A Shower In Varanasi
The shower in Varanasi was one of the best showers I have ever had in my life. Another thing to be fortunate and grateful for, I went on thinking about this shower, also what made them so great? Was it a nice shower room, cold or hot water as you prefer it or how much it was the need of the hour? What if it ticked all the spots though? It should be right! So I came to the conclusion that my shower in Varanasi was one of the best showers I have had in my life.
It was in a fancy hotel in Varanasi and under bizarre circumstances. Let me tell you about how I got to Varanasi. I was in Kathmandu a few days early and I got a text from a friend who talked about how nice it would be to meet him again in Dharamshala (where I had been pre Nepal). So I decided I would go to Dharamshala. Don’t ask me why I choose this really difficult path to go back. It was probably one of the many ways I was trying to travel super cheap and I didn’t mind anything ~ I wanted a different perspective though which I could change my daily life experience. Suffice to say Nepal had turned me spiritual and I wanted to get more in touch with reality.
So I took a night bus to Sonali Border (India-Nepal Border, the bus was very rough but it was okay. And from there I took a bus back to Gorakhpur which took my morning away. Now the train that would take me close to where I wanted to be was from Varanasi. Varanasi is one of the most beautiful and mystic places ever and even though unplanned, it happens to be one of the most spiritual city in India. There’s a popular belief in Hinduism that dying and getting cremated on the ghats of the Holy Ganga river ~ takes you to heaven.
So to get to Varanasi I had to take another bus, which was a government bus that cost me ₹50 and ran at 20 km/hr. It was the hottest day, flies everywhere! By the end of the day on this bus, I was figuratively dying in sweat. What should have taken 2 hours of a journey, had taken 8 excruciating hours! The roads were the worst, I was sweating from every pore and the bus was filled to the brink. However horrible it was, I felt more closer to being a real human being, to understanding how tough the world is sometimes and that because of my privilege - I was leading a rather luxurious life.
So I reached Varanasi by 6:00 pm and my next train was at 2 at midnight. I had no reserved seat in this train and it was almost a 48 hours journey, which I would have to manage in the non-ac compartments, next to peoples feat and very literal shit. Already exhausted and dreading the journey ahead and a 7-hour wait before boarding my train, I was on my knees. So I decided that I need a shower! Only a shower, is all I needed. I would go through everything! But I needed one shower! So I thought about how this could happen. I didn’t want to take a room. I thought that maybe I could text someone from Couchsurfing, an app I had heard a lot about. I thought I’ll ask someone on the app if I could take a shower at their place (I know this sounds fishy and a recipe for disaster but I was desperate!) and hang out with them till my train arrives, asked if someone could help me out by this. One of the people responded that he could help me, which was wonderful and he asked me to come to some cafe.
I went to this cafe and after a while, he asked me to go to the reception (apparently it was a cafe in a hotel) and ask for a key. This confused me, he said don’t be confused, just go and ask for a key and say your name. So I did that and the receptionist gave me a key and pointed me to this really nice empty hotel room and told me that I could use the room and take a shower. Delightfully surprised, I took one of the best Showers in Varanasi.
A long 20-minute shower with wonderful soaps and temperature-controlled water, I was in the skies. I stood in the shower watching so much dirt roll of my bodies. Then I stood for 20 minutes in the water before drying off and slipping on to some fresh underwear and clothes (you know this feeling!). I felt recharged and ready to spend my next hours. I wanted to go and sit in the ghats near Gaga, watch the Arti by the water ~ maybe on a boat! And then take that long train and make it to Dharamshala!
So that was the story of my best shower. I later found out my host owned the hotel. He was one of the most wonderful, exciting & kind people I’ve ever met. I really lucked out! But I think it was one of my best showers because it really made me look at something that we take for granted everyday and every moment and understand its importance, the privilege of it all! A shower
*This post was conceived in the shower.
It was in a fancy hotel in Varanasi and under bizarre circumstances. Let me tell you about how I got to Varanasi. I was in Kathmandu a few days early and I got a text from a friend who talked about how nice it would be to meet him again in Dharamshala (where I had been pre Nepal). So I decided I would go to Dharamshala. Don’t ask me why I choose this really difficult path to go back. It was probably one of the many ways I was trying to travel super cheap and I didn’t mind anything ~ I wanted a different perspective though which I could change my daily life experience. Suffice to say Nepal had turned me spiritual and I wanted to get more in touch with reality.
So I took a night bus to Sonali Border (India-Nepal Border, the bus was very rough but it was okay. And from there I took a bus back to Gorakhpur which took my morning away. Now the train that would take me close to where I wanted to be was from Varanasi. Varanasi is one of the most beautiful and mystic places ever and even though unplanned, it happens to be one of the most spiritual city in India. There’s a popular belief in Hinduism that dying and getting cremated on the ghats of the Holy Ganga river ~ takes you to heaven.
So to get to Varanasi I had to take another bus, which was a government bus that cost me ₹50 and ran at 20 km/hr. It was the hottest day, flies everywhere! By the end of the day on this bus, I was figuratively dying in sweat. What should have taken 2 hours of a journey, had taken 8 excruciating hours! The roads were the worst, I was sweating from every pore and the bus was filled to the brink. However horrible it was, I felt more closer to being a real human being, to understanding how tough the world is sometimes and that because of my privilege - I was leading a rather luxurious life.
So I reached Varanasi by 6:00 pm and my next train was at 2 at midnight. I had no reserved seat in this train and it was almost a 48 hours journey, which I would have to manage in the non-ac compartments, next to peoples feat and very literal shit. Already exhausted and dreading the journey ahead and a 7-hour wait before boarding my train, I was on my knees. So I decided that I need a shower! Only a shower, is all I needed. I would go through everything! But I needed one shower! So I thought about how this could happen. I didn’t want to take a room. I thought that maybe I could text someone from Couchsurfing, an app I had heard a lot about. I thought I’ll ask someone on the app if I could take a shower at their place (I know this sounds fishy and a recipe for disaster but I was desperate!) and hang out with them till my train arrives, asked if someone could help me out by this. One of the people responded that he could help me, which was wonderful and he asked me to come to some cafe.
I went to this cafe and after a while, he asked me to go to the reception (apparently it was a cafe in a hotel) and ask for a key. This confused me, he said don’t be confused, just go and ask for a key and say your name. So I did that and the receptionist gave me a key and pointed me to this really nice empty hotel room and told me that I could use the room and take a shower. Delightfully surprised, I took one of the best Showers in Varanasi.
A long 20-minute shower with wonderful soaps and temperature-controlled water, I was in the skies. I stood in the shower watching so much dirt roll of my bodies. Then I stood for 20 minutes in the water before drying off and slipping on to some fresh underwear and clothes (you know this feeling!). I felt recharged and ready to spend my next hours. I wanted to go and sit in the ghats near Gaga, watch the Arti by the water ~ maybe on a boat! And then take that long train and make it to Dharamshala!
So that was the story of my best shower. I later found out my host owned the hotel. He was one of the most wonderful, exciting & kind people I’ve ever met. I really lucked out! But I think it was one of my best showers because it really made me look at something that we take for granted everyday and every moment and understand its importance, the privilege of it all! A shower
*This post was conceived in the shower.
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