Varanasi

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Today we caught the train to Varanasi. We had not booked any accommodation so joined Scott and Bianca on the ride that they had organised. Thank goodness someone was organised! We were mobbed from all directions for this that and the other. The men stared at us like we were from another planet and took photos of us on their cell phones! We sorted out our accommodation and vowed to be more organised.

We spent the next four days in Varanasi with Bianca and Scott. The main feature is obviously the holy River Ganges and the ghats where people come and bathe, wash their clothes and drink from this famous river. There are at least 30 large sewers along the stretch of water where the people are bathing. The water has 1.5 million faecal coliform bacteria per 100mls of water. Water that is safe for bathing should be less than 500!

The area was a hive of activity and we went on a boat trip at sunset and sunrise to watch all the goings on. The colours here are amazing. The main burning ghat is Manikarnika Ghat. This cremation spot runs 24 hours a day. There a huge piles of wood that are weighed before the body is placed on the pyre and the family is required to pay according to the grade of the wood by the kilogram. The bodies are covered in shrouds then dipped into the Ganges and decorated with garlands. The oldest son, shaves his head out of respect and performs a ritual by walking around the body 3 - 5 times reciting a blessing before lighting the body. It was quite a bizarre sight but not as confronting as we expected. Buffalo would hang out in the river just below the ghat and dogs rummaged around the area.

Sunset was beautiful, watching all the kites flying which seems to be a favourite Varanasi pastime.

We were constantly hassled by people trying to sell boat rides, massages, postcards, hash etc. The children were the funniest, they would try to sell us something and then just want to chat about where we are from, our names and of course cricket. They would then remember that they were there to sell us something and launch back into selling mode!

Walking along the ghats was a fascinating experience. People hung their washing out here to dry, games of very serious backyard cricket were played, water buffalo hung out at the water’s edge and went through the rubbish and cows wandered down the alleys. The ghats were a constant hive of activity.

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