Hi Everyone,
So last Friday I woke up and realised I had to be at my mom's school to take pictures of the kids in 20 minutes and I managed that while Priyanka stayed at home to have breakfast that I didn't have the oppurtunity to have. After the 10 O'clock break, Priyanka showed up and we finished the photos for the rest of the kids.
On Saturday, I met up with some very old friends from the first school I went to. We went to the mall in town and hug out at a park. That was cool meeting up with them again. Also eating the Indian McAloo Tikki Burger at the mall.
On Sunday after doing nothing for the first half of the day (I think) Priyanka, Manish, and I went to the other side of the river to hang out. As usual, I swam and they took a boat. While we were on the other side a group of boys who quite obviously could not swim let go of their huge truck inner tube and I tried to go retrieve it for my own purposes. I had almost gotten to the tube (and also the ghat side again) when a boat with a group of girls picked it up. I was annoyed but I didn't really care about getting it too much so I had to swim all the way back to the boat on the sandy side and then we left on the boat. After we got back we started walking down the main street in search of a restaurant and Priyanka ended up buying flip flops on the way. We decided to eat at I:ba, a Japanese place, which cost us a pretty penny. I think that's the last I'll eat there for a while.
Next day, we (Mama, Priyanka, Manish, and I) got up early and gathered our stuff and took an auto to the bus stop across the river and took a bus to Lakhania Dari (waterfall). After the hour and a half bus ride next to a police officer and a goat which peed on the bus floor twice (probably out of fright) we arrived at our destination. There wasn't a huge amount of water (which I like better, probably not many others) but it was decent. the walk through the canyon to the falls is always nice. Lots of trees and animals. Also some really cool scenery. When we got to the falls we went to our normal rock and immediately dumped our stuff and changed to get into the water to cool off. No one was there, which was great. So we swam to the falls and started shouting like crazy people, which is great. Sitting under the biggest falls is a little painful at first but it certainly is a nice free massage. We went in and out of the water a bunch of times and Indian college boys started coming in (which is annoying because they keep edging closer). We did see a snake living in its cave and also a monitor lizard. That was a nice, cool time and we headed back and got to the entrance at the perfect time to catch the bus back. We were all hungry by the time we got back to the city so we ate at a garden restaurant with Siddarth Sir. Then we went back home tired and crashed. It was a good day.
On Tuesday I went to Mama's school after breakfast and used the internet and waited for Priyanka. She finally came at 3 and went roaming. We hung out on a ghat down a ways. She and I moved to Papa's apartment at Assi Ghat. It's cooler there and he has awesome speakers.
I was woken up at 9 by Priyanka to go out and roam, so we had chai at the ghat and continued on to a South Indian (and cheap) breakfast down the ghats. Then we went into the small alleys along the river and looked at cool clothes and other things they sell in there. We got to the alley that goes to the temple that lies at the center of Hindu pilgrimages, Vishwanath Temple (complete with a gold top). Here we got harassed by some sleazy salesmen who thought we were complete foreigners. They said they could get me the same shirt I was wearing for only Rs 100, I kindly explained that I wouldn't require two of the exact same shirt. I don't think he got the idea. We (Priyanka) got some clothes for her friends that we almost had the money for. We said we would pay him back, I don't know. We then got money from and ATM on the way back home and I got myself some nice flip flops. Then we got some Indian sweets and then headed back to Assi. We planned out our trip and decided we'd go to Manali, a foothill city, and see where we'd go from there. So we went to the travel agent and we realised we weren't prepared when he asked for our passports. We told him we'd be back and met up with an old friend who ran a restaurant and provided us with a fabulous free Indian meal. Then we went back to Mama's house to get what we needed and then saw Mama at school and to give her some sweets. Then we went back and actually got our train tickets for the 20th. I'm excited to see something new. After that we went around and bought the necessary snacks and drinks for Priyanka and I to hang out. Then we went back to the place at Assi Ghat and we did hang out and listen to music and eat and drink lavishly (Lays and Coke) till 9:30. We biked to the cinema to meet Manish to see this movie we'd wanted to see for a while only to find that it had been cancelled. Annoyed that we came there specially that late and that we'd already paid for parking, we decided to get ice cream. That was good, I got chocolate. After that, we decided not to waste a nice night and walked along the ghats to find a dark enough spot (there was no electricity) to take a nice cool dip in the Ganga. We found one isolated enough from the boys and light. It was nice and cool and peaceful and the electricity came back just as we got out. Then we went back the place and went to bed.
Today we got up pretty late and I found out it had rained that morning. We ate a nice Indian breakfast at a wifi place and made it to an earlier showing of that movie we wanted to go to and bought three tickets but apparently Manish misunderstood and never showed up there (wasted Rs 120). So it was Priyanka and I that watched the movie, which didn't even turn out to be that great. After we got out it was just really humid and I went to see Mama at school and Priyanka showed up and all three of us went to visit our old landlords and after a nice visit, here I am.
It's at times like these with muddy, cowdung splattered streets that I'm very glad I have a bike.
Even though you might not think hanging out and roaming are very busy things, they were.
Remember to Pry to God for Peas,
Arjun
So last Friday I woke up and realised I had to be at my mom's school to take pictures of the kids in 20 minutes and I managed that while Priyanka stayed at home to have breakfast that I didn't have the oppurtunity to have. After the 10 O'clock break, Priyanka showed up and we finished the photos for the rest of the kids.
