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Published: October 25th 2010
The Ganges, Varanasi
View from the balcony of Hotel AlkaOK, I could probably have put a more useful title, but at this point, steak is the most important thing!
AGRA (AGRO)
Taj was great as expected - hilarious that after paying 750R’s they have the cheek to charge you an extra 5 to see the museum there! Amused to see a middle aged Indian couple ‘making out’ in the baby Taj. After seeing so much that seemed like repression it was kinda funny!
VARANASI
After a fairly monsterous journey we made it to Varanasi… kinda hard place to describe. We stayed in a guesthouse overlooking the Ganges river which is frankly enormous and has little boats sailing up at down it constantly. You may be thinking this is a little bit Venice - really not so much. Being one of the holiest places in India, thousands (didn’t seem that many!) of pilgrims arrive every day to wash in the septic water where nothing lives. We walked up the river getting hassled a bit as you expect by endless boatmen and beggars and ended up sitting talking to a very bored indian lad for about an hour who actually didn’t want money! Followed this up by getting
and having two Indian students who are trying to learn english talk to us
Lucky me i got the one with much worse english so our conversation was brief - whereas barry had the pleasure of possibly one of the most boring conversations I’ve ever heard in my life. We didn’t accept their offer offer of going for drinks.
Walking back you really appreciate just how poor and decrepid the city is (as harsh as that sounds). Children working the streets selling flowers and candles in baskets to float down the river for good Karma. I sent two and then got called a bad person by a different boy for not wanting to buy them from him as well! Harsh considering Gareth didn’t buy any at all! Puppies everywhere, but not cute ones, beaten up little dogs and people telling you they really need money to eat. Stopped at one of the two ‘Burning Ghats’ on the way back. Witnessed a body wrapped in shroud being covered in petrol and river water before being ignited on a riverside plinth. The whole thing was bizarrely unemotional and women weren’t present (I believe in case they do get emotional). Realised
when we could finally drag our eyes from this that down the steps further were several other bodies in varied states of cremation. After it is completed, the remains are gathered and floated down the river.
Unfortunately (and being India!) the remains sometimes drift and get stuck on the Eastern side (I’m sorta sorry for letting you know that…) and another fail thing is that they do now have an electric crematorium - but of course the electric rarely works properly, so not so lovely either! Anyways, took a boat trip back down the river and whilst walking back to the hotel, a feeble sense of direction led up to walk right through the middle of the main burning ghat. Stood there for a minute watching and was offered weed by an Indian. Really really REALLY not the place!
GORAKPHUR
Took train here for the border crossing and staying in a fairly rancid brown streaked room for one night that impressively had a tv with no buttons - that is no buttons on the actual tv, so you could turn it on and thats all!
BORDER CROSSING
Ass destroying government bus journey to the border
Puja Candles
Floated down the Ganges for good karma. Didn't feel overly good when at Sunauli. So uncomfy and falling apart and no room for bags so they had to go on our laps. Definitely did not enjoy headbutting the bar on the seat in front whilst bouncing over a large pot hole! Crossing the border was definitely one of the highlights recently! Was all very straight forward and with a fair amount of hassle from cycle rickshaws and catching out someone who tried to shortchange me 1000rupees at the currency exchange we walked the 4-5km to the lumbini bus station.
LUMBINI
Surfed the roof of the bus to Lumbini, bouncing along on the roof past mango trees and farms, epic fun! Didn’t help the still painful butt, but was worth it! Lumbini is the birthplace of Buddha and in recent times it has become a world heritage site and lots of development has started in 3 parks around it. Bottom park has the birthplace, the middle park has loads of temples built by different countries around the world - oddly Germany’s was the nicest! The top park consisted of a crap museum - nuff said.
Cycling around the park was a good change of place and the how town is
incredibly peaceful compared to recent places so we ended up spending two nights here. Cycling was however another ass crippling task though!
KATHMANDU
Bus journey to Kathmandu was epic to say the least! You pass through two mountain ranges on the way and follow alongside a giant river for most of it. Views were unbelievable, and yet merely a taster of whats to come!
Dropped off somewhat randomly in the middle of Kath was a little harsh, but after an impressive 2 hours of mindless wandering around possibly one of the most impossible to navigate cities in the world (it beat me spectacularly) we found Thamel and we’re staying in Red Planet which for the first guesthouse since Agra, is not a complete arm pit. Having a shared squat toilet in Varanasi was proper roughing it!
Wobbled to the nearest steakhouse (yup STEAK) and sat in a bizarre insanely christmas atmosphere, songs aplenty and had a fat beef steak each. I wish I could describe just how spectacular the meal was, but I can’t. Just bliss. Nothing left on the plate, nothing. After a week of being veggie and otherwise eating poor quality very questionable chicken,
Washing in the Ganges
Although it is meant to be good spiritually, I personally cannot see the benefit in washing in water that is basically toxic from garbage, bodies, animals, faeces and too many other things as well. you can only imagine the taste! Ended up sitting giggling between us at the staggering change of place in one bus trip and the glorious food in front of us with a pitcher of Everest beer. Had fun slightly drunkenly walking back and finding the guesthouse locked up an trying to find somewhere to call them to let us in! Powercut of course when we got back, so that helped the comedy of finding bed too.
One of the happiest nights I’ve ever had, and simply from beef, beer and christmas songs (which would drive me insane if i were at home!).
Planning on chilling in Kath for maybe a week and meeting up with Helen for a day or two and of course drinking lots of beer and eating lots of steak on christmas day. Don’t deny it - you’d all prefer steak to turkey for christmas dinner! Hopefully find some other western people to do all that with too!
THE FILTH
Proud to say, that afte 7 days without a shower or proper wash and 11 days (since Goa) since wearing a different set of clothes - I am clean! After 11 days, boxers
are about ready for burning, although I fear I won’t be able to put it out if i do….
Took the longest shower ever and I am going to upset some laundry people later by asking to take the task of cleaning my set of clothes - I don’t think i could do it myself. Barely want to touch them anymore!
Happy Christmas to Everyone! Hope you all have a great time and get fat off ham and turkey! Next time I write I plan on being able to say I’ve gained at least a stone of the weight that I’ve lost again, fingers crossed!
Byeee xx
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