my my monsoon!

it is so rainy here! after a brief 45 minute flight, i arrived in varanasi from kathmandu, the holy city for hindus on the ganges river in india. it is monsoon in india, and we'd been observing the effects in nepal and as far away as tibet, but this city is SATURATED. it is hot, it is humid, and i have never been so thankful for a cold shower. amazingly, i have no rain coat. since sean and i are heading west to the desert, i don't know that i'll get one. i don't know that i need one, it is so humid, my clothes are drenched as it is.

the trip from kathmandu went very smoothly. i discovered a hoax, too, that the kathmandu taxi drivers have been playing on unwitting foreigners. they have been turning the meter off in the cabs and tell the tourists it is broken. the guy tried this on me today and i happened to see him switch it off. he told me 400 rupees to the airport and i said i wanted to use the meter. he said it was broken. i countered with, surprising myself, "no, it isn't. i saw you. turn it on and we'll use the meter." he looked at me, and began to reassert his lie, and i conjured a look, a look i didn't know i possessed. the look said something like, "don't try this," or "how stupid do you think i am?" or, perhaps, "i pity you in your dishonesty." i started him down and he popped the meter back on and we were on our way. too bad we didn't figure that one out earlier. the taxi to the airport, metered, was 100 rupees.

our flight was late leaving, and for a while i thought that i was going to be the only white person on the whole plane. not only that, but one of 2 women. oh, i flew cosmic air. who has heard of them? the flight, i guess, was delayed to wait on a huge group of spanish tourists who ran into the terminal. ah ha, more white people and women.

the flight went really well, but we flew in through some huge thunder clouds. china seems a million life times away from here, i felt odd writing that i had even been there on my entry card. the only similarity that i have seen so far is the giant water buffalo, just like the chinese kind, wandering the streets of varanasi with the other cows.

i must get going, i don't want to be out after dark. tomorrow morning starts the great quest for sean. we must meet up, but it will be an adventure.