Downhill Day That Ended Well.

Saturday, February 16. Fine! So yesterday I had the wrong day with the correct date. Ask for your money back. Speaking of days, this one started out great but may be going downhill. I spent the morning visiting the ghats that line the river on the Varanasi city side of the Ganges. Mostly, I watched a group of men - family members and close male friends - prepare a body for cremation. I was told (the area is filled with people who will "tell" you stuff, become your new best friend, and eventually ask to be paid for their friendship) that women are not allowed close to the cremations since they sometimes throw themselves on the fire or into the river in their grief. When they lit the fire, I left.

Visited two Hindu temples. One was a monkey temple version of the rat temple we visited a few years ago in another part of India. Instead of rats this one venerates monkeys, and they are protected, fed and allowed to roam freely inside and outside the temple.

I'm now back at the Varanasi airport - outside - waiting for Marty to arrive out of China through Katmandu. I didn't count on the extreme security that resulted from the massacres in Mumbai four years ago. I can't get in without a boarding pass for a flight today. I tried using one for four days from now, when I leave. No deal. I played the age card. They don't care if I'm 102. I wait outside. At least I'm under cover and have a jacket as I write this. It's rainy and cold.

And there's a bit of another problem. The Air India number for Marty's flight is not even listed on the electronic arrivals board out here. The flight is due in 20 minutes. I think I'll wander over to the Air India ticket window - it's outside the terminal! No one gets inside without a ticket - and see what's up. OK, nothing I can do; it's 45 minutes late. At least the flight is real.

Update: Finally, at 5pm Marty's 3:05 flight landed. We've made a deal with a driver at the airport for what is supposed to be a two hour drive to Allahabad. New Update: That was four hours ago as I write this. We are somewhere near the tent camp where we are to stay. Even Newer and Final Update: It has poured rain here for two days. As we got near the camp on a narrow but paved road we came up on a truck that slipped off the road, blocking it. Getting around the truck caused the car we were in to get stuck in the mud at the side of the road. It had to be pushed. Once past it, we couldn't bring the car down the muddy, slippery access road to this sizable tent camp. We walked. We are here. We are fed. Soon we see our tent. And we sleep. Are we having fun yet? Actually, we are. Tell you about our tent tomorrow. Also tomorrow - photos, if I can get internet access.