The Dip

When Mike called and first told me about this trip, I'm pretty sure he said this: "I'm going to India to wash myself clean in the Ganges." Of course there were other reasons for the trip, most of which seem largely unimportant at this point. The food has been good, but I've had good Indian food. The people are certainly interesting, but there's plenty of interesting people everywhere. Each day we seem to find new reasons to have come here. Reasons that we never expected. Feeling such a constant sense of "place" can be exhausting, but it does some pretty crazy things to your head if you let it.

The best part about Mike's swim was that although it's been planned for about three months now, he didn't know it was going to happen until 15 minutes before that toe touched the water. As we sat at lunch and munched on Indian Korean Japanese food (yes, there is such a thing), I looked at him and said, "Are you ready?" "For what?" he said. "You're going in. Now." I said. "OK."

He went into the bathroom and changed into a dhoti he had just purchased and emerged a warrior, a nervous warrior, but a warrior nonetheless. As we walked down to the river our friend James said, "Now Mike, you have to promise me something. Please, do not put your head under the water. A tourist got an infection in his head last year and died."


With that helpful advice, Mike stepped down in to the river. He seemed relieved and elated. He swam out to a boat, turned around, and swam back. It didn't last long. We took video. We took pictures. Mike got out, toweled off, and dressed in some other clothes that he just bought. Nothing had really changed. Or maybe everything had. I didn't get in. Our friend James who has lived here for four years has never been in. Mike went alone. I think he needed to.

When he was dry and changed, we climbed the gahts and found a perch with a handful of boys flying more of those small paper kites that we saw on the first day. It's seems impossible, but these small square foot pieces of paper climb nearly 300 feet up. It's incredible. And they are able to keep them up for hours at a time.


It was a perfect way to spend our last day here. I think we all felt like something had changed. Even if it hadn't.