Feb 17
After flying into Varanasi I enter an outdoor bathroom where I encounter a woman squating on the floor washing her laundry next to the porcelin, hole in the ground toilet. Varanasi is a city of 2 1/2 mil people with no traffic rules, and constant horn blowing. It strikes me as dirty, rundown, dusty, and congested. It is an old city founded at least 3000 years ago and considered a holy place by Hindus who believe they should visit here at least once in their life for a holy dip in the Ganges River. I arrive at the Tag Gangesj, a 25 year old, elegant, busy hotel with friendly servioe on 40 acres of garden. I settle in for an hour, and with my guide and driver go to Sarnath, one of the four greatest Buddists holy site, where the Buddah first preached his message of enlightenment.
After flying into Varanasi I enter an outdoor bathroom where I encounter a woman squating on the floor washing her laundry next to the porcelin, hole in the ground toilet. Varanasi is a city of 2 1/2 mil people with no traffic rules, and constant horn blowing. It strikes me as dirty, rundown, dusty, and congested. It is an old city founded at least 3000 years ago and considered a holy place by Hindus who believe they should visit here at least once in their life for a holy dip in the Ganges River. I arrive at the Tag Gangesj, a 25 year old, elegant, busy hotel with friendly servioe on 40 acres of garden. I settle in for an hour, and with my guide and driver go to Sarnath, one of the four greatest Buddists holy site, where the Buddah first preached his message of enlightenment.
I visit the Sarnath Archeological Museum, the Temple, and the Dhamech Stupa. The swastica is a sign of good luck when in the clockwise position (the Nazis used it in the counterclockwise position), and is found outside every home. Bicycle rickshaws carry huge weights of cargo of raw materials and often whole families.
Bulls and cows are believed to be related to the God Shiva, the God of fertility, and therefore considered to be holy (Hindus do not eat cows, and when they die, they are treated the same as a humas corpse and brought to a river and cremated)
We drove as far as we could and then walked about 1 mile through unnerving traffic of bikes, motorcycles, rickshaws, 1000's of pedestians, relentless horn honking, and cows, goats, and monkeys (swinging on the buildings) roaming freely through the crowd. Arriving at the Ganges River I am surrounded by so much activity of local people, religions pilgrims, sightseers. Boats, flower offerings, and filth fill the Ganges River. After a while of watching, we walk back to the car through almost unbearable commotion. I return to the hotel exhausted and go to sleep at 7pm.
We drove as far as we could and then walked about 1 mile through unnerving traffic of bikes, motorcycles, rickshaws, 1000's of pedestians, relentless horn honking, and cows, goats, and monkeys (swinging on the buildings) roaming freely through the crowd. Arriving at the Ganges River I am surrounded by so much activity of local people, religions pilgrims, sightseers. Boats, flower offerings, and filth fill the Ganges River. After a while of watching, we walk back to the car through almost unbearable commotion. I return to the hotel exhausted and go to sleep at 7pm.
Feb 18
I wake up at 2am and work out in the gym. I am picked up at 6am to see the sunrise at the Ganges. A ritual cleansing in the holy waters of the Ganges at Varanasi absolves the believer of all sins. Devout Hindus hope to be creamated at the stepped riverbank, in order to insure the release from the cycle of rebirth. From a private rowboat I witness (with at least 50 other rowboats) the worshiping of life and death. 100's of people peforming the ritual cleansing with a purple hued surreal sunrise, and 2 cremation ceremonies at the 2 outdoor crematoriums.
I am driven to an ATM machine where the attendant has a shot gun, I assume to protect me from being robbed. After purchasing a pashmina shawl at a store where they primarily sell products made out of hand woven silk from their factory, we take a ride through the "newer" part of Varanasi. This part of town is less hectic and the people here are comparatively more well off. I see many young uniformed students walking, biking and being driven in rickshaws to school. By 9:30am I return to the hotel for breakfast and a nap. At 1pm I am on my way to the airport to return to Delhi.
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