Well I arrived safely in India. It wasn't too difficult as it involved just walking between two gates... I suppose I could have tripped up....
Hopped on basically the first bus I saw - which was going to Varanassi - where I wanted to go - but I'd already booked a train from Gorakphur (3hours away rather than 7) so I thought I'd get dropped off there just the same as I could probably do with some train practise.
Gorakphur was like a road next to a railway station overlooked by a row of skanky looking hotels and dodgy restaurants. It was dusty, smelly, hot, there were many more men than women, and the whole place was just plain ugly. I don't think I'll go back. Hopped on a cycle rickshaw thingamy to take me to my hotel - the guy didnt say he didn't have a clue where he was going, I would have done better to walk there really. I'm pretty sure he ripped me off as well. Had a nap at the hotel (which I think ripped me off) to adjust to my unfamiliar surroundings. Then headed out at 4:30 for my first proper meal of the day (only eaten Parle g biscuits - has anyone else had these? I really like them... full of glucose goodness!) I stopped a random street restaurant as it said it was pure vegetarian - it was actually very tasty food. I also popped into a sweet shop on my way back to the hotel - they were very tasty too! Slept until 3 when a mosquito woke me up and then started getting ready for my train journey. The train left a 6:00 am but I wanted to get there an hour early just in case...
The journey was ok - I was sharing a 6 person little area with just one person. Yes it was a man who asked too many personal questions and also talked about how he enjoyed watching strip tease in Bangkok... but he did kindly share his sweets with me and tell me when to get off the train. (It was the same stop as him - but I ran off pretty quck as he kept trying to convince me to have dinner with him.)
I hopped on a 3 wheeled taxi thing to get to the Uma guest house - pretty much just cos the name was like Umi's and I wanted to take a photo. The driver dropped me off cos he said the roads from then on were too narrow... I got lost pretty much instantly and the weight of my what is probably 24kg rucksack was beginning to get to me. I was hot, tired, there were too many people, lots of them trying to get me to go in their rickshaws, there were lots of cars beeping, the place was quite smelly, and there were a few cows looking vaguely menacing. I almost cried. For the first time in 3 months, I felt ... unhappy. A random man passed me on to his friend to show me where the guesthouse was that I was looking for and then to take me to his afterwards if I didnt like it. It was a long walk. There were no rooms in my guest house. Thankfully, the one i was taken to -the Puja guesthouse had a room. I felt much better after I washed and had eaten lots in the restaurant on the rooftop which had safer views of the city and the ganges. I watched the sunset, and all the kites- thousands of them. Then came looking for the internet. And here I am. I will go out exploring tomorrow. 
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