rishikesh-delhi-gorakhpur-nepal-gorakhpur-varanasi

after two weeks practice with the shouting master in rishikesh, i wanted to go on a night train from haridwar to gorakhpur in the northern provinces. but the train which i had booked was running eight hours late. so i went on a night train to delhi instead. the next night i wanted to go on a night train to gorakhpur, but i confused the train which i had booked with another train to the same destination with a similar train number. as a result, i slept one night in delhi. the next night i succeded to board the right train, which brought me to gorakhpur. after leaving this train in gorakhpur, i sat two-and-half hours in a bus which stopped right at the border of nepal. it took me less then five minutes to walk into nepal. then i slept one night in nepal. in the morning i rose up early enough to go for a walk through the paddies. i stopped at a bridge where i had a short conversation with an armed soldier and a rikshaw-driver while looking at mt.daulgiri and mt.annapurna, both higher than 8000 meters, above the horizon in the distance. then i turned around and walked across the border back into india. i got on a bus to gorakhpur and there i boarded a night train. the following morning i woke up before dawn in varanasi (benares). when i walked out of the train-station, there was thunder. then there was a lightning flash. the next moment it begann pouring down. after the rain had stopped, i started to walk. after half an hour i reached the ancient part of the city. i tried to find the bank of the river ganges, but i wa lost for almost an hour in the maze of the narrow lanes. suddenly i stepped into an opening in the dense urban fabric near aurangazeb's mosque. it felt like stepping into a clearing in the forest. i crossed over to the other side of the opening from where i could see the huge space of the curving river. then i noticed that the night had ended and that the sun was about to rise.

a blurred dark spot swaying on the street

this morning i was about to walk across the street to drink a glas of tea and read a paper, when suddenly i stopped: i had seen a blurred dark spot swaying at the end of the street. i looked closer and saw that the spot had a big long trunk. when the spot swayed closer i could see that a small man was sitting on top of it. the spot swayed closer and became bigger and bigger, in the middle of motorcicles, rikshaws, cars and trucks driving on the street. when the spot swayed past me, i followed with my eyes. suddenly a man stepped in front and extended his arm towards the elephant. the elephant extended gracefully his trunk to the extended hand. they touched each other. then both the elephant and the man disappeared (behind a curve).

monkey-business

it was raining and still dark when my train arrived early in the morning. it was chillingly cold. i drank a glass of tea in a tea-stall. then i climbed into a tempo-rikshaw which half an hour later dropped me near the river. i started to walk over the cable bridge crossing the river. a big strong monkey jumped down from a above. i knew that he knew that i had a banana in my pocket and i didn't have a stick to defend myself. the situation was not very good for me. so i decided to use a trick: i made the monkey believe that i had a very long and big stick in my pocket and not a banana. the monkey didn't really believe me, but he let me walk past, watching me doubtfully. on the other side i started to eat the banana in great haste and then i gave the peel to a cow. the cow while chewing gave me a gentil look with her eyes.

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"'All flights to Kathmandu are cancelled until further notice,after King Gyanendra sacked the government and assumed power. Road links between India and landlocked Nepal were, however, open, an Indian customs official said. King Gyanendra declared an indefinite state of emergency."'

after i had finnished to read the news, i went to a place to have a rice-meal. two gentlemen in combat dress sat with me at the same table, enjoying a yellowish sweet dish. one of them looked like che guevara, the other one like leo trotzky. i asked them if they were from nepal. they said they were. i told them that their king had sacked the government and so on. they told me that they already knew. they invited me to come to a guesthouse they were running in a tourist area. i said that i was too busy. a little bit later they left.

I am swept by a heady feeling of nostalgia and deja vu. The good days are back again. Let's rock...