Hello Sister, Hello Friend

All around Bodhgaya, it was "hello sister, hello Friend" but yesterday, on the ghats, a boy called me Auntie, at least I think that's what he said, but hard to say for sure.

I mean, the day before, walking along the ghats, a teenager called out that he had peanuts for me and I called back "No thank you" very politely, and realized only when he yelled back"No problem! is Full Power!" and laughed, that he was really saying he a penis for me.

So, I'm still missing a few things in the translation and accents here.

"Full Power" was what our new Varanasi best friend Rakesh was telling me he would pray for my recovery at the temple, "Full Power MIss, Full Power". Rakesh found us this much nicer hotel & took us on a back alley tour of Varanasi on our first very long day here. He also asked for a tip, told us we shouldn't trust him, told me several times I was beautiful (you should all see my mosquito bitten face right now to know this guy was working overtime for his tip, I look like a leper. To paraphrase/quote my traveling friend Richard, when I told him the number of bites on my face: "Is that all? Because it looks a lot worse." He also said "I was going to ask for a pen so I could connect the dots.")

A Rakesh classic quote:
Don't worry, no hurry,
No chicken, no curry

No money, no honey
No wife, no life
No husband, no headache.*

*In case you all need this one translated, as Rakesh felt I did "Because a husband always want something from wife, Miss, and wife always have a headache." Rak left his phone number with us, with me specifically, with an additional "I LIKE YOU MISS" written on it, to which I told Rich, I think our personal tour time is up. Rich offered to sell me to Rakesh, for a few rupees, but that didn't get very far of the ground.

We stayed at the new hotel last night and I was sooooooo happy. I have 27 mosquito bites on my face, 23 on the rest of me, and it looks like the Varanasi bugs bite nastier than Bodhgaya's (well, they're Buddhist bugs in Bodhgaya, they've chosen the middle way, not so much into causing suffering I guess, they've simply accepted the first of the four noble truths about life contains suffering, there is suffering inherent in life)

I thought the cold I'd had since December 13th was gone but it's lingering.

The best news is I had my first hot shower in 5 weeks yesterday! FIVE WEEKS! I knew not to expect luxury, especially at the Ashram, but lots of places advertise hot water when what they really should say is "Tepid" or "Lukewarm" or "I'm flat out lying to you". I alternately nearl;y scalded myself and froze myself, and a bird kept trying to fly into my shower, but the window was shut.

The window has a full on view of the street! I artfully hung my pajamas as a curtain. They say in the guidebook it's best to cover up, and our yoga teacher had said cover legs, ankles, arms, etc. No problem for me, but what's with the window/shower situation, and no curtains?

I think if it was only my ankles showing I wouldn't care, but I'm not into getting arrested for public indecency in India. I mean, after that last hotel, with it's horror decor and scary outside neighbourhood area (not far from a burning ghat! as they advertised on their business card) I can't imagine the prison.