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Published: March 17th 2006
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Hello again everyone - we're back in an internet cafe. These things are so very convenient. Heaven knows how people managed before the web.
This entry will be fairly short and sweet - summarising our 2 day trip to Varanasi.
All photos in this entry have been kindly supplied by Xavier & Josma due to a technical disaster with our camera memory card when it got a virus from an internet cafe and deleted 2wks worth of photos ! Varanasi is one of the holiest places in India, situated alongside the Ganges. It is where the Hindu faithful gather to bathe, pray, make offerings and cremate their dead on the banks of the river. In the Hindu faith, to die here is to free yourself from reincarnation. For the tourist it is a 'must' on the Indian tour circuit.
From Agra (where we signed off last time), we boarded our train. This was our first real experience of public transport in India, and what an experience. We were dropped at Agra station at about 19:30. The place was horrendously grubby and festooned with incredibly noisy starlings trying to find a place to roost.
After a few brief
The burning/cremation ghats
as you walk by the burning ghats ash falls on you & the smell is - an experience. Photo courtesy of Xavier&Josma and awkward enquiries we found the relevant waiting room where the rest of the tourists were holed up. There were 2 Spanish guys (Xavier & Josma) and 4 Canadian chaps (from Vancouver), all of which had been on the Rajisthan driving tour. Also there was an American couple and a Swedish (Karin & Matteus) couple. All, bar the Canadians (unusually), proved to be very friendly and we shared stories and anecdotes until the train pulled in at about midnight (only 3hrs late!)
The trains are actually something of a miracle. Huge great locomotives that look like they were built when the Brits ruled here in the late 1800's dragging carriage after carriage. We were in 2AC (two-tier air-conditioned), which is an upper-class level of transport here (just about!)
The carriage consists of bunk beds which are partitioned off by curtains from the rest of the passengers. Kind of like a rolling prison dorm.
After 8 hours - most of which is spent desperately trying to grab whatever sleep we can in between the grunting & spitting of our fellow passengers and the shouts of
"chai - chai - garam chai" which means 'tea, tea, hot tea' and
One of the many boats you can rent on the Ganges for a tour
We rented a boat during the day & one in the evening with our new found friends. Photo courtesy of Xavier&Josma starts about 5 am, the train pulls into Varanasi. According to the Lonely Planet (hereafter referred to as
the bible ) - this place is going to be hard work, with scam artists and beggars galore.
Upon arrival we are swamped by taxi wallahs and are finally saved when the 2 Spanish guys, Xavier & Josma, catch up with us and we join forces against the onslaught, finding safety in numbers. At this point we don't actually have any accomodation organised but we figure we can sort that when we get a moment. When our shared taxi pulls up at the MM-Continental hotel where the Spanish guys are booked in, we enquire and get a room.
After much formal introduction and friendliness (Bronia's Spanish comes in beautifully here) it is decided that the safety in numbers was a great benefit, and that we should stick together for the forseeable future.
Armed with this new-found confidence we chose to explore the Ghats (the steps/temples by the river) which is an incredible experience. The river is utterly filthy and no life exists in the water except for insects. The Lonely Planet states that along this 7km stretch of river
60,000 people come to bathe daily and along this same stretch 30 large sewers continuously discharge into the river making the Ganges officially 'septic'.
We take a boat for an hour long trip, which is fun, and then we bump into the Swedish couple (Karin & Matteus) from the train station. The six of us agree to meet at 19:00 for an evening trip in another boat.
Just prior to this we see a cremation on one of the burning Ghats - which at first was fine. A big bonfire. But when a man in robes marched up and proceeded to stoke the fire with a large stick, a charred body erupted from the flames as if in some sort of gross horror film. Images we will struggle to shake.
The evening boat ride proves to be farsical. The moment we set off we are beseiged by flying insects which are so dense in the air that we all picture it as snow. Luckily they are not the biting kind but we still have no choice but to curtail the trip after 10 minutes. Not the best money we've ever spent but certainly a few laughs!
Bathers at one of the many ghats along the Ganges
At every ghat people bath, wash clothes or sit and contemplate the holy Ganges river. Photo courtesy of Xavier&Josma We then search wander the streets for ages amongst the sprawling town and markets searching for a beer, only to learn that because of the proximity of the Golden Temple - no alcohol is allowed in the town. Darn.
In the end we settle for a coke and say goodbye to the Swedish couple who are heading off in another direction. This is the way with travel, you constantly meet amazing people, share a few hours or even days and then move on - exchanging emails and invitations for visits to one another's home countries....
On day two here - we decide to chill with the Spanish dudes in town and do some last minute shopping. Despite being probaby the most hectic and dirty town we've been in thus far, the mood is relaxed and confident, largely due to our new found mates - Xavier & Josma.
After stumbling across an incredibly green and quiet oasis behind the mayhem of the markets, we enjoy lunch and count down the hours till our next train to Siliguri (on route to Darjeeling).
We've swapped email addresses with the guys from Barcelona, and Dave has been promised VIP treatment
Karin & Matteus - med students from Sweden
More lovely friends that we hung out with for a few days in Varanasi. Photo courtesy of Xavier&Josma at a football game if we visit.
Varanassi, despite the hype, has proved to be amongst the most enjoyable time yet. I think this can only be attributed to the excellent company, made all the more fulfilling by Bronias linguistic expertise.
Off to Darjeeling now - up by the Himalayas, kind of compensation for the cancellation of Nepal.
Will be spending some time here...... and chilling.... can't wait...
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marna
non-member comment
Hello
Thanks for your memories. Love to both.