Gautam Hotel Varanasi

... on occasion reduced us to tears and we have seen some really interesting stuff which will hopefully give us a better handle on how life (& death) works.

In about an hour we will find a taxi and set off for the little airport which will hopefully deliver us to Delhi. Fingers crossed there is a faster Tinterweb connection and we can pop up more photos and a video or two.

Keep pooing by.

Jim & Jiff

... row of seats between the 3 of us so we thought we had done quite well until we started moving, the roads are so bumpy and the back is apparently the worse place to sit. The journey was fine though, stopped ever couple of hours for food and toilet but we didn't really get much sleep.

Varanasi is one of the holiest places in India, thousands of Hindus come here to bathe in the holy water of the River Ganges to wash away their sins or cremate their loved ones. The ...

... long du Gange et découvrons un autre Ghat plus loin, plus retiré où des gens se lavent. Notons, que le Gange est une rivière dépassant de loin le niveau de tolérance de bactéries pour se baigner ou se laver. Si 500 bactéries par 100ml représente le niveau officiellement admis (selon le Lonely planet), le Gange présente un chiffre majestueux de 1.5 Mio de bactéries sur 100ml d’eau. Bonne baignade à tous ! Leur foie ou leurs conditions hygiéniques habituelles ...

... were outside the shop of the Indian, but he insisted we paid 50 Rs more. Not strange in India though, but I was a bit fed up with that behaviour. So I just put it in my pocket and gave him the money which was on the board outside. Then he tried to grab it out of my pocket and he insisted we had to pay more. There were old prices on it... Yeah right... In the end we did get it for the original price, so that was a small ...

... and awful overnight bus journey later and we were in Varanasi to observe the highly sacred cremations at the Holy ghats on the river Ganges. A truly memorable experience in many ways, where family members bring the bodies of their loved ones to cremate them on the riverside in the belief that their souls will be freed from the cycle of reincarnation.

... and I do), but in exchange I get to interact with them and hear their stories. One 10-year old in particular speaks English far too well- he is a smooth operator when it comes to luring tourists. It's heartbreaking, but it's such a nice break from shuttling around other cities isolated in our bus or walled off in a super fancy hotel compound at night. More to come when I get time (happily, however, I'm much busier here and distracted from my internet addiction).

... added to taste. The leaf is folded and pierced with a clove. And if you are so inclined, your paan can be spiked with aphrodisiacs. intoxicants, even ground pearls and covered with gold leaf or silver foil. Connoisseurs claim they can tell the special blend of each paan wallah. Most of the shops have shelves stacked with cigarette and beedi packets with Hindi music blaring from a radio. It's medicinal properities include digestive or cough-repelling powers but most people ...

... her and she walked us down to the river.
>>The Mother Ganga>> Hundreds of steps were filled with people at the river bank. People were washing and playing in the murky water of the river ganges. Water buffalo drank and bathed by the many wooden boats moored to the steps.
Smoke billowed from one of the ghats! We joined the crowd at this point. These were the burning ghats! Here is where 150 people were ...

... and I could be taken directly to my hotel for a reasonable fee. Needless to say I remained skeptical. Though I couldn't locate the rep in the sea of people the train depot had a Foreign Travelers Centre where I was able to settle into briefly and make my phone call. Within 5-10 minutes the rep Harrish arrived and we were off to Hotel India, my Varanasi accommodations for the next three nights. The lateness of my arrival negated any opportunity to ...

... of Christ and has been a centre of learning for Hindus throughout this time although most of the buildings are only a couple of hundred years old thanks to the destructive tendencies of Muslim invaders such as Aurangzeb.

It is said that one of the best ways to visit the ghats is by rowing boat at dawn. We found a boatman to take us out and duly rose at five in the morning to meet him outside our guesthouse. At this hour dozens of hand bells were ringing in nearby but unseen ...