Varanasi is laid out along the Ganges River. There is a steep bank along the river, and the town is accessible by a series of steps, called Ghats. Over a stretch of several kilometers there are about 50 of these steps, leading from the town to the river. These steps are adjacent to each other, and you can walk along the river, crossing these steps.
Every day hundres of Hindus walk to the river for a ritual bath. After they take the bath they atten a service in one of the many temples along the shore.
One of the tourist attraction is to take a boat ride up and down the shore, in a row boat. It is quite a colourful sight to see all the various people taking a bath, while the sun is rising. In addition there are other activities, like doing laundry. I can't imagine washing anything in this water.
I also walked up and down the shore. Lots of steps, and they are steep. For example to get from my hotel down to the river is 50 steps, steep and narrow. It reminded me of the steps at the Mayan pyramids in Mexico.
There are buffalos everywhere. Each cow has an owner, who milks the cow each morning. After that the cows are free to roam the city. You will meet cows everywhere, streets, ghats, along the river, at the funeral pyres. In the evening they all return home, where they are fed, and tied up. One of the fun games is walking without stepping into one of the many cow patties. Especially in the dark. Some locals actually collect the patties, stick them to a wall, and use them as fuel when they dry.
In the afternoon I walked through the town. The area between the Ghats and the main town is a warren of narrow lanes, no cars. More confusing than any old European town.
The traffic in town is chaotic. If you imagine driving through Dundas at rush-hour, and then you add an equal number of biycle rickshaws, motorcycle rickshaws, bicycles, pedestrians, there are no sidewalks, add the occasional buffalo, many dogs and a goat or so, and you have an idea what it's like. To add to the fun, everyone toots their horn every few seconds. It's actually worse than Vietnam. The only reason there aren't more accidents, is that evrything moves at a snail's pace.
In the evening I attended a Hindu ceremony at one of the Ghats. The ceremony is to pray to the gods so that Mother Ganges will always be there. It is very colorful, lots of singing, bells, and fires.
The river is quite magical at night; boats going up and down, and people floating candles in the water. From my balcony it looks like the night sky with all the twinkling lights.
Till the next time
Every day hundres of Hindus walk to the river for a ritual bath. After they take the bath they atten a service in one of the many temples along the shore.
One of the tourist attraction is to take a boat ride up and down the shore, in a row boat. It is quite a colourful sight to see all the various people taking a bath, while the sun is rising. In addition there are other activities, like doing laundry. I can't imagine washing anything in this water.
I also walked up and down the shore. Lots of steps, and they are steep. For example to get from my hotel down to the river is 50 steps, steep and narrow. It reminded me of the steps at the Mayan pyramids in Mexico.
There are buffalos everywhere. Each cow has an owner, who milks the cow each morning. After that the cows are free to roam the city. You will meet cows everywhere, streets, ghats, along the river, at the funeral pyres. In the evening they all return home, where they are fed, and tied up. One of the fun games is walking without stepping into one of the many cow patties. Especially in the dark. Some locals actually collect the patties, stick them to a wall, and use them as fuel when they dry.
In the afternoon I walked through the town. The area between the Ghats and the main town is a warren of narrow lanes, no cars. More confusing than any old European town.
The traffic in town is chaotic. If you imagine driving through Dundas at rush-hour, and then you add an equal number of biycle rickshaws, motorcycle rickshaws, bicycles, pedestrians, there are no sidewalks, add the occasional buffalo, many dogs and a goat or so, and you have an idea what it's like. To add to the fun, everyone toots their horn every few seconds. It's actually worse than Vietnam. The only reason there aren't more accidents, is that evrything moves at a snail's pace.
In the evening I attended a Hindu ceremony at one of the Ghats. The ceremony is to pray to the gods so that Mother Ganges will always be there. It is very colorful, lots of singing, bells, and fires.
The river is quite magical at night; boats going up and down, and people floating candles in the water. From my balcony it looks like the night sky with all the twinkling lights.
Till the next time
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