So ... its been a week that feels like a life time.
I met a couple of other solo travellers, Meg from Canada and David (ofcourse he's already Davo) from Scotland. I invite them to join me to visit a temple in the morning, we meet for breakfast early and after a VERY round-about way to get to this quite close temple, we arrive. Meg and I are quite unfortunately busting for the toilet .. we are directed to a public toilet (I already know what I'm in for here so I brace myself .. roll up my pants to mid-calve, wrap my scarf around my mouth and nose for some smell reduction and get in the 'zone'). I start to gag the moment I enter the urinal .. these are drop toilets that have NEVER been cleaned .. the smell is not ideal. I pull down my rolled up pants and in the split second I realise that my passport is tucked safely in my underwear, its too late .. my passport lands squarely on the top of the squat toilet. I look at it with tears streaming down my face from the gaggin .. pick it up .. tuck it inside my bra and almost crack a smile... how fucking typical. I exit the toilet, gaggin profusely, douse my passport in anti-bacterial lotion, and my hands and tuck it safely back into my undies. We make our way to the temple ... this is by far THE MOST chaotic temple Ive ever been to (and Ive been to about 100 over my travels). We take off our shoes, as required, and take some flowers to give to the goddess. We entre the absolutely PACKED temple, peolpe crazy to see the goddess, to give her fruits, flowers, money. We are spotted by a holy man who shows us about .. takes us to the holy swimming pool (pic attached) where we have to walk, still barefooted, through raw sewerage and all the other little surprises you come across on the alley ways of India. Then, just behind the pool, we witness a flock of goats being beheaded for sacrifice. A HUGE couldren of goats blood being splashed about .. all the while IM BARE FOOT as required when visiting a temple. Very, very unimpressed! That same day, I "led the way" again to a sari shop where a new friend Meg wanted to purchase her first sari .. I took us unexpectadly through and ally way with hundreds of small whicker cages STUFFED of chickens, pigs, ducks and small goats all VERY barely alive .. the smell was overwhelming to say the least. The also vegetarian Meg ploughes on ahead, muttering profanity, me coming up the rear, covering my mouth with my scarf for some remote sensory solice, tears streeeaaaming down my face from the uncontrolable gaggin. Just as we walk the approx 50 metre stretch of animals stuffed into cages and the HUGE amount of fecal matter that comes with it .. I am about to take my first breath when I see up ahead a 8 metre long stretch of men's open urinals .. with around 12 men peeing against it ... its too much and I have a little heave. Meg, Im sorry for leading you to two rather un-vegan friendly locations today! I dare say we wont be forgetting each other in a hurry!
I have made friends with 2 beautiful women (in picture) who live on the street just outside my hotel, they stop me excitedly in the mornings yelling "sista sista" ... they remind me powerfully what good people are. The younger one insists on doing my henna, this the way she makes money, but refused to let me pay her .. she touches my chest and says "good heart, for you no charge, I think you special" .. I buy us a tea and sit with them for a couple hours. She asks me to please mail my mother and tell her that I have 2 new friends in India. Mum ..... I have 2 new friends in India who touch my feet as a sign of respect ... Its an honour to be here. I know I am lucky.
