After a spectacular day at the Taj, we were waiting to board another night train to Varanasi, the holiest place in the world for Hindus. I tried to book a hotel in Varanasi with a view of the Ganges, as that is what lonely planet says to do, but the nice ones were all booked up. So I splurged and booked a 5 star Ramada and it was worth every cent of the whopping $70. I got sick yet again, it seems like I am living on antibiotics here in India, but at least they are cheap to buy here and you do not need a prescription for anything.
Our first day we layed around and swam in the pool while reading books. I think I am on my 5th or 6th book of the trip. Without constant distraction of my iphone I read like a machine. We did the unthinkable and ate McDonalds, no beef though I had a chicken big mac with some incredibly salty fries and Ness is still on the Veggie kick so she had the veggie burger, but I had a suspicion all she really wanted was the fries.
Our second day we braved the outdoors of our Ramada compound and the onslaught of India overcame us yet again. Being stared at like celebrities and being asked, literally every minute if we need a tuk tuk, taxi bicycle rik shaw or tourist trinket is a way of traveler life here in India and it is full on in Varanasi.
We caught a tuk tuk to headed towards the Ganges river. Our driver dropped us off after he said he was not allowed to go any further, but yet there were lots of other tuk tuk driving past us as we walked trying to find the Ganges, ah India...
Varanasi is supposedly the oldest lived in city on earth and I think we much have found the oldest streets as it was about 1.5 M wide including the open sewers on either side. the streets were like a maze and we thoughally got utterly lost. We found the chicken butcher street which was perhaps the worst smell on earth and both of us were literally gagging as we walked aimlessly through the tiny streets. After about 45 minutes we saw another white person and hoped that they could lead us on the right path, but he was just as lost as us. We eventually found a wider road and followed it and eventually found the Ganges river.
Hindus believe that if you bath in the Ganges it washes away sin and also if you get cremated beside the Ganges it end the cycle of reincarnation. Or something like that. I just could not get over as everyone was bathing, doing their laundry, brushing their teeth, filling up their water bottles as bodies were being cremated and the ashes thrown into the river, along with all the sewage from the city and everyone's personal garbage. I even saw some Korean tourists jumping in. I guess they forgot to read their guidebook. The Ganges is something like 3000 times too dirty for human consumption.
We then watched some Hindu ceremony to bless the Ganges that was pretty cool, but neither of us had a clue as to what was going on. I think they need to spend more times worshiping they holy river by cleaning it up. Ness and I heading back to our oasis of our hotel and for some Pizza Hut to round off our Western food day.
On our final day we were supposed to get us at 4:30 so we could catch a sunrise trip down the Ganges, but Ness and I were too tired, so we went for a 10 am boat ride instead. The boat was neat, we luckily did not see any dead bodies floating down the river. I got sunburnt on my inner arms or the first time I can remember and the pair of us loved getting splashed by the oars full of Ganges water.
We then headed back to the hotel and got ready in ten minutes as we were a little late for our flight down to Goa, but we made it.
Hope everyone is doing well!
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