Hotel M.M. Continental Varanasi

The journey to Varanasi was hair raising. The direct road from Kathmandu to the Indian border was blocked by The Maoists, so we took a 5 hour detour through Pokhara. We arrived at the border 2 hours before our train was due to depart Gorakhpur for Varanasi. It was 20:30 and once we crossed the border we were mobbed by touts trying to con us into to any deal they could. We eventually found a taxi and set off at high speed to get the train. An ...

Today we set off for a place called Sarnath, which is a Budhist site on the outskirts of Varanasi. We have to say that it was a welcome respite from the hustle and bustle of the city.
Sarnath is a green area, allmost parkland. Lots of Indian couples courting and having picknics. Situated within the grounds are many ruins dating back before Jesus was a twinkle in his dads eye. With half the day spent roaming around the ...

... not all at the same time!!! I'm currently lost in the town having gone for a wander. I think the ganges is to my left so i'm sure i'll be ok!! Fingers crossed i'll come across a main road sooner or later - or the river itself, but until then i'm in an internet cafe telling you all about it!

This is also the town were you go to burn your dead, spread their ashes or if they died an unnatural death sink their body - all in the ganges...where it is ...

... these were just trying it on! One nice man explained that their was a hospice by the side of the ghat where the poor and infirm came to die, plus children and people who had died from diseases such as leprosy and tb were not burned and instead attached to a stone and rowed into the centre of the river where they sank to the bottom. The smell from the cremations was quite unpleasant as you can imagine so we didnt stay too long - it all felt a bit intrusve for both of our liking ...

... hour bus journey to Delhi was standard India - long, sweaty and mysterious, random stops! Stayed in the Parahganj area (grimy backpackers central) for 7 hours, to freshen up - glad we didn't have to stay in the temporary room (Matt said it was like the Villa Bella in Only Fools and Horses).

Next it was a 17 hour overnight train to Varanasi! Met a very interesting chap mid-journey though, a Buddhist monk from Thailand, called Rungphet ...

... Give it a look-

http://asha-deep.com/default.as px

so... back to Delhi for a night tomorrow before we head to Agra (Taj Mahal, baby!!) Last night around 11pm before turning out the light looked up to see a random cat in my room! I yelped and woke up my roomie- ha! I have loved loved loved loved loved Varanasi. I'l be a lttle sad to check out tomorrow, cats, cows, stiff dingy towels, smooth operators and all...

... at all times and we gave him some Nepalese coins as a souvenir of our chat. Eventually the friendly parents came to collect him and were well pleased when we said we'd keep him for a couple of weeks. We are sur to see these nice folks again. Travelling in India is difficult with kids and we saw mum whisk him into a doorway and out of the way of a speeding scooter driving in the narrow alleyways as they left.

Varanasi has a vibrant tradition of miniature and folk ...

So, jetzt komm´ ich endlich dazu. Aber im Zug funktioniert das Internet noch nicht so richtig ;-)
Aber ansonsten bin ich echt überrascht... Fast in jedem kleinen Hotel oder guesthouse - kein Problem.

Der Abend nach meiner Ankunft in Varanasi war noch etwas hektisch. Nebenan ja gleich die Feiern der Puja, und der guide der mich zum Hotel gebracht hat, hat mich solang beschwatzt bis ich gesagt hab, ok, er darf mich am Abend noch hinbringen und alles ...

September 16th - Varanasi, India

Our arrival at Varanasi coincided with the heavens opening up to deluge us from the moment we stepped off the train. This was fortuitous for the taxi and hotel touts who were there to greet us as it effectively put a stop to any plans we may have had to wander around looking for somewhere to stay. By now we were becoming used to the idea that we were merely walking dollar signs and were some way along the journey to becoming immune from such ...