Well it's been and odd kind of week. Firstly because I'm traveling solo again for the first time since hitting Nepal and secondly because I've met quite a few freaks this week….read on!

Sarah and I left Kolkata on the 4th and arrived into Varanasi on the next day ready for the inevitable touting form taxis and shops. We were quite surprised though to find the place a lot nicer than the Lonely Planet stated. Don't get me wrong, the streets were a dive and the river was rank but it wasn't as bad as we thought. After our long train ride to the place, I decided that I needed a sleeping bag. This was on account of me getting frost bite on the train (I jest, it was only mild hypothermia). However with the only sleeping bags on offer being the size of my backpack, I gave up on that idea and got a funky shawl that a desert man would wear. I was only a pound so a proper bargain. The chief attraction in Varanasi is the river Ganges. Sacred to Hindus, it is the number 1 place to be cremated. It was odd to watch the cremations but at the same time a fascinating spectacle. The ashes are then scattered in the Ganges and the cycle of reincarnation is broken. The only trouble is that so much gets dumped in the Ganges that it's now the most polluted river in India. I wisely declined having my laundry done in the town as it's hand washed in the river. Mmmmm nice. Varanasi was also the first place that I lived to my new budget. After a splurge in Nepal it was time to reign in the finances and go for cheap. In order to do this we split the cost of a room (50 rupees each! About 80p) and ate street food. You can get a feast for about 20p and it tastes great! After two days in Varanasi it was time for Sarah and I to go separate ways. Our group from Nepal has now disbanded but we will meet up again in Delhi and NYC at the end of the trip. So it was off to Allahabad.

Allahabad is not on the tourist trail, but the LP recommended a visit to the place purely because of the food and places to visit. It was quite weird being the only tourist in the town and it seemed like I was the only tourist to visit the place ever. The budget had to go out the window as hostels were quite pricey and the street food slightly lacking. Still it was an ok town with enough sights to see in one day. I also managed to see two dead bodies at the side of the river. This town is on the Ganges so I guess those that cant afford a cremation there, just throw the bodies into the river. Sad but hopefully someone will fish them out. Anyway, back to the town and its people as this is where the weirdness of my week started. I've got used to being approached by the guys here, who seem to want to chat to you because I'm English. It was different here though in that the questions were more intense. Here's some of the questions I get asked. " what is your career?" "are you married?" "what do you think of cricket?" etc etc.All ok I hear you say, but then it turned to "what is yours and your parents income?" "Do you like Muslims?" "You meet my sister, she is very attractive!!!". This was repeated about ten times all with different people in the space of an hour. (I can't mention the rest as my parents read this, but needless to say, the questions became a little dodgy). Perhaps the oddest moment was when of the chaps took off my sunglasses and then claimed, "You have very beautiful eyes and you shouldn't hide them". So not only am I a walking museum exhibit, I am now Allahabads one and only Gay Icon! After escaping my adoring fans, I consoled myself with a wicked curry from the street. Only when I finished my meal and made my way home, did I notice that the restaurant was called "Gay Time". Quite fitting really.So with Allahabad under my belt, it was time to hit Lucknow, the state capital of Uttar Pradesh.

After all the attention tourists get from Touts at stations, I was quite prepared for the barrage at Lucknow Station. The problem was worse here though as I got dropped off at a different bus station than the one listed. I didn't know this but the touts obviously got wind of it pretty quickly and the touts wouldn't leave me alone. It was the only time I've got angry on this trip and the pressure got too much. I promptly told the two most tenacious touts to "F**k off" and threw them back and squared up to them. You guys know that I'm not an aggressive guy but there's a first time for everything. Swearing is really offensive over here and I surprised myself by losing my cool. I got to the stage where I was hating this town within the first 5 minutes of getting here but a local spotted my plight and organized my a rickshaw for a very reasonable 10 rupees. I was really grateful and thanked him profusely. He only replied "no need to thank me, you are a guest in my town and you are most welcome". Things like that restore my faith in India and with that kind deed restoring my good mood, I found my hotel and had a relaxing cup of tea.

Lucknow is a wicked city, with lots of amazing architecture and other assorted sights to see. Lucknow is also the place of the first Indian revolution against the Brits, and the ruins of the Residency where the siege took place were quite sobering. It was also quite strange to be a Brit walking around there, and I began to understand that our presence here was not all champagne and skittles. Still, enough of my sad reflections and back to the plot. Again I was a mini celebrity here and managed to get followed around by a group of lads who were intent on having their picture taken with me. I've also managed swing an invite to their weddings which was nice. The budget has also gone out of the window as it isn't budget town. Still I can make up for this when I get to Rishikesh.

So that's been my week. I'm pretty fly for a white guy and proud of it. Next stop is Rishikesh where hopefully I will bump into some hippies who aren't aware that the 60's is over. Then it's onto Dharamsala (the Dalai Lamas gaff) for a bit of R& R.

Hope everything is well back in blighty? Happy birthday Dad, I hope you got my email?

Ta da

Will