India 2009!

Today we drove to Sarnath, the birthplace of Buddhism!! Michelle and I actually stood outside the tree where Prince Siddhartha first was enlightened, and where the Buddha first preached from!! I can’t wait to tell Mrs. McCoy!!

Joy also drove us to the university of Varanasi, where we visited a Hindu temple. Rajiv is Hindu so he knew to do all the right things, like touching the steps of the rooms we entered and exited. The temple was built to honor many gods, but mainly Shiva, the creator.

When we got back home I was exhausted and passed out…and woke up to Michelle calling on the phone, pretending to be Amy Fizzano calling from the United States. If you know me you know what I’m like when I first wake up, so you’ll understand how it was possible for me to actually believe her for a good 2 minutes. But then it turned out the real reason she was calling was to wake me up because Joy had ordered FRENCH FRIES!! They were delicious.

After snacking Rajiv and Angeli took us to a place that sold silk saris, shirts, and scarves. It was really cool – the rooms are padded with white mattresses and pillows, and you just sit there while the man whips out all different kinds of materials and fabrics to show you. Michelle couldn’t stop thinking about how much her cousin, Alexandra, would have loved the experience. The whole experience reminded me of my mom! I think she would have been in love with all the different patterns but mostly how cheap the silk was!

Then they took us to the Muslim section of the city, where the silk is made. They told us that basically every Muslim family in Varanasi has its own loom, maybe more, to make saris and other material. As soon as we got out of the autorickshaw we could hear the looms clicking – it sounded almost like cicadas do in August. The driver took us into the home of a family he knew, where we saw a few teenage boys all sitting around a giant loom. I finally appreciate how much effort goes into making one of those things! I can’t believe they’re not more expensive than they are!

On our way home we stopped and ate one of the most delicious things I have had to eat so far here. It was kind of like….a chicken cheesesteak and a croissant mixed together. I really don’t know how to describe it. SO good. And yes if you’re reading this and wondering, Michelle and I do eat street food. And we’re still alive :) I usually regret my meals 2-3 hours after I eat them, but they’re delicious to eat.