Varanasi, India

Friday, at least I think it was Friday, we awoke very early for our five hour journey from Jaipur to Delhi. It was quite a trip. Truck traffic was heavy the entire way. In true Indian fashion there were a few near misses along the way. The road was quite rough. Halfway to Delhi we encountered upon an accident. Our driver turned around, on the freeway mind you, and drove back to an exit to take the frontage road.

We arrived at the domestic terminal of Indira Ghandi International airport with plenty of time to spare. Check in with Spice Jet was quick. Lunch in the food court was unmemorable, but really when is airport food memorable? Spice Jet apparently only hires young attractive flight attendants.

We arrived in Varanasi with a thud. The airport is quite new and nice. The hotel driver met us with a sign. The drive to the hotel was your basic Indian unnerving ride. Swerve to miss a bike, swerve to pass a bus, swerve to miss a cow. I asked the driver if he every gets angry while driving. He said no.

We arrived at, what we would soon learn is, our oasis of a hotel. Homestay was almost equally as charming as our hotel in Jaipur. If you ever find yourself in Varanasi, trust me, this is where you should stay. The owner, Harish, is charming, spoke clear and intelligent English and was a delight to listen to. Over the course of our stay Harish grew quite fond of "the Americans."

By chance we arrived in Varanasi on the last day of Maha Kumbh Mela. This is a Hindu pilgrimage that occurs every twelve years. The pinnacle of Maha Kumbh Mela is to bathe in the water of the Ganges River. The festival lasts something like two months. It was estimated that over the course of the two months something like 100 million people arrived in Varanasi to take a dip in the Ganges River. That is the equivalent of nearly 1/3 the population of the United States.

We headed to the river to see the action for ourselves. We were in no way prepared for what we were about to experience. Varanasi was about to become the quintessential India experience we had all hoped for. The streets were jammed with sights I have never seen, nor probably will never see again. There simply is no way for me to express in words what it was like. We walked about a mile and a half to the river. It took us one hour. The crowd at the river was thick. It would have been impossible to even get near the river. All six of us enjoyed many stares from the festival goers. Many of these people are from deep rural India. They rarely see white kind. To them we were exotic.

We headed back to out hotel, out of the mayhem. Our hotel was truly a respite. Dinner was served by Harish's wife. It was home cooked and delicious. He chatted with us while we ate.

We headed to bed quite early as the next morning we needed to rise before sunrise.

Saturday, at least i think it was Saturday, we awoke before sunrise and headed to the river bank. We were taken, by car, south of the old city to catch a boat ride. Seeing the coast of Varanasi from this vantage was both pleasant and helpful. The photos we all took while on the boat ride were some of the best we took of the trip. Watching the sun rise on the Ganges is an experience I will soon not forget!

After the boat tour we headed back to Homestay for breakfast. Breakfast was again served by Harish's wife. It was delicious. After breakfast we headed to Durga Kund Temple. We requested transportation via pedal-cabs (bicycle cab), but there was some dispute over the price of the transportation once we were about a block from the hotel. We skipped out on the pedal-cabs and began to walk. About a quarter of the way there we found three more, reputable, pedal-cabs. They took us the rest of the way. The ride was most enjoyable. The Durga Kund Temple is famous for some reason. It is red, beautiful and dirty.

After our visit to the temple we headed back towards the river. We snaked our way through the alleys and narrow streets of Varanasi and eventually found the Ganges River. The scenes we witnessed along the bank are at this point and I'm sure will remain some of the most vivid memories of the trip. We searched for a restaurant suggested to us by Harish. After a couple wrong turns we found the place. We sat and enjoyed lunch, out of the heat, for two hours.

After lunch we continued our journey snaking through the alleys and streets back towards the river and eventually back towards our hotel. On our return to the hotel we spotted a mall. The mall was beyond dismal. There was, however, a haunted house. Alex and I went in first. When we emerged, we convinced Matt and May to try it too. The haunted house was as dismal as the mall itself, but I can now say that I have been to a haunted house in India. A small crowd of young men began to gather around us at the haunted house. When we first walked up to the place is was completely deserted. Matt, May and I payed the entrance fee for a few of the interested party members. I was well worth it to see their expression when they emerged from the darkness of the haunted house.  

Dinner was again with Harish. The food was among the best that we enjoyed in India. The sights, sounds and experiences of Varanasi have been overwhelming and wondrous. This is a very special place. I can truly say I was sad to leave.