citizens of the United States decided to drive on the right side instead.   Was it just being rebellious in leaving everything “British” behind, or was there a logical reason?  Here is what I found on the internet:   “In the late 1700s teamsters in France and the United States began hauling farm products in big wagons pulled by several pairs of horses. These wagons had no driver's seat; instead the driver sat on the left rear horse, so he could keep his right arm free to lash the team. Since he was sitting on the left, he naturally wanted everybody to pass on the left so he could look down and make sure he kept clear of the oncoming wagon’s wheels. Therefore he kept to the right side of the road.  In the early years of English colonisation of North America, English driving customs were followed and the colonies drove on the left. After gaining independence from England, however, they were anxious to cast off all remaining links with their British colonial past and gradually changed to right-hand driving.”   Well, I was partly right.

Since there are “Holy Cows” is their poop automatically “Holy Shit”?   I wonder if that is where the expression comes from?

Must be VERY BAD LUCK to kill one of the “Holy Cows” on the road.   They even let them wander around on the train tracks and in the railway stations.   I saw them at the Satna station.  They seem to know when to get off the tracks though when there are trains coming.   And some of the trains were really going fast.  Well, not the one I was on of course, but others that were passing us by while we were on side-lines.

People don’t cover their mouths when they cough, especially in airplanes.  Definitely have to purchase some breathing masks so I don’t catch anything.  During the flight from Varanasi to Delhi I kept thinking of the film “Contagion”.   Many of the Japanese and Chinese tourists wear these.

I have been drinking a lot of Coke and Pepsi on this part of the trip since there are many places where I can’t count on the water they use to make coffee or tea to be “clean”.   But I need some caffeine and that seems the healthier of the options I have available to me.

Tea:   Why can’t I get a good cup of tea anywhere?   This is India.   They must export all the good stuff.  I ended up buying a small box of “English Breakfast” tea bags for when I have access to a kettle in my hotel rooms.

Betel Nut or Areca Nut: “Usually for chewing, a few slices of the nut are wrapped in a Betel leaf along with lime and may include clove, cardamom, catechu (kattha), etc. for extra flavouring. Chewing areca nut is carcinogenic to humans.   Areca nuts are chewed with betel leaf for their effects as a mild stimulant,  causing a mild hot sensation in the body and slightly heightened alertness, although the effects vary from person to person. The effect of chewing betel and the nut is relatively mild and could be compared to drinking a cup of coffee. It is a tradition, custom or ritual which dates back thousands of years from South Asia to the Pacific.”    I didn’t see anyone chewing these until I arrived in Varanasi.  One of the two drivers I had while I was here chewed these and it was difficult to understand what he was saying.  People who chew these also spit the juices out in the street.  Both their teeth and spit are red.   Not an attractive sight.