When we first started planning this trip we knew that we would be too broke to fly from Nepal into India. We would have to travel overland to the border at Sonauli, likely ending up in Varanasi. Oh Varanasi! Like jumping into the deep end of the pool without water wings when it comes to travel in India. Is it going to be dirtier than Nepal? More fecal matter? More people? .....and all the answers to those questions showed themselves very quickly after crossing that imaginary line.
We met the rickshaw mafia when we got off the train in Varanasi, somehow managing to score a hotel room for only 150 rupees and with fairly little hassle. Our room was less than 100 meters away from the burning ghat, one of the main reasons people come to Varanasi. Varanasi is known as a holy city with its close proximity to the Ganges river. Hindu people believe that to be cremated in the Ganges is a great honor and leads to a good afterlife.
I can't describe the feeling I had standing next to the burning ghats. It felt as close as it gets to an out-of-body experience as we stood there next to a dozen burning bodies and their beloved family members sipping chai and watching the fires glow.
click here if you want to see what the burning ghat looks like. I did not feel comfortable taking photos of this experience. I felt taking photos would be equivalent to walking up to a strangers funeral in order to take a picture of their casket.
I really came to love Varanasi. It's such a fascinating place to walk around-- the people watching is really incredible. Lots of friendly people to meet and a million little alleyways you can wander around lost in.
Here's some other photos
We met the rickshaw mafia when we got off the train in Varanasi, somehow managing to score a hotel room for only 150 rupees and with fairly little hassle. Our room was less than 100 meters away from the burning ghat, one of the main reasons people come to Varanasi. Varanasi is known as a holy city with its close proximity to the Ganges river. Hindu people believe that to be cremated in the Ganges is a great honor and leads to a good afterlife.
I can't describe the feeling I had standing next to the burning ghats. It felt as close as it gets to an out-of-body experience as we stood there next to a dozen burning bodies and their beloved family members sipping chai and watching the fires glow.
click here if you want to see what the burning ghat looks like. I did not feel comfortable taking photos of this experience. I felt taking photos would be equivalent to walking up to a strangers funeral in order to take a picture of their casket.
I really came to love Varanasi. It's such a fascinating place to walk around-- the people watching is really incredible. Lots of friendly people to meet and a million little alleyways you can wander around lost in.
Here's some other photos
Washing in the Ganges.
Bathing the buffalo
Highlights
Seeing cremation ceremonies
Taking a boat ride through the Ganges at night
Watching the pan sellers and various other shopkeepers
Silk shopping: seeing handmade wedding sarees and other cool jazz
Lowlights
Being offered heroin and silk in the same store.
Silk touts
Seeing cows munching away on garbage all day long
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