Floating down the Ganges (in a boat)

Trip Start Sep 23, 2007
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Trip End Dec 15, 2007


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Flag of India  ,
Saturday, November 3, 2007

Got up at 4:45am for a 5:30am boat tour of the Ganges at sunrise. It was beautiful. There were just 3 of us there so it was very peaceful (other than the other boat loads of tourists and the hawkers with their boats - one of which even had a TV and DVD player in it!). It was great to float downstream listening to the sounds of the laundry men slapping the clothes clean first, then the sounds of people bathing, then the sounds of the temple bells ringing. We didn't get too close to the burning ghats thank goodness nor did we see any dead bodies in the river (other than a fish, a rat and a cow). It seems that children, holy men, eunuchs, cobra-bite victims and lepers are the people that are put into the river - all others are burned. Last thing I wanted to see was a dead baby in the river! I did want to see the Ganges dolphin but unfortunately there wasn't any around. Maybe the constant nose-blowing scared them off :)

Afterward, the guide took us to a temple of Lord Shiva where we saw statues of a lot of the Hindu Gods in the middle of the enormous & beautiful university in Varanasi. From there it was on to a silk-weaving neighbourhood for a quick stop to see how they weave silk into such intricate patterns then it was back to the hotel for breakfast before a well-deserved nap!

I passed the middle of the day relatively peacefully, dashing back to air-conditioned bliss in my room every now & then for a break from the 30+ deg heat. In the evening, there was a night of traditional Indian dancing & fireworks and a buffet dinner arranged in the hotel as a prelude to the Festival of Lights on 24 Nov. Relatively early night again since we have a 5am start tomorrow for the India-Nepal border and sprint to Kathmandu.
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Comments

em2446
em2446 on Nov 6, 2007 at 11:15PM

Early morning on the Ganges
Floating down the Ganges (in a boat) - Varanasi, India
It seems that children, holy men, eunuchs, cobra-bite victims and lepers are the people that are put into the river - all others are burned. Last thing I wanted to see was a dead baby in the river! I did want to see the Ganges dolphin ...
TravelPod.com Recent Updates - http://www.travelpod.com

That was the description of your blog on Google.

'Maybe the constant nose-blowing scared them (dolphins) off :)'

Your description trivializes Varanasi. Studying before or after
to understand more might have enhanced your Ganges experience.

jbres
jbres on Nov 11, 2007 at 08:07AM

Who is previuos commenter?
They need a phunt up the bum. And a sense of humour transplant.

Jeez.

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