Plans Were Made To Be Broken

After six months of problem-free travelling, my luck has taken a turn...

After arriving in Varanasi, I immediately fell sick with a head cold. Could be worse, two of my German companions also fell sick, and one of them is in hospital now for the last three days. He was lucky to be admitted; four days before a doctor was shot and killed in Varanasi, and in protest the entire medical community shut down all their facilities. Except for one, which just happens to be the best one in all of Varanasi.

Turns out when a westerner shows up at hospital in India, we have immediate priority. While hundreds of Indians camp for weeks in front of the hospital, my friend is rushed to the front of the queue. In five minutes they have kicked out some Indian people from an air conditioned room to accomodate him. And I must say, after the grim state of Nepali hospitals, India looks first rate. So the last days have been spent at the hospital, all of us popping paracetamol and checking temperatures. I am lucky all I have is a common cold and no fever or stomach problems. A miracle, actually.

Then, last night I discovered the worst...along with 2,000 Indian rupees, 4,000 Nepali rupees, and another 25 dollars, both my ATM card and passport have disappeared! I've watched other people in the same situation have a literal meltdown, but I quickly recognized that nothing could be done. I didn't know whether to laugh or cry, so I did both for about 30 seconds and headed to the internet to find out what I needed to do.

First stop: police report. Unsurprisingly, the Indian police are completely worthless, and my time there was completely wasted. I was planning to head south to Gandhi's Ashram in Nagpur, Maharastra, but now I must go to one of the major cities to apply for a new passport.

Luckily, I have two friends in Delhi: one from Tanzania and one from Iraq, so I'm thinking to head there where I will have to spend two weeks while my new passport is processed (insert long, rueful groan here).

My heart pains that I've lost my beloved passport filled with stamps and memories...but as they say, what to do? Thank God I still have my health!

with love, hugs and kisses for all,
LMA