From Varanassi, greetings!
THis past week we’ve been in Agra, Varanassi, and the long railway in between. Our one full day in Agra was spent celebrating my birthday at the Taj Mahal (this is James, not Georgia). Other than the mahal, Agra was smelly and crowded. We went to a semi-abandoned mall with a haunted house which gave Caroline nightmares. We drank tea at an enlightening cafe run by victims of acid attacks. Then we took an overnight train to Varanassi. Our time in Varanassi has been spent interning with local artisans. Monet, Kelsi and I learned the Tabla from a man named Rinku ji. His brother taught Jon, Alex and Donovan Sitar. Jon loved it so much that he bought a sitar of his own! Georgia learned stone carving. Kenya, Paulo and Caroline learned to paint Ganesh. Varanassi has been a beautiful city, and I think it has been our favorite so far. Our favorite cafes has been Ashish and Aum. Our favorite activity (other than following small children into bat-filled abandoned forts) has been drinking chai on the steps overlooking the burning gats on the Ganges.
Off to Bodhgaya!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
/jc/
