Even after traveling though Southeast Asia and Nepal for 6 months straight, it did little to prepare me for India. Varanasi was my first stop after Nepal, and still – it was culture shock. It’s a full sensory over-stimulation in all directions; thrilling, exhausting, horrifying, beautiful, frustrating, empowering and humbling. I loved it. To enjoy India, you must surrender to it, or it will devour you. You do not leave India the same person you were before. It changes you. My six weeks in India was far too short, and of all the countries I want to go back to, India tops the list.
