Diwali

Diwali is the festival of lights and a Hindu holiday. I've been wishing people "Happy Diwali" but if I say it to a Muslim, I wonder if it's like wishing a Jew "Merry Christmas" or more like wishing an angry Jew "Merry Christmas." Last night, there were lights hung from many buildings. It's supposed to last five nights, but firecrackers have been exploding for nearly two weeks now, dating back to my first night in Jaipur. People also give each other sweets in celebration and everyone seems like they're in a pretty good mood. Vendors line the streets with marigolds. It's like a better version of Channukah.

Yesterday, I walked around Agra Fort, which is screaming red. It gave me a boost. But then I walked through Kinari Bazaar, which brought my spirits right down. It was crowded and polluted, it stunk, people yelled at me in a mocking way, and I kept sneezing. I've encountered a ton of pollution in India. You don't get a true sense just from that comment. From day one, my boogers have been a mix of black and a hint of green. If I was a Palestinian, I would throw them at Israeli tanks, they're so hard. But beyond that, it hasn't bothered me. Until I walked through Kinari Bazaar that is.

The inside back part of my left shoe is ripped. It tears all of my socks. Yesterday, a big portion of one sock was dyed red. The shoe had cut into the part between my heel and ankle and I was bleeding. I cut some of the empty toilet paper roll and tried to make a pad. It's helped only a little.

I won't miss Agra. Only the Taj Mahal. I haven't eaten meat in a few days. For all the downside of Taj Ganj, at least you could get meat on the cheap. I'm near Sadar Bazaar and there's no such luck. I forgot to mention I saw a completely naked guy walking around one night. That's how bizarre India is to an America. You forget about a naked guy walking around. He had a beard like a lion and his hair was trying to escape from his head in every direction. It was like looking 5 years into my future!