Holiness and a major change of plan.

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Despite my original cynicism on reaching Varanasi and its apparent sparcity, i was soon enveloped by its charm and incredible beauty. Although whilst walking around one can't avoid being offered a trip to someone's silk shop, or a chance to sample the "very special shipment of finest Afghan opium" that apparently arrived that very morning, all the touts do is make their surroundings all the more special.
Varanasi is one of the holiest sights in Hinduism, based right on the River Ganga (Ganges to you or i), and it exudes this holiness 24/7. On the first day i was there i braved a venture down to the town ghats, and saw a gentle old holy man playing a flute whilst around him stood a few of sacred cows.
The ghats are the many stone steps that lead down to the water's edge, where one will find locals washing themselves or clothes, enjoying the water, or simply letting the holy (yet depressingly over-polluted) waters of the Ganga bring them closer to Heaven.

Varanasi is the best place to die as a Hindu, as it provides the deceased with an escape from the circle of life and death and a direct entry to Heaven. The Hindu ritual for seeing-off the dead is public cremation, and the primary ghat for this ceremony in Varanasi was directly outside our hostel. Tourists could watch the burnings, which may sound macabre, however they were not to be so, despite the obvious sightings of burning heads and feet that we could see.
I was also lucky enough to go on a dawn boat-trip, at which time i would say the ghats and the whole view of Varanasi are the most beautiful to witness. The sun created a glow that reflected off the water, and, whilst children shouted and screamed their enjoyment of the water, we released lotus-leaves with candles into the Ganga.
In the evening we witnessed another ceremony by the water, which was attended by, it seemed, the whole town. It was very hard not to get invloved with the chanting and clapping that went along with the ceremony, and it was definitely an event that will stay with me, as will the general vibe that Varanasi released.
Having met a few english girls and an english guy, my plans of heading south to Mumbai, Goa and Kerala changed dramatically, and therefore Tuesday morning i found myself in Delhi, with a plan to head into Rajistan, and north to Rishikesh, Shimla, Manali and Dharamsala, right into the Himalayas.
Delhi has been fantastic, and although the heat has often made it a struggle to enjoy things as much as they deserve, i have some cool things. The metro has been a god-send, as it has air-con and incredibly cheap (10p approx for a one-way ticket anywhere), and is much more modern than our underground network in London, if a lot smaller.
On wednesday i visited Mahatma Gandhi's final home, where he fasted and made speeches, before being shot by a Hindu radical in 1948 as he went to make evening prayer. It was a really good monument/museum to the great man, in a very pleasent and peaceful part of Central Delhi. In this area is also India Gate, the Indian parliament and the President's home, all of which are fantastic and really impressive to view.
Thursday was a small trip out to the zoo, which was pretty cool, if rather small and full of idiots who enjoyed poking the animals with sticks!! Yesterday i went up to Old Delhi, not only to see the Red Fort, a huge structure that belies its peaceful and ornate inner gardens, but also the hubbub of the markets and buzz that goes with this completely un-touristy area. The spice market was definitely the highlight, the smells completely overpowering, causing me at one point to cough and come up short of breath. There were hundreds upon hundreds of bags full of various spices, rice, nuts and dates, interspersed with the call of traders dealing and bartering with customers.
Today ive managed a brief trip to the National Museum, whcih was a lot smaller than i anticipated, but still full of interesting artefacts and with a helpful audio-guide included in the foreigners ticket price.

Tonight im off on an overnight bus to Rishikesh, a place famed for being the home of yoga and meditation, and also having the somewhat precarious reputation of being where The Beatles came during the 1960's to meditate etc., and where they supposedly wrote a lot of the White Album. Im hoping to stay there for about a week, so i will see how it goes.

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