http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Uttar-Pradesh/Varanasi/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from Asia , India , Uttar Pradesh , Varanasi en-us Fri, 05 Dec 2008 01:49:46 UTC Fri, 05 Dec 2008 01:49:46 UTC I love Varanasi So far being here has been the best part of my entire trip since I left America and that's including my time spent on the island Koh Samui in Thailand. Varanasi is such a magical place that has so much to offer and entirely too much to do. When we first planned our whole trip and I saw that Cami had us stationed in Varanasi for 10 days I kinda freaked out thinking it was go http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/India/Uttar-Pradesh/Varanasi/blog-350241.html Varanasi hellip The dirtiest most unabashed unsanitary place I have ever seen been or heard of. BUT one of those places which you can tell can grow on you hellip kind of. My first day in Varanasi can only be described as trippy in that nothing from where I am from could prepare me for it hellip India is exciting like that. Most guesthouses including mine are located within the ol http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/India/Uttar-Pradesh/Varanasi/blog-349878.html We arrived in India overland on the 13th of November we caught a bus to Gorekpore and then an overnight train to Varanasi.Varanasi is a holy place for Hindu people the river ganges is to them the most holy in the world they bath here was their clothes pray here and burn their dead. While we were there we stayed right near the river with ganges views from our rooftop restaurant while we we http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/India/Uttar-Pradesh/Varanasi/blog-349827.html A lot has happened since I last wrote but all good things thankfully. We made it to Varanasi by train with no problems at all. The train is actually pretty confusing considering they make plenty of stops along the way in different city's to pick up and drop off people and make no announcments which city they are now stopping or stopped at. Luckily for us I happened to ask a man which stop http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/India/Uttar-Pradesh/Varanasi/blog-349303.html Four days ago I would have said that Varanasi is an annoying hellhole but it's growing on me a little bit now. When we first arrived at the train station we were immediately assaulted by like 24 overly eager rickshawtaxi drivers who were all vying for the chance to rip off some fresh naive foreigners. We finally settled for the guy with the least outrageous price80 rupees to go to our hotel http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/India/Uttar-Pradesh/Varanasi/blog-349290.html Women singing songs of prayer to the river goddess Ganga Mata at dawn in Banaras. http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/India/Uttar-Pradesh/Varanasi/blog-346779.html We were staying outside Varanasi thank god in a relatively green and surburban area which seemed to house the city's Tibetan population in a hotel that will remain nameless because after the long list of complaints I've racked up against them they might well choose to sue me. They had no change whatsoever which meant if you wanted to buy something you got an IOU. Not trusting in their ability http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/India/Uttar-Pradesh/Varanasi/blog-346489.html Although I will continue to insist that I want to travel and experience the whole world I would be lying if I said I didn't have some special attachment to South Asia. When I was considering this job in Bangladesh a small part of me hesitated to return to the subcontinent afraid that I would start to accumulate a resume that suggested regional specialization. But of course there was that other http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/India/Uttar-Pradesh/Varanasi/blog-345615.html Onwards to VaranasiOn arrival me and Rhavi went to sort out my bloody train ticket which we got sorted within 30 minutes. I had to cancel my existing one and then book a new ticket for a faster and earlier train it was the one I had originally tried to book on 5 weeks ago but couldn't because it was full. Unbelievable.So with the train ticket sorted I felt much better. So we headed out into th http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/India/Uttar-Pradesh/Varanasi/blog-345243.html We have arrived safely in Varanasi after an amazing few days in Chitwan Day two in Chitwan was so much fun and absolutely amazing we began the day with an elephant safari through the park where we were able to see three rhinos firstly a mother and baby which was amazing we also saw wild deer monkeys birds and a crocodile. In the afternoon we took a somewhat scary canoe ride down th http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/India/Uttar-Pradesh/Varanasi/blog-345022.html