Varanasi was our final destination in India before going back to Delhi and getting on a flight to Kathmandu, Nepal. So far, we had everything going almost exactly as planned, with some minor adjustments along the way, but nothing serious.
When boarding the train in Khajuraho we already knew that there is going to be a delay on arrival to Varanasi, since we were departing an hour later than planned. However, by the time we woke up we learned that our train was standing still most of the night because of the accident with the train ahead of ours. First we were informed that we will be arriving around 4pm instead of 10:50am as scheduled. Not the best news, but at least we were still on time to see the fire show in Varanasi which was starting at 6:30pm that evening. Or at least we thought that we were. As time went by and we were standing longer and longer at every stop we were making, we started to realize that there is a very realistic possibility that we will miss the show after all. Unfortunately for us, our fears were true. The total train delay eventually became more than 8 hours (!!!) and we missed the whole fire spectacle!! I was so furious because to me the whole purpose of coming to Varanasi was to see that show, but I guess some Indian gods decided otherwise...
This is what we would've seen if the train was on time (these 3 pics are borrowed from Google):
But we didn't. By the time we got to the guest house and to the Ghats, everything was already over and we just saw the empty steps and abandoned boats. Still it was interesting to see the Ghats so empty at night, because we had no ides yet how crazy they get during the day and in the evening.
Here at the guest house, that I booked almost 4 month (!) prior, we bumped into the Russian guys, Dmitry and Olga, that we met in Khajuraho. The rest of their group already left. Considering the tremendous number of hotels and guest houses in Varanasi, the chances of us choosing the same guest house were close to 1 in a million, so imagine how completely shocked we were when we saw their names in the guest book. Unfortunately, they were only staying in Varanasi for another hour and then leaving to catch a train to Calcutta. Still it was great to see them again.
The next morning we started with the Ghats as they were just 2 minutes away from our guest house.
People were fanatically washing themselves and the children in the Ganga river. Honestly, we didn't even want to start thinking about all kind of diseases they might get from that water.
There many Ghats along the shores of the Ganga and all have a set of steps going to the water. Here people dry their clothes, have conversations or simply watch others.
Some were having breakfast/lunch right there on the ground, sitting in rows and eating from some leafs that they used instead of plates.
Further down the river there were several cremation sites where you can watch the dead being burned and the ashes scattered over the river. You could easily tell that it was the place by the number of wood lying around in piles.
It is not allowed to photograph the ceremony, so we just watched for a while the beginning of the procedure but then Dima said that he had enough and we left. To me, there was nothing horrible about the whole thing, it rather felt absolutely natural and a part of life.
When walking along the Ghats you can come across some really weird and unusual characters.
... including what was obviously the bed linens and towels from the hotels. We both wondered about ours but decided not to think about it too much, as the idea was too appalling. Personally I preferred not to know.
The Ghats are, of course, the most interesting place in the city and the rest is not that fascinating, but still we decided to walk the streets a bit and get to know the place. Our guest house manager suggested to visit the university temple, the monkey temple and the marble temple. To get to them we needed a rickshaw. The narrow alleys around the Ghats are closed for vehicles and form a real maze, so it took us a while to find a main road and a rickshaw.
It was interesting to watch the people though.
The rickshaw we got dropped us at the university gates, where some agitated types looked like they were about to start a revolution. They were looking so serious, lol.
The university temple didn't impress us much and we decided to skip going inside...
... and moved on to the next destination - the monkey temple. The entry was free, but when we tried to go in, the security stopped us saying that it's not allowed to take anything with you, not the bags, not the cameras, nothing. They were offering an option to use the lockers, but it seemed like a bad idea. So Dima stayed outside with our stuff and I went inside to see what was so special about this place. It turned out - not much, except for hundreds of monkeys running around throwing at people whatever they had in their hands.
Both temples where not that interesting and we decided not to bother with the marble one and head back to the Ghats. Our train to Delhi was leaving at 7pm that day and we still wanted to get some food before boarding it. The previous train where we were stuck in for almost 20 hours without food was a good lesson to learn from...
The streets in Varanasi are just as crazy as the Ghats and filled with people, vehicles and animals.
This cow was peacefully sleeping in the middle of the street and couldn't be the least bothered by the traffic around :-)
This restaurant in Varanasi was one of the few places where I actually got to eat some Indian food without it being way too spicy for me. And it was good too!
On the way back to the guest house...
... there were some kids playing cricket...
... and the rest of the Ghats preparing for the fire show after dark. Too bad we didn't have the time to see it that evening either.
At 6pm we were already at the Varanasi station waiting for our train to Delhi.
Here, the tracks are full of monkeys instead of rats, a nice thing for a change :-)
Our train to Delhi, the last one we were taking in India, was perfectly on time and had no delays on the way. It was freezing cold and we didn't sleep much, but at least we were not staying in it longer than necessary and at 8am next day we were back in Delhi.
We had an agreement with the hotel we stayed in earlier that they will give us a room and will bring us to the airport in the afternoon where we would catch our flight to Nepal.
I will write a separate post containing all practical information (hotels, transport, prices, etc.), describing the complete route and all the need-to-know stuff, in case someone will be interested in using it as a basis for his/hers own itinerary.
Next: Kathmandu - first impressions of Nepal
When boarding the train in Khajuraho we already knew that there is going to be a delay on arrival to Varanasi, since we were departing an hour later than planned. However, by the time we woke up we learned that our train was standing still most of the night because of the accident with the train ahead of ours. First we were informed that we will be arriving around 4pm instead of 10:50am as scheduled. Not the best news, but at least we were still on time to see the fire show in Varanasi which was starting at 6:30pm that evening. Or at least we thought that we were. As time went by and we were standing longer and longer at every stop we were making, we started to realize that there is a very realistic possibility that we will miss the show after all. Unfortunately for us, our fears were true. The total train delay eventually became more than 8 hours (!!!) and we missed the whole fire spectacle!! I was so furious because to me the whole purpose of coming to Varanasi was to see that show, but I guess some Indian gods decided otherwise...
This is what we would've seen if the train was on time (these 3 pics are borrowed from Google):
The next morning we started with the Ghats as they were just 2 minutes away from our guest house.
When walking along the Ghats you can come across some really weird and unusual characters.
We also saw a lot of laundry being done right here in the Ganga...
The streets in Varanasi are just as crazy as the Ghats and filled with people, vehicles and animals.
Eating is always the best time to write the blog, as WiFi connection in the restaurants is usually better and faster.
We had an agreement with the hotel we stayed in earlier that they will give us a room and will bring us to the airport in the afternoon where we would catch our flight to Nepal.
I will write a separate post containing all practical information (hotels, transport, prices, etc.), describing the complete route and all the need-to-know stuff, in case someone will be interested in using it as a basis for his/hers own itinerary.
Next: Kathmandu - first impressions of Nepal
