Thank You India

Good afternoon from Varanasi India. With a population of approximately two million people, Varanasi is known as the Spiritual capital of India. Millions of Hindu pilgrims are drawn here every year to bathe and worship in the Ganges. Before I go on, allow me to back track a little. 

 After our Ganges river adventure ended, we arrived here in Varanasi around 12 noon yesterday. Tired, warn and weathered would be the best description of the gang so our very first task here was to shower and put on some fresh clothes. That act alone was like winning a lottery. Once done, I checked in with home and then posted my pictures and blog. Several days without any connection to the outside world was both freeing and stressful. It was the first time I’ve been completely unplugged for a long long time. 

 Once every one had time to rest, refresh and readjust, we headed out for a walking tour of Varanasi and and the famous Ghats. Without surprise, and just like every inch of India, the traffic and pedestrian traffic was just atrocious. It was bumper to bumper without any resemblance of order for vehicles, and elbow to elbow for people. We pushed and aggressively made our way through the narrow alleyways and streets until we arrived at the Ghats. A quick side note on the Ghats, they are usually 80 to 100 stairs down all along the river however due to a extra wet monsoon season, the Ganges has flooded, leaving only the top quarter of the stairs available. Much of that being covered in the soft mud and clay left by the water. It was disappointing but I still got to see a lot of it. Back to the tour… We stopped and watched some cremations on the river bank which was very surreal to see. Since were higher up, we asked the guide to take us closer. He did but warned us beforehand that we could be approached by unwanted solicitors. He was right……boy was he right. I did get up close for a couple minutes to the cremations (no pictures taken up close our of respect) and an old man told me what was happening. I didn’t think much of it until I went to walk away and he start chasing me saying I witnessed a religious event and I need to give money. He followed me shouting similar things for quite some time until he gave up and should “god will cut your throat”. Ladies and Gentleman, this is my (one of) issue with religion in its full glory. You pay me money or its hell for you! No matter what religion you practice, its the same thing. Money money money but I digress. You can agree or disagree, in the end we are all entitled to our opinions and no has the right to tell you otherwise. To be honest, the biggest reason I didn’t donate a few Rupees was the simple fact that every where you turn in India, people are wanting money. Every where!! Wherever you go, whatever you do, there is a hand in your face. It is incredibly overwhelming. On that note, we continued on. We walked around the Ghats for a while, taking in the sites until we boarded our private boat for the sunset ride. This coincided with the start of the Ganga Arati festival. A Hindu festival to celebrate the Ganges. We watched this ceremony from our boat offshore and then headed a little further out to have our own candle lighting ceremony. This is a popular tradition performed at dusk whereby small offerings are given to the Goddess Ganga. It is meant to be a time of reflection and offer support during difficult times. We all were given a candle with flowers that sat in a little tray that is meant to float. We were then told to dedicate it to some one or make a wish on it. I lit my candle, placed in the river, and dedicated it to my boy and faithful canine companion Mojo who will have been gone one year on the 30th of this month. I will admit the whole thing was a little emotional and I did excuse myself to the back of the boat for a minute to watch the flame carry further away and also give me time to compose myself once again. Shortly after we finished the ceremony, we headed back to shore. It was then on to dinner to a local wood fired pizza joint on the river that the guide recommended. From there, back to hotel to retire for the evening as today was going to be an early start! 

 An now today! We all met in the hotel lobby at 5:10 am and took Tuk Tusk over to the Ghats. First we watched a Hindu ceremony for the rising sun. Then we once again boarded a private boat and watched both the sunrise and the Ghats come alive as the morning started. It was a nice little ride to start the day however the boat itself had a very old crank engine which just putt putted along very loudly. A few times he shut it off so we could chat and enjoy the scenery. I will say that watching him crank that engine a few times reminded me of the old Skiffs I would see, and hear, in Newfoundland back in the 80s. After we docked, and by docked I mean squeezed in next to a million other old wooden boats, we headed back to the hotel and gathered for breakfast. We had free time after that however 7 of the 8 of us decided to head to Sarnath to tour the area. 

 Sarnath, for those who do not know, is the most historical and Buddhist holy place in all of Varanasi. It is the site where Buddha preached his first sermon. Mostly ruins now, however the Dhamekh Stupa Temple is still standing. Ruins aside, it did possess beautiful gardens and statues. We wandered around for a couple hours, looking at the ruins, reading the information and enjoying the sites. It also has the 80 foot tall statue of Lord Buddha which was beautiful.  Definitely a key stop if you find yourself in the area. 

 Now back in my room, I wanted to catch up on pictures, and shoot off this post.  I also need to reorganize my backpacks, once my laundry is delivered, again and get ready for the very early tomorrow. This evening we gather for our last dinner in India and tomorrow we hit the road for the drive over to Nepal . I will admit, I am extremely excited for Nepal. India has been the craziest of adventures and I have experienced things that will stay with me a life time. However, now its time to head off to country number three and whole new set of adventures and sites. Thank You India, you didn’t disappoint. Stay tuned!