SHOOTING VARANASI
Fulfilling a lifelong dream, I arranged for a tuk tuk to meet me before dawn and transport me to
the Ganges River. My driver parked on a back street and led me through shortcuts and narrow
alleys. It had rained the night before and the ancient cobblestones were still slick.
Did I mention, in India cows are sacred?
Trying to keep pace with him, while simultaneously assembling my equipment: lenses, cameras,
memory cards, etc., I noticed a “gift” that one of the holy cows had left in the middle of the street.
Oops. You never want to hear the sound of cameras and lenses hitting pavement. Never mind
your forehead.
The only thing that saved me from certain, excruciating disease and death was my pocket full of
disposable, foil-packaged, antiseptic towelettes. They sterilized my head wound, my lenses, my
clothes, my glasses, and my ego.
Note: Every culture worships in its own way
These episodes seem funny, poignant, and thought provoking now, but they were scary,
embarrassing and dangerous at the time. The secret is to take what would normally fall through
the cracks, and l X\