Relaxation By The River

On re-reading the previous entries I've realised that despite my best efforts it did become a bit of a checklist of places. In my defence, things were a bit hectic like that while we had the car. Still, I could have talked about open sewers, being hit by a motorbike, the great food, that sort of thing. Next time.


The pace has slowed now with four days down by the Ganges in Varanasi and it's been a welcome change. We arrived on Friday morning and have a train out this evening headed for Kolkata. And in that time we've not really done much. People watching is an excellent activity here and once again my camera is holding captive some great shots, mostly taken by Tom who has an eye for it.


There are definitely improvements we could make to how we start a city. We didn't know what time our train was due in and it took a little convincing the others that Mughal Serai is where we were and should be and that we should get off. That done, the rickshaw wallahs were straight on to us on the platform, their numbers multiplying greatly once we'd left the building. As frustrating as it became as the entourage grew it was never unsafe and we eventually set off by taxi for the city, with someone we had approached rather than the other way around. Half the people who had been surrounding us weren't bothered about getting our business anyway from what I could tell, it was just an entertaining watch. People don't mind staring here and it's not worth trying to outstare them, you won't win and only one of you will leave the contest finding the whole thing a bit peculiar.


Once into the city we were leeched to by a hotel tout before we'd even got out of the taxi. Annoyingly he wanted to take us to the hotel we already wanted to go to. Without being able to drop him we arrived only to find it was full anyway. Leaving the bags there with Tom and Sasha, I set of again with Doug to find alternative accommodation, only to immediately pick up the leech again. After he'd gone with us to two hotels we realised we needed to ditch him so we ran a decoy move to get rid of him with Doug turning back for the hotel we were after, while I kept him occupied thinking I was going to his choice. The streets down near the ghats are narrow and confusing and what few maps there are are pretty much useless, Doug didn't find the hotel.


All sorted a little later when I set off out again with Sasha, eventually tracking down the Shanti Guest House behind Manikarnika Ghat (the burning ghat) and getting decently priced rooms. It's been the best place we've stayed yet, with a sociable 24 hour restaurant, excellent for meeting fellow travellers.


There was a big festival on Saturday, the name of which escapes me, but timed to coincide with the full moon. The city went mental, thousands upon thousands of extra people, lights, flowers, fireworks, a sight to behold. Following that its all quietened back down, though it's a relative term, the chanting still starts at at some crazy hour and theres enough noise to keep you awake all night if you let it.


Doug and Sasha left on Sunday for Kerala so for now its just me and Tom. After Kolkata and Hyderabad we'll meet up with them again in Goa.


Yesterday we took a short trip to Sarnath, where Buddha preached his first sermon. Nice relaxing place, and it had the only museum we've been to without an inflated foreigner entry price.


We got ourselves dragged into some massages down by the river the other day too, I was just about to escape it (having started with a free sample) when Toms resolve against it weakened. The guy hit the spot and completely sorted out his shoulder, which has had restricted movement since his bike smash into an 'invisible concrete block' in London in the summer.


We had a rickshaw crash the other day too, reminded me of karting. Lastly I'd better mention the monkey attack. I'd heard there would be monkeys but never realised there would quite as many, much the same story with the level of cowshit. There I was minding my own business in the open sided fifth floor restaurant at the hotel when I get a shout from Tom and the same second a grip round my neck from behind. It jumped off straight away as I reacted but I'm told its teeth were out ready for the bite. Didn't break the skin though, which was my only concern having not bothered with the Rabies jab. Where possible I sit facing the outside now.

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