Varanasi

Grabbing an overnight train we were off to Varanasi. One of the oldest living cities in the world it was always going to be an interesting mix of old and new. Varanasi stands at the centre of the Hindu universe. Located next to a ford on an ancient trade route it is a “crossing place” that allows the devotee access to the divine and enables gods/goddesses to come down to earth.

Varanasi is one of the holiest places in Buddhism being one of the four pilgrimage sites said to have been designated by the big Buddha himself.

For two young travellers this meant we were going to see some eye opening religious activity.

The city gets really hazy, not to mention steaming hot during the day so the best time to check things out is the morning/late afternoon. With this in mind we were up early to see the sunrise over the ganges.

The photo above makes the river look beautiful but looks can be deceiving. The river is disgustingly polluted. It is filled with chemical waste, sewage and even the remains of human and animal corpses. The dead are cremated on the banks before having their remains pushed into the river. The amount of faecal coliform bacteria rate per millilitres is 120 times more than is considered safe for bathing.

Hindus believe that bathing in the ganges remits sins so each day they go down the ghats

To view the ritual bathings you can either walk along the ghats or go out on the water. We opted for the latter and hired a row boat. Unlike the other tourists we wanted to row ourselves around, picking and choosing where to stop. An estimated 2 million persons ritually bathe in the river every day. Without exception every tuk tuk driver we've ever met should spend half their time bathing in the river to remit all of their sins.

The photo below is of bathers performing their absolutions. Note that the sky in Varanasi isn't multicoloured it's the effects of Clints attempts to make a panoramic photo.

The bathers really don't hold back. Dunking their heads and even scrubbing teeth with their fingers. When you can see children and adults using the river as an open sewer 20 metres downstream we couldn't decide whether this was a demonstration of their religious conviction or just plain stupidity.

In the afternoons the breeze picks up and the local kids take to the sky to fight their kites. Being big kids and keen for an aerial tussle we bought kites and went up to a rooftop. Dan flew his the best and quickly ran out of line.

Once your kite is up the idea is to circle another kite and snap his line. New to the sport and with a weak line we were quickly punished. Once you've been defeated you can trace the victors line down from the sky and find his rooftop. You can then lamely shake your fist at him whilst shouting at promises of revenge.

Always keen for a light training session we found a local "judo" arena and went down to see what the locals were about. We were highly amused but disappointed. The local athletes are overweight and not up to much but it was interesting none the less.

Random Fact: Anyone that dies in Varanasi obtains instant enlightment making the place a mecca for the widowed and elderly.

Highlights:
- The amount of Japanese tourists doing the buddhist circuit. All the touts are fluent in English and Japanese
- Indian hospitality. When the manager of our guest house found out we were from New Zealand and that we were keen cricket fans he invited us to his home for lunch and to watch the 20/20 games. What a good man
- Watching New Zealand defeat India at 20/20 cricket, not once but twice
- Wandering the maze of narrow streets. Often only a meter or two wide they keep the motorbikes out

Lessons Learned:
- It’s very hard to launch a kite but easy to fly once it it’s up
- The Indian peoples immune system is second to none
- It's hard to find cheap accommodation which isn't fully booked