Wednesday, March 15, 2006

Hippie Holi

I've travelled about three thousand kms, for some reason, just in the last week. I'm currently back in probably the weirdest city in the world/india, Varanasi.

I arrived this morning on a train from Chennai with my buddies and Tal. We collected his bike off the train and we attempted to drive through Varanasi. It turns out this morning (and I feared it was yesterday) it was the Holi festival.

Chen told me she booked her return flight home so that she could see this festival. I understand why.

Holi Festival is a Hindu affair, kind of like Halloween, because basically everyone dresses up like a scary fucker and runs around the streets with bottles, cannons and water bombs full of coloured paint. It is fooking mental. We were DRIVING on a BIKE through this ghost town with all the shops closed. With all our luggage, at every turn getting pummelled by this barrage of colour and water. We were also having stones thrown and people trying to drag us off the bike. It was fucking cool. Like being on the secret level of the motorbike computer game. Avoiding zombies.

So we dropped trowl at a guesthouse, and ventured out in our drenched and now colourful clothes to face the armies full on. We loaded up on bottles of water and got some paint from some guy and then went and battered every bike rider, gang of Indian youths and baba. We got given whisky, chillum, showed hardcore porn by a guy, got on tv - we were interviewed by Star News and we ran around getting covered hair to sandal in paint.

It rocked.

You should have seen us at work. Some australian girls came and told us afterwards that they saw us from their rooftop (pussies) and that we looked like we were having fun.

So I'm back in Varanasi to do some band practicing with my team. It feels good to be back. I feel more ready for this city now.

More later I'm sure.

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