My journey through the north Indian state of Uttar Pradesh was arguably not slow travel. All in all, the whole duration took about 10 days, split between 3 cities. India was not my primary focus on that trip – Nepal was. So I decided in 10 days, I could merely sample Uttar Pradesh through its primary tourism capitals of Varanasi, Lucknow, and the crown jewel: Agra.
But I did insist on one twist to make the trip different from the way most of my peers might travel India (if they would at all!). I would cross Uttar Pradesh by taking the backbone of Indian intercity transportation – the railway.
One trip, levelled up twice.
I arrived into Varanasi already full with the growth from my experience trekking in Annapurna. I would have been content to merely end up a tourist in Uttar Pradesh. But India does not seem to work that way.
I came in from Nepal with an open heart, and she deepened it with Uttar Pradesh’s density of life. I learned first hand why it is so difficult for foreigners to describe India, and why it is such a polarising country. Every day was a story waiting to be birthed, sometimes more.
