Sangam

Wednesday night, as I was returning from Varanasi to Allahabad, and leaving the train station, the rickshaw drivers went after me. One followed me all the way to the hotel, running over my foot in the process. He felt bad and tried to direct me to the hotel (I knew where it was). He pointed to the hotel, I said I knew, and walked past it to get water and chips. When I came back, he was waiting there and only rode off when I walked up the path. I think he wanted to see if I was lying about my hotel or was ignoring his instructions.

Today I went to Sangam. It's a spot where the holy rivers Ganges and Yamuna meet. I walked a ways and then argued down a rickshaw ride from 60 to 25. When I gave him 25 at the end, he tried to claim I owed him 50. But I had remembered that he said "deese," which means 30, and I kept bargaining down at that point, showing fingers. In Delhi, a similar thing happened, where the cycle rickshaw ride magically went from 15 to 50 by the end of the journey. Then, I wasn't sure of myself, but now I know the drill.

I didn't plan to take a boat out to the confluence of the rivers (I have no idea if confluence is the right word or what it means, I'm just trying to sound like a big man). I accidently bargianed one guy down to 100 to go out and come back. That seemed fine to me. I made it clear 100 to go up and come back and that was it. We rowed out to where the rivers meet. The Yamuna is green and the Ganges are brown. There's a visible difference and it's very cool to see. When we got out there, men began screaming at me. One, who I think was a priest, offered me a coconut and wanted to place red paint on my forehead. I also think they wanted me to bathe in the Ganges. Of course, all this would've been for a fee. I declined and got a stern thrashing in Hindi. In any event, we got into our boat and went back. The rower asked, "Teekay?" meaning "Alright?" and I wobbled my head back and forth indicating yes.

When we got back to shore, he tried to claim it cost 200, but I had made it so clear that I would only pay 100. He wouldn't take the 100. So I walked out of the boat and start to leave, holding the 100 out stretched until he finally relented. I walked some ways out of Sangam until I got a rickshaw ride back for 20. At the end, I quickly gave him the 20 and fled before he could argue for more.

So Allahabad is chill except for the train station, the bus stand, and Sangam. I've also been heckled twice by people shouting "Dude!" at me. But comparatively speaking, Allahabad allows you to be as anonymous as a supremely attractive foreigner can be.