AN EVENTFUL TRIP TO VARANASI

I landed in Varanasi after 24 hours of traveling from Pachmarhi in Madhya Pradesh.

It was the second leg of my trip, and after four days during which I had been attending a conference and taken care of 24/7, I’d finally be visiting India by myself.

The trip had been eventful:

Eight hours on a shuttle bus to cover a distance I had later learned to be just 200 kilometers (~124 miles), with the driver hitting the horn at regular intervals of five seconds or so, followed by a flight to Delhi and another one to Varanasi.

By the time I landed in Varanasi I had a splitting headache. I had arranged for a driver to pick me up and take me to my guesthouse, but after waiting for him for a while and looking around the arrivals terminal, it became clear he would not show up -– so I walked to the taxi stand.

I didn’t understand the value of Indian Rupees at that point, so in order to save what must have been 10 cents I hopped on a taxi that was not air conditioned.

As soon as we pulled out of the airport, it was chaos. Dust, cows, dogs, people, and cars; an India I had yet to get to know. I was terrified and kept wondering why I was doing this to myself.

Moments later, I resolved to book my flight back the minute I got to my room -– whenever that would be.

Indeed, the taxi dropped me off outside the old city and I had to make my way to the guest house. Thankfully, a friend I had met at the conference in Madhya Pradesh gave me his SIM card so I could use Google maps to find my guesthouse.

The moment I walked inside the old city the atmosphere changed.

A Belgian guy outside a bakery invited me in to have breakfast, a huge smile on his face. I even resolved to return the following day, and that’s when I’d meet a few other people traveling solo who’d roam the city with me.

Once I made it to the guest house, the sweet smile of the owner convinced me to postpone buying the flight back after a much-needed nap.

I ended up staying.

Varanasi was the highlight of my trip to India and to date I still wish to go back.