The only prescription? More cowbell.

"For your kind attention please," echoed the soothing and rather lady-like British voice, "train number 5016 to Bharatpur is reported as being late by 3 hours 30 minutes. The inconvenience is deeply regretted." Not so bad, I suppose, were it not that our train finally departed at 2:30am. Our journeys by rail have otherwise been quite tolerable; seldom arriving more than 30 minutes late. Many-a-nights we've slept cruising across vast distances overnight in seedy sleepers in the company of cheery middle class Indians.

In August past, I was privileged to meet a yoga master while on visit to Freewheeling in Nova Scotia. Upon discovering that I was India-bound, he gleefully extended an invitation to me for to visit his Ashram in Rishikesh. Famous for once having drawn the Beatles into the realm of Indian music, Rishikesh has evolved into just the type of place you'd expect to find fans of the White Album. Mike and I stayed for three days of Yoga, Hindu ceremonies, a dubious rafting adventure on the Ganges and even a bit of post-Delhi/Amritsar R&R. The town was a bit more westernized than I'd have fancied, but treats from any of the thirteen or so German bakeries were much enjoyed.

Mike and I parted for two days; he to the Taj Mahal in Agra and I to Lucknow. Noticeably lesser visited by Westerners, I daresay I felt a bit out of place at times. I was put at ease by several friendly English speaking locals who proudly touted the many gems of their city. A massive mosque and temple complex, the oldest classical music school in India and a celebrity magnet restaurant serving the finest mutton kebab known to... well... citizens of Lucknow.

Our quest for genuine filth led us to the shores of the Ganges in Varanasi. Quite timely our arrival, we celebrated Diwali with lakhs (hundreds of thousands) of locals and foreigners; everyone filling the sky with fireworks from the sun's down until its rise. More somberly during daylight, we visited the burning ghat to see a genuine, exposed, campfire crematorium. Ashes of the recently combusted were siphoned for valuables then tossed into the river only 100m upstream from a well attended holy bathing site.

I now find myself feverish, bedridden and exhausted from fighting off an aggressive Nepali stomach bug. I can only hope for a speedy recover. Tomorrow, 7 hours by bus to Kathmandu.

Here's to staying hydrated!

Please see some photos:
http://www.dancorbett.ca

Arrival

Admittedly, I was rather nervous about my arrival. I'd heard dozens of stories on the utter craziness that is New Delhi and had been questioning my ability to handle it. Touchdown came as it must always and I suddenly found myself in the New Delhi Airport, the last fragment of calm I'd see for some time. As it turns out, the stories I'd heard were as close to truth as one could expect. The evening taxi ride to my neighbourhood kept my heart pounding and the 200m walk to the hotel was no less exciting. I decided to save the thrill of Delhi until Mike arrived.

On my first morning, I boarded a flight to Srinagar in Kashmir to spend a few days in the far north. The town, 900,000 strong, was comprised of 95% Muslims and was largely built on the surface of Dal Lake. It was an interesting treat to wake up each morning at 5:30 to the call to prayer echoing eerily around the lake to the houseboat at which I slept.

I traveled 15 hours by jeep along the 400km single lane mountain road to the remote town of Leh, Ladakh. On the cusp of the Himalayas, I found myself surrounded by Tibetan Buddhists and adventurous trekkers, drawn by the incredible scenery and provincial atmosphere. I toured a number of palaces and temples over two days before returning by jeep to Srinagar.

A 7-hour jeep ride and an overnight train from Jammu brought me back to New Delhi and an extra 15° centrigrade along with it. I met Mike the following morning, sweating in anticipatio nof the 38° daily high. We toured some of the big attractions in the city, but we mostly just embraced the unfathomable numbers of people who could mob with remarkable density just about everwhere we went.