Varanasi
12th May 2020
In: Places
My four days in the Indian city of Varanasi was organised by a friend of mine back in Kathmandu. She thought it would be hilarious to let me go to Varanasi without telling me there was a religious festival taking place and very few restaurants and bars would be open and those which were, banned alcohol for the duration of the festival.
It takes more than a religious festival to stop me having a beer after a day of sightseeing. Local children assured me they could find cold Indian beer, indeed they did and at around 50 cents for a large bottle, and they were making a profit on that. Word spread pretty quickly to backpackers in the hotel where I was staying. The young children sourcing beers made a fortune, as I suggested they charge the Australians and Americans a dollar rather than the 50 cents that we were paying and they duly obliged.
Varanasi was a typical Indian city in terms of hustle and bustle however, a pilgrimage for millions to the Ganges in order to bathe in the filthy polluted river, was a quite a spectacular sight. Seeing bodies burnt in front of you and the ashes being deposited into the Ganges is something which will stay with me forever.
A boat trip on the river with views of all the Ghats was pretty spectacular however, I certainly made sure I made no contact with the water. Varanasi was pretty spectacular, and 4 days was more than enough time. The Flight back to Kathmandu on a very small single engine plane over Himalayas was pretty scary and awesome at the same time.
It takes more than a religious festival to stop me having a beer after a day of sightseeing. Local children assured me they could find cold Indian beer, indeed they did and at around 50 cents for a large bottle, and they were making a profit on that. Word spread pretty quickly to backpackers in the hotel where I was staying. The young children sourcing beers made a fortune, as I suggested they charge the Australians and Americans a dollar rather than the 50 cents that we were paying and they duly obliged.
Varanasi was a typical Indian city in terms of hustle and bustle however, a pilgrimage for millions to the Ganges in order to bathe in the filthy polluted river, was a quite a spectacular sight. Seeing bodies burnt in front of you and the ashes being deposited into the Ganges is something which will stay with me forever.
A boat trip on the river with views of all the Ghats was pretty spectacular however, I certainly made sure I made no contact with the water. Varanasi was pretty spectacular, and 4 days was more than enough time. The Flight back to Kathmandu on a very small single engine plane over Himalayas was pretty scary and awesome at the same time.