Varanasi is one of India's holiest cities and through it flows the Ganga River known to us as The Ganges the holiest river in india. Hindus believe that dying here will mean they will avoid all the hardship of being reincarnated as a donkey or a weed or whatever and will instead go straight to heaven.... We heard a lot of old people come up here when they are feeling very very sick and wait f http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/India/Uttar-Pradesh/Varanasi/blog-344645.html So away I galavant from Antara with the ambulance as my private vehicle escort and Rach and Nat as my entourage just in case they are reading this... oh how I will grieve the loss of their good company. No genuinely I had a really great time with them and Suman Kelly and Amanda it will me missed I wave goodbye at Howrah Train Station Kolkata and set off into the fray...Before I went I h http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/India/Uttar-Pradesh/Varanasi/blog-344404.html October 12 IndiaThis might be my last blog from the trip. Today we fly from Varanasi to Delhi then on to the United States land of showers that you can open your mouth in land of salads that donrsquot terrify and for me land of beef If you canrsquot tell Irsquom ready. Itrsquos been remarkable by far the most different place wersquove ever been. If wersquove bitched a bit ab http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/India/Uttar-Pradesh/Varanasi/blog-344290.html La India no es un pas como cualquier otro. La India es otro planeta. Ac la belleza est intimamente mezclada con el mugre y la miseria. Los sentidos son estimulados como si te estuvieran electrocutando. Los colores son ms vivos los ruidos ms aturdidores los olores ms fuertes los sabores ms picantes la gente mira de otra forma hacen gestos incomprendibles las calles son un caos de mi http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/India/Uttar-Pradesh/Varanasi/blog-342904.html headed on to Varanasi the most spiritual place in all of india. Its a city built along the gange river which we took a boat ride at sunrise. seen all the locals bathing and spitting in it. Tis a lovely place with cobblelike streets and quaint little shops mixed in with that you have the overwhelming smell of urine cow shit and smelly indians. who loves indiaBut seriously there are cows http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/India/Uttar-Pradesh/Varanasi/blog-342484.html Ymislegt er buid ad drifa a daga mina sidan sidast. Baedi Marta og Reto eru farin thannig ad tad er mun rolegra i husinu. Namita fekk ser hvolp med nagronnunum sem baetti adeins upp fyrir brottfor theirra. Vid erum nuna med forraedi yfir tveimur litlum hvolpum fra 208 a morgnanna. Eg er hinsvegar a tvo ad nagrannarnir eigi ad missa forraedid alfarid. Um daginn datt hvolpurinn okkar nidur troppurn http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/India/Uttar-Pradesh/Varanasi/blog-340487.html Here I am again in India Varanasi this time.I arrived about a week ago and landed in a guest house that looked really nice on the internet but is somewhat more basic in person.... I wanted a room big enough to do yoga I got it but of course it's also big enough for other critters to live in too... Mostly ants but also a nice gecko that probably eats the ants. But it's fun when I wake up i http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/India/Uttar-Pradesh/Varanasi/blog-340271.html VARANASI....DIE STADT SHIVAS....die aelteste bestehende stadt der erde 3400 jahre oft zerstoert immer wieder aufgebaut das allerheiligste der hindus seit 2000 jahren zentrum der indischen kultur und bildung......himmel und hoelle zugleich DIE UEBERNACHTfahrt mit dem zug 2 tier ac von agra nach varanasi dauerte 3 stunden laenger 2h warten auf dem bahnsteig 1h auf der strecke aufgerisse http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/India/Uttar-Pradesh/Varanasi/blog-338826.html We have been told a couple of times that you cannot prepare yourself for India. And we think this is true No guide books no conversations with Indian friends or people who have traveled here before can prepare you for this first time India experience. And as we always tend to do we decided to go 'full on' and had chosen Varanasi as our first destination after we left Nepal via bus. But let's tel http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/India/Uttar-Pradesh/Varanasi/blog-338217.html Day 1Really horrible bus journey from the border to Gorakhpur stop off en route to Varanasi. It was ridiculously packed and hot. Only 2 hours so just about bearable. Gorakhpur was a skanky skanky dirt hole and we shall never speak of it again.Day 2We got a train to Varanasi. It ended up taking about 7 hours but was really comfortable we opted for an AC carriage. We were a little nervous