Bas!

This word means “enough” in Hindi. I’ve had enough. If I’m being honest, I probably had enough a long time ago. It is pretty well decided that I started out in the two roughest places in India, Delhi and Varanasi, and it’s true that it’s gotten better from there. Nevertheless, it’s not better enough. I am so thankful I brought my iPod with me because the only way I could deal with walking through the streets to get to this wifi café today was by listening to Rage Against the Machine at full blast. This is not normally the kind of music I listen to, but it’s good for venting frustration. If I have to refuse money to another limbless person on the side of the road, I don’t know what I’m going to do. I know that sounds harsh, but you really get immune to and fed up with it all, and there’s also something really messed up in that.

There were almost no photos with this post as well. The wifi was working like a charm at first, but then became deathly slow, making it almost impossible to upload anything. I can deal with internet issues; that is really just the icing on the cake. I’m tired, however, of trying to avoid the piles of cow shit in the road, tired of seeing men pick their noses and scratch themselves and urinate in public like it’s no big deal, tired of the stares (yes, I am white and blonde, get over it), tired of people honking their horns all the freaking time and when they're only like 3 feet away from you. I actually found this café again today by the following landmark: yes, this is the pathway where I saw a woman taking a dump yesterday, so this is the way to the café. How messed up is that? How messed up is this place? Is a lot of the world really as messed up as this?

Rather than continue with this rant and sound like a total complainer, I will just conclude by saying that India for me is like papaya; I keep trying and trying to like it, but I just don’t. In my opinion, the coolest things about this place are best viewed in an import shop. I've had a lot of great experiences and met a lot of interesting people along the way so far, but India is most definitely not near and dear to my heart. Bas.

... it's worth mentioning that despite my opinion of this country, I've taken about 1000 pictures. Here are a few from my first days in Rishikesh.


Hello Himalayas.


Two monkey siblings at play. "Hey, how does this feel?"


Henna tattooing along the side of the road.