Varanasi

We made it safely to Varanasi, although not how we planned. We got up before dawn to catch the bus and went to the stop where the touts tried to sell us advance tickets (with commission). We've never needed to buy bus tickets in advance before, and we probably wouldn't have needed to this time either except that after the bus didn't show up the touts informed us that the real bus stop was 2 km away. Nice.

Since the only other bus that day would have put us into Varanasi late in the evening (no good if you don't have a hotel booked) we took an autorickshaw to the next town over which had a train station. Thanks to a bit of luck we ran into an Indonesian guy there who was also traveling to Varanasi and told us which train we wanted and all that good stuff. He also knew a great (and cheap) hotel to go to in Varanasi. So we ended up taking a 3 hour train instead of a 7 hour bus and didn't have to go from hotel to hotel looking for a room. This is the kind of thing that happens all the time, luckily we learned a long time ago in Ukraine that even though things don't always go according to plan, there is always another way.

We always negotiate on the prices for our hotels, especially if we plan to stay several nights. Since the place we stayed the first night wouldn't budge on the price we went out looking for another hotel the next morning. We ended up at a much nicer place that was double the price, but we managed to get them down to the same price as our other hotel. You know you're getting a good deal when the manager begs you not to tell any of the other guests how much you're paying! And you know you're staying in a nice hotel when they give you a free bar of soap and roll of toilet paper (yeah, we're roughing it)! Even better than that we have hot water and a balcony view of the holy river Ganga (Ganges).

At many places along the river are large steps that lead down called "ghats." These provide access to the river for many purposes including drinking the water, bathing, laundry, offerings, and cremations. Our balcony overlooks one of the cremation ghats which is a little intense, but also fascinating. Hindus come to Varanasi from all over India to die and be cremated on the Ganges. Hindus believe in reincarnation and also that being cremated on the Ganges will free a person from the cycle of death and rebirth. We've witnessed the process several times.

Bodies are completely wrapped in cloth and are brought to the river on a stretcher-like device made out of bamboo. The family accompanies their relative and may play music and possibly make lots of other noise with shouting and maybe dancing. Sometimes it really looks like they are having fun! The body is then dipped in the river and placed on stacks of wood. These are then lit and burned completely. It's not unusual for us to look out our window and see three or four fires going at once down at the ghat.

The first time, I have to admit, it was kind of difficult to watch. It's becoming more normal for us since it's happening all the time and not once have I seen any of the family members crying or be visibly sad. This may be because they are confident in the well-being of their loved one. I think this makes it easier for us to get used to and we now just accept it as the way of life in Varanasi.

Sadly the river is terribly polluted. Heather and I have decided not to go for a dip. As you would expect, part of the problem is the cremations and also all the bathing and washing that happens there (including the cows). By far the biggest problem is the sewage though. Not only from Varanasi, but also from more than a hundred towns further up the river, sewage flows freely into the Ganga. This knowledge is enough to keep us at a safe distance.

What else is interesting about Varanasi?...the monkeys! There are lots of monkeys in Varanasi, particularly near our new hotel. In fact, I think a large extended family lives just below us. You might think that monkeys are cute and cuddly, but that's just because they don't live in your neighborhood! We see/hear them there every night, sometimes jumping on the tin roofs or onto the balconies below us. We've seen them go inside peoples homes looking for food. Last night they even came onto our balcony on the third floor. They were throwing our chairs around and they also left presents which we found the next morning. We noticed today that our neighbors hung their laundry to dry on their balcony and I suspect they will have an unpleasant surprise by tomorrow morning if we don't find them and warn them first.

More soon.