http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/India/Uttar-Pradesh/Varanasi/blog-335321.html 24.OCT.Wie erarbeitet man sich sein Abendessen in einem vorher bestimmten RestaurantDie grundsaetzliche Richtung und den ungefaehren Preis in einem Shop erfragen. Ein Rikschafahrer hoert das Gespraech leider mit.... zu viele Menschen auf der Strasse....und ist sofort zur Stelle. Den Preis den der Mann aus dem Shop genannt hat ignoriert er und verlangt das Dreifache.Da es nicht moeglich war zu v http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/India/Uttar-Pradesh/Varanasi/blog-335108.html Thankfully our time in Varanasi has restored our faith in India and all things traveling. For Hindu's Varanasi is the holiest of holies it sits on the bank of the Ganges and is said to posses powerful benefits for body spirit and mind. I don't know if I am entirely convinced by this especially as the thought of dipping in the Ganges only conjours up thoughts of viles disease and death to me but http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/India/Uttar-Pradesh/Varanasi/blog-334635.html We've stuck out in most places we've traveled because of Steve's height and my yellow hair but India takes the burfi. Until we reached Varanasi we haven't been in any busy Western tourist towns even Agra was only filled with Indian tourists so we've been the object of much curiosity and excitement. We were walking down one quiet beach in Goa when two girls came running up in a flurry of sa http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/India/Uttar-Pradesh/Varanasi/blog-332872.html Namaste everyoneour first train journey was brill. it was as we expected long and with a few hitches along the way. we got to the train station in agra well early expecting the train to arrive in good time for us to board early and get settled. it didn't we waited an extra 1 12 hours just enough time for us to get talking to one of the railway police and for him to clear a bench full of loc http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/India/Uttar-Pradesh/Varanasi/blog-332134.html Another 'TOURIST CITY' high on 'TOUT ALERT' to contend with... just what we need eh Well... our determination not to be fooled was as strong as ever as we marched into Varanasi on the offensive. We hopped on a rickshaw which was way too small for us and our evergrowing baggage and clinged to it all the way through town to the restaurant not hotel we told our driver to take us too to avoid http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/India/Uttar-Pradesh/Varanasi/blog-331410.html Hi AllLast post from Varanasi before i head to a more relaxed place.Goodbye to burning bodies crowded ghats sunrise and sunset Ganga boat rides silk scarfs glass jewelry and a million touts.I will surely miss it. Next post from a relaxed place.Shanti shanti to allMaya http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/India/Uttar-Pradesh/Varanasi/blog-330342.html Hi AllFirst post from my beloved India words cannot describe the Varanasi experience. They say Varansi is all of India's madness just a hundred times more concentrated and I just love it.Too overwhelmed to write a lot i will let the pictures do the talking.Shana Tova to everyoneLoveMaya http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/India/Uttar-Pradesh/Varanasi/blog-329748.html Thursday evening our group went out on the River Ganga. We went upstream a little ways went out to the middle and floated back. While on the river we released candles into the water as a prayer ceremony. They were in little leaf bowls and the candles were in tiny wooden bowls surrounded by flower petals so it was all biodegradable. For the ceremony you have to release at least 100 I think we r http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/India/Uttar-Pradesh/Varanasi/blog-328830.html The night train from Kolkata was comfortable but I did not get more than about three hours sleep as there was a lot of snoring around me. The train arrived two hours late at Gaya in the morning on 23rd. After bargaining with the rickshaw drivers to take me the 13km Bodhgaya at a fair price and a bumpy ride I finally arrived at my planed destination.Bodhgaya is where Prince Siddhartha Gautama att http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/India/Uttar-Pradesh/Varanasi/blog-328581.html Nach einer langen aber im Grunde nicht ungemuetlichen Zugfahrt kommen wir mit Verspaetung in Varanasi an. Der eine oder andere kennt diese heiligste Stadt der Inder vielleicht von der wohl bekanntesten und auch makabersten ihrer Traditionen der offenen Leichenverbrennung. Negativ ist die Stadt leider auch durch ihren mit grossen Staedten wie Delhi vergleichbaren hassle bekannt der uns aber n http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/India/Uttar-Pradesh/Varanasi/blog-327414.html