Varanassi, India Travel Blogs

Crashes, curries and confusion - Welcome to India!
Dec 18, 2005 (8 photos)

... was on the way into town so they were scaring it away... (Almost scared us pale whiteys away!). We took an uneventful train to Varanassi and thats were the madness began. On the way to the hotel we were passed by about 10 bodies on poles being taken to ...

Welcome to another plannet called "India"
Mar 26, 2002 (29 photos)

... know, just in case." -- "What's that floating?" "That's just a dead body" The Ganges is the holiest river in all of India. Varanassi, at it's base, is where Hindu pilgrims come to pray (puja), bath in the waters and also die. It's a great honor to ...

Le Gange et ses couleurs
Apr 14, 2009 (10 photos)

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Day 64 - Verynasty
Oct 5, 2005 (3 photos)

... . Just when paranoia was starting to set in (I had just read somewhere that 3 travellers per month go missing in Varanassi) we reached our destinatation, performed puja which involves burning incense in a Shiva temple (Shiva's real bug here), wearing a ...

Day 63 - Varanassi (NZ translation = Very-Nasty)
Oct 5, 2005 (2 photos)

... its not all that bad, and in fact was kinda fun, but its just when these shit-heads get away with it. Anyway, Varanassi is a cool place once I got over that little episode and learnt to ignore all the touts, hotel owners, guides and rickshaw drivers. The ...

Day 65 -
Oct 7, 2005 (8 photos)

Woke up at 5:30am to catch a sunrise boat trip along the Ganges,anaging to talk the Sanjay the boatman down to the going rate. Surprisingly there were a lot of people about at this time bathing at th ghats and also a few burnings going on as well which ...

Holy rivers Boatman!
Sep 10, 2006

... , after another overnight train - about 13 hours. We'd been told to expect even greater hassle from the locals in Varanassi and weren't dissapointed! No sooner had we stepped from the train were we mobbed by rickshaw and taxi drivers offering us cheap ...

The Holy Ganga
Nov 26, 2005

... ceremonial practice). This wasn't traumatic the way i thought it would be. It was illuminating. just another example of how India is deeply intertwined with religion. The families were there and the bodies waiting to be burned are wrapped in cotton cloth ...

Day 66 - Leaving Varanassi
Oct 7, 2005 (4 photos)

... or so I thought. There wasn't a bus to the Nepalese border today so will be catching the train at 7pm tonight. What a shame! (NOT) another day of Yoga and smoozing around Varanassi. PS: It's someones birthday tomorrow - hint, hint

Holiest place in India
Jun 1, 2005 (3 photos)

... smells and we had to take refuge and we took cover in the alleys and shops in the old city Its funny, we have been in Varanassi for about 4 days now and the first day we laid low after our 30 hour journey from Darjeeling. That night I came down with a ...

babies, lepers, pregnant women need not apply
Dec 30, 2005

... the river and actually saw the EXTREMELY rare ghanges dolphin....saw a few of them actually so maybe they are making a comeback. varanassi was really just an amazing experience. i know it sounds strange and morbid in this entry but you would have to ...

A quick stop at the Ganges
Dec 3, 2005 (20 photos)

Once again, a month has passed and nothing's been written, so here's the attempt at recollecting at least a few weeks. Varanassi is an incredible city - the oldest and most religious in India, which is why loads of people migrate to the city to die. It ...

Kathmandu
Nov 26, 2003

... games in a row" on the pool table. Maybe it was because the nepalis couldn't see over the edge of the table... Flew back to Varanassi to avoid the arse-aching bus or taxi ride. After only a few weeks I'd forgotten how mad the place is - the smells, the ...

Burning ghats in Varanassi
Feb 23, 2006 (2 photos)

After our last experience on Indian trains we were bit apprehensive about catching a 12 hour sleeper to Varanassi - but it was very smooth and we both slept soundly in our sleeper class. The Ganges runs right through Varanassi and there are a maze of ...

Varanassi
Dec 15, 2006 (16 photos)

... rikshaw to Gaya. From Gaya i got the 2.30pm train which actually arived at 2.30pm! It arived before schedule 12km from Varanassi and then i got a shared rikshaw to the closest train station and then a cycle rikshaw to my destination.   Things were ...

Varanassi
Oct 7, 2008

... and as many cows as will fit. The cows at least provide cow-pat 'bricks', used for everything from fuel to flooring. Varanassi looms large over the River Ganga. It is the holiest of cities for the Hindus. Everywhere there are people using the river; ...

Varanassi
Sep 22, 2005 (9 photos)

Varanassi is another of India's Holy Cities, situated in the North East of the country, East of Delhi. The reason for it's sacred status is that it sits on one of the widest points of the Ganges and features in a number of Hindu texts. Unfortunately, ...

Varanassi
Oct 18, 2005 (15 photos)

... train leaves at 23:05 and I had a softsleeper which I shared with an Indian father and son. I arrived at 7:30 am at Varanassi's train station and together with the French girls we took a tuktuk to Assi ghat. We stay in Temple on ganges with a good view ...

Welcome to another plannet called "India"
Jan 24, 2006 (3 photos)

... know, just in case." -- "What's that floating?" "That's just a dead body" The Ganges is the holiest river in all of India. Varanassi, at it's base, is where Hindu pilgrims come to pray (puja), bath in the waters and also die. It's a great honor to ...

Varanassi or
Sep 19, 2006 (31 photos)

... is a difference between purity and cleanliness", i.e. we can mess the place up but still claim to be the holiest city in India. Varanassi was very dirty and it was difficult to understand why people were so comfortable with it till we read Osho: "This ...

Varanassi
Nov 2, 2006

Very Nasty Hilarious cab driver Crazy drive from Pokarah. Boat ride down the river Gange. Baba's and huge cows. Fly to Mumbai

The Holy City
Dec 17, 2009 (24 photos)

... and traditional flow by local musicians. The second act was a traditional dance act with people from different parts of India, and the third was a classical/ Indian/ world music fusion with an American Irish fiddler on traditional Indian instrument and ...

and on to Varanassi
Jun 14, 2007

Well now I'm in an internet cafe in Varanassi. Since the 8th, I kept paragliding for a few more days after finishing my course. The last day, I moved up to a higher slope, which was SO exciting, it was still a pretty short flight but there were a lot more ...

On the Ganges
Sep 16, 2005 (5 photos)

Fri 16th It was about 8.30am. We would arrive in Varanassi at 4pm. We whiled the day away drinking dodgy tea from the Oliver twist style kitchen coach. (People sleep on the floor, filthy, chaotic). Rickshaw to hotel, chill, kip, dinner, bed. Sat 17th ...

India - don't you just love it!
Jan 17, 2005

Hello my lovelies! Well I am now in the arse end of nowhere somewhere near Varanassi (when I say near I mean 14 hours on a train) but have had a great few days. Travelling with the Aussies has been a laugh and everyone we meet says 'Oh, Ricky ...