Ganesha
My beloved host-sister Priya loaned me a Ganesha (the elephant headed diety) pendant to wear around my neck on this trip. Son of Shiva and Parvati, Ganesha is the diety you pray to first and is also known as the remover of all obstacles.
Regardless of my superstitions or what I believe (which is too complicated and boring to go into here) I am surprised at how few obstacles I have encountered on this trip. Rather than take the credit myself and get a swelled head that will only deflate when obstacles finally do arrive, I would rather give it to Ganesha. Yesterday I arrived in Kathmandu and immediately began looking for the first flight to India. All of today's flights were booked but the agents told me to check in this morning and maybe something would show up.
Thank you Ganesha, it did. I now have a six-thirty flight to Delhi, and if no other obstacles arrive (one never knows) I should be booked into a hotel in Delhi before nine tonight.
Kathmandu has been good to me but it is so much like Delhi my curiosity isn't aroused. There are tons of tourists combing the streets, restuarants offering what ever I prefer and though at a different exchance rate, the money is still called "rupee." My head is spinning from all of the travel, I have finally gotten to the point where I occasionally forget what city I am in (I keep thinking this is Thailand again). It will be nice to head up to McCleod Ganj and stay a few weeks, getting some of this school work done before heading back to Bangalore for the last rites before graduation in the U.S. It is all happening so fast! I only hope my thesis follows suit.