My pilgrimage
Trip Start
Mar 10, 2007
1
116
153
Trip End
??? ??, 2007
Rameswaram,
India
Friday, January 11, 2008
Terrible nights sleep when i needed a good one the most (typical that), being woken up three times by an Indian guys alarm clock, convinced it was mine. This meant i was strongly against my plan of a rameshvaram day trip, but i persuaded myself to go anyway.
On the train there i got talking to a guy from northern India who explained to me that Rameshvaram is one of the 4 holy area that all Hindus try to visit at least once in their life and is where Rama's believed to have worshipped Siva
Local transport
. Was very amused too when his father lay down on the wooden slat bunk above us and instantly let one rip, as though he had gotten up there just to fart down on us. The Ramalingesvara temple is a hugely interesting complex, more for the goings on inside than the architecture to me (being a little templed out). I was much more excited at visiting this temple as religion seemed much more so to be the focus than money here. Those taking Darsham here have to go round the complex to various sites of the temple in a specific order and at said sites they are washed (i.e a bucket is poured over their heads) with water from a specific well. 22 of these sites are present and the people with the buckets seemed much more dedicated and serious about their work. In the heat of the summers day, 22 dousings of cold water seemed like a great idea to me too, though i didn't partake.
Stomach cramps began eating me from inside upon leaving the temple, so i took some curd and bought some medicine before checking out the beach, deciding i would skip Adams bridge as you had to get a bus or auto to Dhanuskodi and i was told even when you get there you can't actually see anything of it.
Back at the station i met a guy from Delhi who i talked to for a while. I think he was hitting on me and when he said 'god put us on this earth to try all experiences in life,don't you think?' I quickly dodged that invitation with a polite 'yes, but only those we personally feel comfortable with' It seems I'm learning when it comes to the gay pick up scenarios
Temple elephant
!Return train journey was an interesting one, first i got talking to an Indian politics graduate and his wife, when i made the fatal mistake of mentioning Pakistan. Stupid, stupid Ben, what were you thinking. This guy then went to reel off his opinions non stop for about 45 minutes, by the end of which my brain had been reduced to mush by exhaustion. Next a 20yr old perverted kid with the mind of a 12 yr old got on the train, starting the usual Indian round of questioning. His 4th question was rather unusual and kinda out of place i felt:-
'Have you ever fucked anyone?' What, excuse me. what kind of a question is that!
'Thats none of your business.' I told him, at which point his confidence visibly dropped and he shut up. Not for long though, for he was soon talking again, and quickly got back to the same subject. He failed to understand why i wouldn't talk to him about this subject and in the end he finally shut up, after asking me if i had seen this famous blue movie (no i hadn't). Sadly, with such restrictions on public affection and very outdated attitudes to sex and women here in India, there are many youths it seems who are soo preoccupied with sex here. These youths also have the opinion that all western women are prostitutes and sleep with anyone and everyone. This i believe is the image they get from the limited amount of sexual info they can get hold of, i.e porn
Inside the Temple
! Its a little bit of a sad situation.This guy left the train shortly after, but not before asking me for some money, after which the train got very packed so i gave up my seat to a lady so she could sit. No thank you or even acknowledgment (not that i wanted any). Then spent ages taking photos for her and her family so they could look at them. Snack guy came on board and they all bought food as well as the dinner they had all brought with them. As they tucked into their feast, i bought some idly form the guy and sat hunched on the floor, eating the idly with my head between my legs (the only space i could get to eat). At which point the lady looked up from her family feast to ask me if i could give one of my idly to her child. This i found rather offensive to say the least, after i had helped them and they were already eating a mass of food, they still wanted what little food i had, i just expected more gratitude than that to be honest.
