Monday, April 25

On India04: Sarnath


sarnath
Originally uploaded by soylentgreen23.

At Agra, we left Bhupinder, who had been our constant companion since day two of our India experience. We parted with a handshake and a smile, and I hope that the tip Richard and I left for him, in an envelope with his client testimonials book in the glove compartment of his beaten-up car, was sufficient. I'm not good at tipping, but with Richard there to help I'm sure Bhupinder did okay by us.

Bhupinder left us at the train station a couple of miles out of Agra, where we waited for hours for a train to take us to Varanasi, half a day's journey away. Railway stations are a perplexing place in India. The platforms are not clearly signposted, and when the trains arrive, neither are they. The woman in the passenger's lounge demands baksheesh to enter your name in the station's logbook, and the porter, who for us was a scrawny little man who nonetheless carried all our bags without a struggle, demanded twice what we'd agreed beforehand because the train was so late. With a harsh word and an even harsher expression, I sent him packing with a small, though hardly paltry, tip. Should I feel bad about my attitude? As I have said, I am a very lucky guy. I earn enough in a week to cover the costs of someone living out here for many months, and yet when I feel that I am being taken advantage of I react accordingly. Bhupinder worked hard for Richard and I, though he was paid commission by all of the businesses he took us to; still, we gave him a good tip because, on balance, he was worth it. I don't mind giving money to deserving souls, but I will not give money to those that demand it of me.

My aggressive demeanour carried us into Varanasi, where we soon discovered that our tour operator in Delhi had done us a disservice. We had expected the same freedom of movement as we had enjoyed in Rajasthan, but here we were expected to pay extra for everything, even the trip we'd planned out to Sarnath. I was angry - how were we to know that the arrangements were so different? - and I pressed home my point time and again until our Varanasi representative crumbled (partly) and gave us what we wanted (partly). And so it was that we saw Sarnath, one of the holiest of holy sites in the Buddhist religion - I believe it was where the Buddha gave his first teachings. Richard was enthralled; I was emotionally drained by what had gone before and so perhaps wasn't as appreciative. All I could think of was how immensely phallic the Buddhist stupahs seemed.


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