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| After the photos |
On Sunday after doing nothing for the first half of the day (I think) Priyanka, Manish, and I went to the other side of the river to hang out. As usual, I swam and they took a boat. While we were on the other side a group of boys who quite obviously could not swim let go of their huge truck inner tube and I tried to go retrieve it for my own purposes. I had almost gotten to the tube (and also the ghat side again) when a boat with a group of girls picked it up. I was annoyed but I didn't really care about getting it too much so I had to swim all the way back to the boat on the sandy side and then we left on the boat. After we got back we started walking down the main street in search of a restaurant and Priyanka ended up buying flip flops on the way. We decided to eat at I:ba, a Japanese place, which cost us a pretty penny. I think that's the last I'll eat there for a while.
Next day, we (Mama, Priyanka, Manish, and I) got up early and gathered our stuff and took an auto to the bus stop across the river and took a bus to Lakhania Dari (waterfall). After the hour and a half bus ride next to a police officer and a goat which peed on the bus floor twice (probably out of fright) we arrived at our destination. There wasn't a huge amount of water (which I like better, probably not many others) but it was decent. the walk through the canyon to the falls is always nice. Lots of trees and animals. Also some really cool scenery. When we got to the falls we went to our normal rock and immediately dumped our stuff and changed to get into the water to cool off. No one was there, which was great. So we swam to the falls and started shouting like crazy people, which is great. Sitting under the biggest falls is a little painful at first but it certainly is a nice free massage. We went in and out of the water a bunch of times and Indian college boys started coming in (which is annoying because they keep edging closer). We did see a snake living in its cave and also a monitor lizard. That was a nice, cool time and we headed back and got to the entrance at the perfect time to catch the bus back. We were all hungry by the time we got back to the city so we ate at a garden restaurant with Siddarth Sir. Then we went back home tired and crashed. It was a good day.
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| Hanuman Langur with baby (Langurs are the awesomer monkeys) |
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| Leaping Langur |
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| Those are awesome roots |
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| At least they spelled God right |
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| Pan- |
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| O- |
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| Rama |
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| Leaving after a great time |
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| Langur family |
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| The rock is actually crooked, it was on a hill |
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| Chill Langur |
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| Happy Priyanka |
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| Clingy Tree |
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| Caterpillar Wasp: stuns caterpillar and puts it in hole so that when the eggs hatch, they have food |
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| Cleaned up hole entrance |
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| Caterpillar eating a lot |
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| Inchworm |
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| Grasshopper |
On Tuesday I went to Mama's school after breakfast and used the internet and waited for Priyanka. She finally came at 3 and went roaming. We hung out on a ghat down a ways. She and I moved to Papa's apartment at Assi Ghat. It's cooler there and he has awesome speakers.
I was woken up at 9 by Priyanka to go out and roam, so we had chai at the ghat and continued on to a South Indian (and cheap) breakfast down the ghats. Then we went into the small alleys along the river and looked at cool clothes and other things they sell in there. We got to the alley that goes to the temple that lies at the center of Hindu pilgrimages, Vishwanath Temple (complete with a gold top). Here we got harassed by some sleazy salesmen who thought we were complete foreigners. They said they could get me the same shirt I was wearing for only Rs 100, I kindly explained that I wouldn't require two of the exact same shirt. I don't think he got the idea. We (Priyanka) got some clothes for her friends that we almost had the money for. We said we would pay him back, I don't know. We then got money from and ATM on the way back home and I got myself some nice flip flops. Then we got some Indian sweets and then headed back to Assi. We planned out our trip and decided we'd go to Manali, a foothill city, and see where we'd go from there. So we went to the travel agent and we realised we weren't prepared when he asked for our passports. We told him we'd be back and met up with an old friend who ran a restaurant and provided us with a fabulous free Indian meal. Then we went back to Mama's house to get what we needed and then saw Mama at school and to give her some sweets. Then we went back and actually got our train tickets for the 20th. I'm excited to see something new. After that we went around and bought the necessary snacks and drinks for Priyanka and I to hang out. Then we went back to the place at Assi Ghat and we did hang out and listen to music and eat and drink lavishly (Lays and Coke) till 9:30. We biked to the cinema to meet Manish to see this movie we'd wanted to see for a while only to find that it had been cancelled. Annoyed that we came there specially that late and that we'd already paid for parking, we decided to get ice cream. That was good, I got chocolate. After that, we decided not to waste a nice night and walked along the ghats to find a dark enough spot (there was no electricity) to take a nice cool dip in the Ganga. We found one isolated enough from the boys and light. It was nice and cool and peaceful and the electricity came back just as we got out. Then we went back the place and went to bed.
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| Ghats at night |
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| Moonrise over Ganga |
Today we got up pretty late and I found out it had rained that morning. We ate a nice Indian breakfast at a wifi place and made it to an earlier showing of that movie we wanted to go to and bought three tickets but apparently Manish misunderstood and never showed up there (wasted Rs 120). So it was Priyanka and I that watched the movie, which didn't even turn out to be that great. After we got out it was just really humid and I went to see Mama at school and Priyanka showed up and all three of us went to visit our old landlords and after a nice visit, here I am.
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| Tiny, tiny spider on my hand |
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| Grasshopper Nymph (no wings yet) |
It's at times like these with muddy, cowdung splattered streets that I'm very glad I have a bike.
Even though you might not think hanging out and roaming are very busy things, they were.
Remember to Pry to God for Peas,
Arjun
