New Years with the Buddha

Right now I am currently in Bodhgaya, the last destination of our trip and the site of the school. But first I need to back up a bit. The last time I wrote I was in Agra, home to the Taj Mahal.  We did get to see it in all it’s beauty, as you can tell from the photo I posted. In case you don’t know, the Taj was built by the king in the 1500s for his second wife who died. It’s known as the greatest building ever built for love. Pretty cool, eh? That day we made our way back to Delhi, la automobile, where we then made our way across the platform trying to figure out where our car was, while beggars and dust equally approached us like wild animals. When we found our car, the small, two bunk bed area turned out to be 2^nd class and not tourist class like we thought it would be. It was strangely homey and camp-like as the train rocked us to sleep, my mom and I tangled in each other to try to fit onto the slim mattress.

After arriving at our top end hotel in Varanasi, we found that we hadn’t exactly got what we paid for. There was no hot water, our balcony looking out onto the Ganges River was bombarded with a noisy generator and at 5 am the next morning, we woke to a loud rattling that sounded like the whole building was going to collapse.

 After everything finally seemed calm, I of course became sick. Nothing major, just stomach pains and weak limbs. After a day of bed rest, I was taken out onto the banks of the river to meet four little girls who had to work every morning and night to pay for school. They eagerly gave me beautiful henna on both arms and were mesmerized by the five dollar bill we gave them. 

 We also did some last minute shopping in the town's local bazaar. A nifty little place with winding back alleys and determined sellers. We snagged way too many gifts and a few natural perfumes. 

After driving for 8 hours to here, my Mom had a sick flash and everyone else has colds. If we came here and didn't get sick, there would be a problem. They don't have the expression "Delhi Belly" for nothing.

The next few days begin our pilgrimage. You all have just slipped into 20ll. I hope you were at parties of some sort or having your own. It can be dull sleeping through midnight on New Years Eve.  Make good New Years Resolutions! Happy Happy Holidays!

Thai:)