India Day 4 - Varanasi

Is it only Tuesday? It feels like I've been here for a week already. 

Today we left Delhi and headed to the international airport. It took a lot longer to get there on a weekday morning than the reverse trip did at 4am Sunday morning! Even though it was a short 45 minute flight to Varanasi, we were served a hot vegetarian fried pocket thing, water, tea and a small Kit Kat bar. 

The ride from the Varanasi Airport to the hotel was about a 30 minute ride, first through the countryside, then into the city. This place is much smaller than Delhi - only 2 million! The rules of the road are the same here - anything goes! The traffic wasn't as congested as Delhi for sure. There are black Brahma cows everywhere, little shops, dogs, people sitting, walking, eating, and fixing things. 

 














The Hotel Meraden Grand is quite a nice one. The lobby is beautifully decorated and the dining room where we had lunch has a 3 story waterfall wall. While waiting in the lobby for our keys, a fellow noticed my Canadian flag on my backpack and asked where I was from.  Turns out he had lived in Calgary for a while! Small world. 

After lunch my guide called a fellow he knew to take me to some camera shops to look for a lens. I was also interested in another battery for my point and shoot. Alas all I got out of the deal was a wild tuk-tuk ride. The driver wasn't unsafe. It was the whole city, or should I say, the whole country has mad drivers. Yet somehow it works for them without massive numbers of collisions every day. 

At 4pm, a bus took us part way to where we were going. We had some famous Varanasi chai tea. The chai I had tried back home was not to my liking, but this sure was! It was sweet with a hint of cinnamon. Then we got into rickshaws again. It was another wild ride but not like Delhi. 

When we got close to the Ganges River, or Ganga as it is called in India, we disembarked and made our way to the ghats. These are the wide steps leading to the river where people gather. 

We were given a bit of time to explore and I went with Karl. Somehow I ended up receiving a blessing, a bracelet, some marigolds, and a red dot on my forehead as well as an orange one. Then of course, a payment was expected - 500 rupees. I gave him 100. I hope that doesn't negate my karma! 

Soon we boarded a wide wooden boat that easily held 20 people. Some of the floor boards weren't nailed down or they were missing, and of course there were no life jackets! But the river was calm and peaceful. 

There were many boats of various sizes out on the water. There wasn't much of a setting sun but I managed to get some decent photos I think. We had a well-educated guest lecturer who gave a talk on the Ganges and its’ significance to the Hindu religion. Hindus sure worship a lot of different gods.

As it began to get dark, we headed back to shore. We were each given a paper dish filled with marigold flowers and a candle in the center. KV lit the candles one by one and we placed them in the water. It was a long way down and I thought I might fall in! But someone told me to just drop it, so I did and the candle floated away lit. It was quite a sight to see. 

I thought the ride was over but we simply maneuvered our way close to shore and parked there as dozens upon dozens of other boats did the same. 

Music was coming from loudspeakers on shore.  Every evening, as dusk descends, the Ganga Aarti spiritual ritual is performed. An aarti is a devotional ritual that uses fire as an offering. It's usually made in the form of a lit lamp, and in the case of the Ganges River, a small diya with a candle and flowers that's floated down the river. The offering is made to the Goddess Ganga, goddess of the most holy river in India.

The aarti takes place facing the river. The lamps are lit and circled around by the pandits (Hindu priests) accompanied by chanting and songs in praise of Mother Ganga. The idea is that the lamps acquire the power of the deity. The ceremony happens every evening, rain, hail, or shine! Some performers, 7 men to be exact, began to perform rituals with fire, and smoke while the people on shore and on the water watched. The performance went on for quite a good long time. Finally our boatmen took us to shore and we disembarked. 

We had the chance to see the show from a different angle and take some photos. Soon after that it was over and thousands of people began to head away from the area. There were many beggars holding out their hand or a cup. I was surprised to see several cows walking about - even up and down the stairs. And one was just curled up sleeping amongst the people! 

We walked a little ways and caught the rickshaws again. The noise of the traffic, of horns honking, and vendors hawking was almost deafening. Sensory overload kicked in. Just when you thought you had seen it all, another unbelievable sight would materialize. It's impossible to adequately describe. I hope somehow, that the short videos I took help to capture the atmosphere. 

The ride was long, noisy and bumpy at times. You have to brace your feet up against some metal rods and it isn't always easy to stay balanced while you are gawking and the driver is zigging and zagging. 

We changed over to our bus, then stopped at a cash machine for those of us who wanted one. I was thrilled when my bank card worked and rupees came spitting out. As I've learned before, that doesn't always happen. 

I had pizza for supper this time because it was cheap and only a small meal. I also ordered a mocktail called "Sunrise on the Ganges" - a taste of what is to come tomorrow!