Blogs from Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India, Asia - page 61

Finally got to the Hotel de Paris- which is an amazing if run down former guest house of the Maharaja of Varanasi. Hotel was ok- the first in Varanasi (also called Benares - blame the british colonials for misinterpreting it!) - but would not really recommend it - the slightly romantic view we had from our 10 yr old guide book was a little out of date. Whenever we told people about where we stayed over the following few days they always described it as an 'old hotel' with a smile - all the other decent ones were 'nice hotels'!. Curry for Lunch again - but it was tasty food and we were in need of a snack. Getting a real taste for Nimbu Soda - just lime juice and soda, sometimes with sugar - really ... read more

I'm typing this from the holy city of Varanasi on the banks of the river Ganges in the South West corner of Utter Pradesh. It was a long journey from Khajuraho, involving a 4 hour cab journey on a ridiculously bumpy road to Satna(we had the inevitable flat tyre along the way that took a while to repair), followed by an over-night train ride to Varanasi. Khajuraho really is in the middle of nowhere with no train links. The only way there at the moment is by bus or taxi from Orccha or Jhansi (5 hours). They are meant to be opening a train link there in mid 2006 according to Lonely Planet, but the hotel manager in Khajuraho guffawed in my face when I told him that. "Maybe 2009" he said. The only other way ... read more

We went on a early morning boat ride to see Varnasi at sunrise. It was actually nice (except for waking up really early) and the extraordinary dirtiness of the river. I got some nice pictures of the ghats of some people doing morning prayers. The river on the other hand was a whole new level of dirty. You couldn't see through it even an inch. There was garbage, I know they throw bodies in there as a holy rite, and there were a couple of dead buffalo floating by as well. Some of the people we passed were not only bathing in the water, but were drinking it, or washing their mouths out, or brushing their teeth. Some of the men using soap were kind of laughable, because whatever job the soap was doing was being ... read more

And so our last destination : Varanassi and the river Ganges. One may have noted the gradual decline of entries over the last few days. One would also be not far off the mark by deducing that generally we have had enough of india and would really like to come home now. Don't get me wrong, I would recommend a trip to India most whole-heartedly but once is enough for me. Perhaps it was the constant life sucking heat, dust and general chaos that pervaded almost every Indian city. The touts, the scams , the poverty ... I could go on. I must say that the group of individuals who have single - handedly spoilt my view of India were the rickshaw drivers !! This group of individuals have made it to number one on my ... read more

After a mega train ride from Jalsalmer to Lucknow, we then headed onto Varanasi. Millons come to bath in the "Holy" Ganges river yet its far from clean, running sewage poors into the river, but it doesn't stop those crazy Indians from bathing and even drinking the water. Its also famous for the burning Ghats which are on the river banks where bodies are cremated infront of a live audience. Over one hundred people are brought to the burning ghats everyday and swarms of people carrying the deceased swiftly move down the narrow streets singing away. Darjeeling next for us, 20 hours away. We are leaving tommorrow at 6pm. I am now fully recovered from my Camel incident. I'll never look be able to look a camel in the eye again, those damn smelly hairy beasts. ... read more