Smile and nod… smile and nod… smile and nod… As soon as I had a moment to myself it was sacred. I’d look for anywhere to hide or lay low and considering there were dosens of Buddha caves lining the gorge you’d have thought it would be an easy task. But they found me always. Everywhere. There was no escape.
I was approximately 105km from Aurangabad. At the gorge of Ajanta. These were the most majestic caves I’d ever been in. The great Buddha statues with their heads of beads were so intricately detailed, but I could hardly appreciate them. I was a fugitive. I emerged from one of the caves just in time to see yet another crowd further down the path. They turned. I rushed back into the cave. Had they seen me? Mere seconds later they crowded into the cave. I’m surrounded yet again. Not surrounded. Swamped. I smile and nod over and over again, as I have yet more endless pictures taken of me. I’m too polite to say no.
On the off chance that I did get a moment by myself, marvelling at the intricately decorated carvings gave me a sad and weary peace. At one point, I even dropped to the floor of one particularly pristine cave where the ground was smooth, and positioned myself behind a pillar, resting my back where no one could see me. I could feel tears in my eyes. When I arrived in India the friendliness of locals was heartwarming beyond words. I never imagined it could become so overwhelming and terrifying. I wished I was invisible.
When I wasn’t being followed and gazed at by curious locals I was being watched by the langurs. Ajanta is full of them. They prowled about on the rocks and sidewalks and scampered along low-hanging branches, but they seemed less hostile than the langurs of Daulatabad Fort.
On the drive to and from Ajanta my taxi driver let me play music through his speakers, and I discovered a Marathi song which instantly became my new favourite song. It is called: Chandra from the Bollywood film Chandramukhi.
When I finally landed back in Aurangabad I was ready to go into a coma. Indeed, the vegetable Maratha curry I had for dinner was so damn spicy it almost put me in one. The spiciest meal I have had in a restaurant yet. It was filled with glorious lumps of cauliflower amidst a variety of other vegetables. It tasted spectacular… but damn spicy.
After demolishing the rich and spicy gravy and the heaps of rice that was served with it, I staggered to the bus stand. It was time to leave Aurangabad.
The day was a strange blur of dark Buddha caves and crowds of strangers encircling me. I was pretty sure I would sleep soundly, no matter how rough or violent this next bus journey might be.
Despite what had been recommended me, I was not heading to Hyderabad. I had made a plan and I had to stick to it. I was going North. Much further North to a city center-North of India. A city called Indore…
