Day 5: Sarnath to Bodhgaya
We woke up and headed to Golden Temple, one of the main Hindu temples located in Varanasi. We were sick of driving in the hell that is Varanasi traffic so we had a local rickshaw driver who went by Guru drive us there and watch over our bags. We made our way through tiny alleys bypassing pilgrims dressed in colorful attire. We also nearly ran right into a cobra and its snakecharmer. This place is nuts. We got to the front of the temple when Allen and I were told we couldn't enter since we weren't of Hindu faith. So instead we were sat down at a nearby shop and of course, hassled into buying stuff. Sonny arrive awhile later saying it was a crazy experience inside with pilgrims tossing themselves, overcome by the religious experience. I wish I could write more about it, maybe Sonny can give more detail.
After further hassling at our guide's friend's silk shop, we arrived back at our rickshaw much later than we expected. Guru wasn't too happy. He was now accompanied by his brother, nicknamed Rocky. Rocky and Guru offered to drive us to Sarnath and then lead us to the highway. They said it was up to us how much we pay them. I hate being put in this position, and it seems to be a workable tactic for most vendors/drivers/guides here as it forces tourists to be overgenerous. Anyways, they brought us to the Green Temple and deer park, where Buddha gave his first sermon. Like outisde of every religious location we've been to so far, we were touted by people trying to get our money. Kind of kills the religious experience when you have beggars, frauds trying to charge you for watching over your shoes, and people pushing postcards and cheap figurines of Buddha in your hands. But I guess one billion people have to find some way to make money.
We had an engrossing conversation with Rocky and Guru over lunch. They stated over and over that all they had were each other as their other siblings and parents had passed away. Guru had two children with heart conditions. Most of his income as a rickshaw driver went into buying their medicine. Rocky was a graphic designer by day and rickshaw driver by night. From speaking with other people in Varanasi, we've found it common for people here to hold more than one job. Hearing their stories and realizing there were millions of others here that could relate, we couldn't help but feel hopeless about our efforts to help those in need here. Our journey's become quite emotionally exhausting.
By sunset we had reached Bodhgaya, the location of Buddha's enlightenment, and our final pilgrimage site. The town was much more peaceful, very few cars passing through, less street hasslers, and a smatter of Buddhist monks from all parts of Asia walking through the streets. This place is chock full of crickets though, which also brings many frogs. Slowly we're starting to make our peace with insects. We were approached by two teenagers from the village part of town, Anut and Shiva (our second god to guide us!). They showed us to a Tibetan monestary where we would lodge at. None of us had stayed at a monestary before, but I guess it's fitting that it would be here.
We talked with the two boys over dinner and got a glimpse of village life for teenagers. They're both 16, they think. Most people here don't know how old their age or birthday. It's just not something they celebrate here. They were on summer vacation, which is an amazing 18 days long. They play soccer and cricket, enjoy watching professional wrestling, and are seeking girlfriends. Nothing too out of the ordinary here. We promised to send them some American girls. Any takers? In our efforts to leave a mark on the people we meet, we taught them American slang, elaborate high fives, and even some martial arts moves. We finished the night meeting Shiva's dad, a street vendor. He sold us some betel nut, which we've been long in searching for. Betel nut, or khat, is a red juicy nut wrapped in banana leaf. It's chewed on and its juices are absorbed in the tongue and provides a relaxing feeling similar to tobacco. It's also spit out everywhere leaving disgusting red splatters on all the streets and walls. We walked arond a little longer gathering more children followers as we went. Alot of them spoke excellent English and Japanese (many Japanese monks visit here). These kids were way smarter than we were at their age. We passed out early, as we will be waking up tomorrow at 4 AM for morning prayer and hopefully achieving enlightenment.
- Brian
