Top 5 - Surreal Experiences

Sometimes you see things that make you stop and think "Whoa. What just happened?" These are things that don't come around too often. They the diamonds in the rough when it comes to travelling, far outweighing any tourist attraction.

 

1. Parting of the Grounds Crew in India - I was on the golf course for the first time in Panchkula, India. Golfing in the shadow of a giant gurdwara and using a caddy for the first time--it was already surreal enough. I stepped up to one of the tees, only to see that the fairway was covered in people fixing divots. All of a sudden, the caddy yells something and the people immediately clear the fairway. It seriously looked like the waters being parted.

2. Ten Simultaneous Calls to Prayer in Cairo - Al Azhar Park in Cairo. It is perched up on a hill and overlooks most of Islamic Cairo. In most other locations of the city, you only hear one or two calls to prayer at sunset. In Al Azhar park you can hear at least ten competing calls. Hearing them echo over the city, one after the other, was incredible.

3. Man Guiding a Sheep like a Wheelbarrow in Mongolia - Sometimes herding your sheep through town is a necessity. But what happens when one of your animals doesn't want to cooperate while crossing the street? One man decided that picking up the hind legs and then pushing the sheep like a wheelbarrow was the best option.

4. Death on the Beach in Goa - This one is a bit chilling. Apparently many coastal residents in southwestern India are not able to swim. My sister and I were having lunch one day when a crowd formed around this rocky outcrop the restaurant was perched on. We went to see what was going on and found man bobbing up and down in the water. He had been drunk the night before and decided to go for a swim. You can guess the rest.

5. Burning Dead Bodies in Varanasi - In the city of Varanasi, there are two places where bodies are burned. At one of them, there is an elevated place you can go to get a better view of the situation. At the time I was there, a body was just set alight. Seeing the flesh sizzle is something I will never forget.