Namaste Banaras.

Day 1. 

Last night before starting for the trip I had to clear out my schedule, do the dishes, the pending laundry, the pending run, having a train late was benefit, I got some decent amount of work done despite it being the last working day of the year, a potluck party was a welcome thing with a lot more people participating than expected, we had extra food and we had to invite people from otherdepartments to finish it.

I was on rest for the entire week with a pause on cycling and running because there's unbearable pain in the lower leg, shin splints. The run (again last one for the year) confirmed that I need more rest.

I entered my coach, wrapped myself in my sleeping bag and was soon napping, I woke up twice in the middle of the night because of crying kids, and instance of someone smoking, the train was running late by an hour, and then a couple more hours. I was hoping I'd reach Varanasi by evening.

'8 ghante' I heard someone shout when I woke up, we hadn't even reached Kanpur, the train had barely moved since last night. In the coop to the right, there was the man who had a monologue coming after another, ( I heard him talk about trains which he used to travel on when he was young, how he is planning to start a school, how he was had a frank conversation with his daughter about love marriage being okay, how we must talk more than to be on our phones, how fate is already written)

The next 10 hours, weren't that bad, I had the much needed rest, made notes of the places to visit here, the food to eat, and the scams to avoid, all coming from co-passengers, a couple young men who have just started to work at Barbeque nation, a teenage girl preparing for IIT in Delhi, and her maternal aunt who is pursuing PhD. I don't have any names.

I reached my hostel, as per the route told by them, a shared auto to 'Lanka' and then a rickshaw to 'Assi', 

took a warm shower, and I am heading out for dinner to a dhaba recommended by the hostel manager.