Varanasi

Up at 4.30am, we met up with Loic again to catch our train to Varanasi. We had booked a sleeper and as it’s different in every country, we didn’t know what to expect. It was fairly basic, sections of sleeper beds in groups of 6 stacked 3 high. Fairly clean and to be honest, we were still asleep when we boarded the train so had no problems dropping back off again. We woke up a few hours later feeling much better. At Varanasi station, Loic’s hotel pick up had arrived and found him on the platform. Ours was nowhere to be seen! Fortunately, they suggested we pile in the tuk tuk with Loic and all go off together and they would drop us off en route. So we all piled in one Tuk Tuk - 5 of us, all our luggage and our driver was 7 foot tall. No kidding he was 7 foot! I’m surprised the tuk tuk could even move but off we went and on the way Loic found out his hotel was under water. There was water everywhere which apparently was uncharacteristic but it meant that the streets were flooded. Litter and filth flowing everywhere. It seemed liked the Ganga River (Ganges) had found us! So Loic stayed where we were which was great as it meant we had company for a few more days. We received a very warm welcome from Gupti, his wife, his brother-in-law and his cousin. And as we had had a long day we ate dinner on the roof. It was a shock when we got up there though as there were monkeys on the roof! Dinner was lovely though. The next day as the rain had stopped but the water had not gone down completely, we all decided to go on a tuk tuk tour of the city and see some temples! Yes more temples but we were in India’s holiest city so thought we should make the effort. Our guide - Gupti’s cousin, took us around the university area which had some beautiful buildings and a big temple which was nice. Then to a temple full of monkeys then one more full of stories all around the walls. Then a lovely red temple where we all got bindi’d and blessed. This one was different from any other we had seen so we quite liked this one. Then we went to a weaver’s and saw all the beautiful fabrics being made and the sequins sewn on. We also saw a silk screen printers which delighted Loic as that is what his Grandfather had done so of course as soon as he told this to the printers, they insisted he have a go to. He was thrilled. Then of course they took us to a room and laid out hundreds of beautiful fabrics for us to see and buy. I don’t think they realise how much travellers have in their budget - they see white people and see £ signs. Anyway, Jody couldn’t resist and bought a beautiful..... can’t say in case her mum reads this! One thing we will remember is the children here. They follow us around because we are different and they watch us intently. They hide behind each other until you get the camera out. Then they all push to the front to have their photo taken, squealing when they see themselves on the camera screen. Later that day Jody had her arm henna’d by Gupti’s wife. Something she had wanted done in many countries on our travels but it had always been expensive or the dodgy black henna which must be avoided. It only took 30 minutes and it was beautiful. We had been trying to book a boat for the burning ceremony (not to be confused with the burning of bodies) down at Dasaswamedh Ghat but unfortunately the river being so high, we couldn’t get one so we decided to go anyway and chance our luck. We found someone willing to let us sit in their boat to view the Ganga Aarti ceremony with puja fire and dance, and we bought a floating candle each too. So when the ceremony started we lit our candles, sent them off down the river & they sank! The currents were too high for them and they were washed under which is a shame because it would have been quite a sight to see all the candles floating on the Ganges. At the end of the burning, lots of people climbed into the water and dunked themselves under for spiritual cleansing. I think they needed another type of cleansing when they got home - especially when you know what gets thrown in the Ganges. We walked back through the crowded streets where cows roam freely and don’t move for anyone. It’s really funny to see them all lying down creating horrendous traffic jams. The following day we all went off to see the public funerals that Varanasi is famous for. It is a holy city where the poor, the sick and the old come to die. If you are poor and can’t afford the full ceremony, you are still promised a burning by the council and your ashes will be scattered on the Ganges. Everyone else buys whatever wood they can afford and whatever is left of you after your wood has burnt up, your family will throw into the Ganges. The funeral pyres at Manikarnika Ghat are burning 24 hours a day and some days they have as many as 300 funerals. The funeral wood comes from all over India as some families bring it with them. The fires are all lit from the holy eternal flame which has been burning for 3,500 years and has a guard to ensure it never goes out. We climbed to the balcony of a hospice where the very poorest old people wait to die, they lie on the bare floors in muck and filth it is horrendous. Out on the balcony we could see the fires burning and more being lit all the time. We don’t have any photos to show you though as we thought it was disrespectful to photograph even though it is a public event. When we left we all got a blessing from the volunteer nurse that lives in the hospice. To be honest she was so old it seemed as if it wouldn’t be long before she joined the people she was looking after. Anyway, as we watched from the balcony, yes we could see bodies. Heads and legs and feet sticking out of the flames, but it wasn’t horrific, it wasn’t gory. It was all done with respect and ceremony even though it was a bit of a production line. As Varanasi was so full of water and the streets so dirty, we all decided we would all move on. Loic to Agra and us to New Delhi. We said goodbye to Loic and upgraded ourselves to an Air conditioning sleeper with blankets, for our next train trip. Subh Laxmi Guesthouse Room rating: 6/10 - no hot water Location: 9/10 - Centre of Varanasi Staff: 8/10 - Over helpful Value for Money: 7/10 - little more expensive than we are used to Other comments: Free Hanna for the ladies. Staff were more interested in future ratings. Stay again? Perhaps! Overall area experience: 5/10 Turning up the day the Ganga and rains flooded the streets is perhaps not the best way of experiencing Varanasi, this is the main reason for such a low rating.