There are many places to see in India and you can't possibly see them all. Varanasi has been on my list of must see for a bit and I wanted to make sure I got there before I left India. Different cities in India focus on different gods - Shiva is Varanasi's focus. Varanasi is the center of Hinduism and many followers come to bathe and worship at the Ganga (Ganges river).
I have heard from people that is it crazy and dirty and I was bracing myself. I actually had plans to go a few years ago for part of the week when I went to Kolkata, but I cancelled because I was stressed and didn't want to deal with the crazy. It is sooooo hot here - 43C or 109F so the tourist crowds are low so it wasn't that crazy. I arrived at 9:30 am on Thursday and spent the hot afternoon in the hotel taking a nap. There are lots of guest houses along the Ghats for $12 a night, but I chose to splurge and stay at the Ramada. It is about a 25 minute tuk tuk ride to the Ghats so it was away from the craziness and there would be food I can eat there.
On Thursday evening I went on a walking tour in the area where the Muslim do a lot of weaving. My guide took me to the Ghats and we saw the evening ceremony. They burn the bodies 24/7 but at night, you can really see the fires. There is a white platform where the rich people burn their loved ones, a place on the ground near the water for middle class, and a smokestack place for poor people for free.
The guide walked me along the ghats for safety because people were sparse. He left me at the main ghat and I had to walk up a really busy street for about 10 minutes to get an auto rickshaw. I wasn't anticipating as much trouble as I had - men following me, harassing me, etc. I will write more about that on a post about solo travel.
Everyone said it was so filthy, my guide said that Varanasi has been cleaned up 80% since Modhi took over as Prime Minister. The trash was less, but there was still trash. Modhi provided the smokestack for poor people to be burned so there are no more dead bodies in the river which helps make it cleaner. There are cows everywhere which means there is poop everywhere. The cows wander these narrow alley ways and have to literally push them out of the way to get through. Monsoon starts in June so it was really dry and dusty. The washcloth was literally black when I took a shower at night.
The next morning, I got up at 4am to get to the ghats by 5 and take a boat ride to see the sunrise and morning ceremony. It was calm and peaceful.
I went back to the hotel to eat breakfast, then took a rickshaw to Sarnath. Sarnath is one of 4 Buddhist holy sites. A guide who was a volunteer from the Buddhist Society took me around and I saw the Stupa, the deer park, the temples, and the Bodhi tree. It was a pretty quiet, peaceful place.
I went back to the hotel to nap and binge watch the Gilmore girls. Usually when I travel, I walk around a lot, but it was HOT (109) and men bothered me a lot on the streets so I just stayed in. It was a restful break.
I have heard from people that is it crazy and dirty and I was bracing myself. I actually had plans to go a few years ago for part of the week when I went to Kolkata, but I cancelled because I was stressed and didn't want to deal with the crazy. It is sooooo hot here - 43C or 109F so the tourist crowds are low so it wasn't that crazy. I arrived at 9:30 am on Thursday and spent the hot afternoon in the hotel taking a nap. There are lots of guest houses along the Ghats for $12 a night, but I chose to splurge and stay at the Ramada. It is about a 25 minute tuk tuk ride to the Ghats so it was away from the craziness and there would be food I can eat there.
On Thursday evening I went on a walking tour in the area where the Muslim do a lot of weaving. My guide took me to the Ghats and we saw the evening ceremony. They burn the bodies 24/7 but at night, you can really see the fires. There is a white platform where the rich people burn their loved ones, a place on the ground near the water for middle class, and a smokestack place for poor people for free.
The guide walked me along the ghats for safety because people were sparse. He left me at the main ghat and I had to walk up a really busy street for about 10 minutes to get an auto rickshaw. I wasn't anticipating as much trouble as I had - men following me, harassing me, etc. I will write more about that on a post about solo travel.
Everyone said it was so filthy, my guide said that Varanasi has been cleaned up 80% since Modhi took over as Prime Minister. The trash was less, but there was still trash. Modhi provided the smokestack for poor people to be burned so there are no more dead bodies in the river which helps make it cleaner. There are cows everywhere which means there is poop everywhere. The cows wander these narrow alley ways and have to literally push them out of the way to get through. Monsoon starts in June so it was really dry and dusty. The washcloth was literally black when I took a shower at night.
The next morning, I got up at 4am to get to the ghats by 5 and take a boat ride to see the sunrise and morning ceremony. It was calm and peaceful.
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| sunrise on the Ganga |
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| yoga school on the ghats |
I went back to the hotel to eat breakfast, then took a rickshaw to Sarnath. Sarnath is one of 4 Buddhist holy sites. A guide who was a volunteer from the Buddhist Society took me around and I saw the Stupa, the deer park, the temples, and the Bodhi tree. It was a pretty quiet, peaceful place.
I went back to the hotel to nap and binge watch the Gilmore girls. Usually when I travel, I walk around a lot, but it was HOT (109) and men bothered me a lot on the streets so I just stayed in. It was a restful break.
