The Life And Times Of Kimberly

I had very high expectations for Varanasi. After hearing it was amazing from a couple people I therefore expected it to be very different than it actually was.

The book had warned us that Varanasi was a place that you would be bombarded by touts (people trying to get you a taxi, hotel, food, anything really). So when trying to get a taxi to the old city, where our hotel was, we were surrounded by people trying to get us to go with them.

We eventually made it to the ghats (stairs into the water where people bathe, wash clothes…) we then had to wander through narrow streets to try and find out hotel. As with other old cities we have been to there is just a maze of streets where you can easily get lost.

Eventually we made it to the hotel which was a bit run down, but at this point I really didnt care. We got a room with air conditioning, but since Varanasi has a power problem (as with many places in India) the air conditioning wasnt currently working. It only worked sporatically through the night, but thankfully we did have some fans

After getting settled and having a soda at the roof top restaurant we then headed out to try and see the main burning ghat. As mentioned in my previous post, this is the place where people bring bodies to have them burned and then the ashes spread in the river.

We found our way very easily since it is really just around the corner from our hotel. There is a man that decided he was going to show us around, saying over and over that he was not a guide. I wish I could have taken pictures but it was just not appropriate to do it.

I will paint a picture of what we were seeing. We went up to the top of a building just next to the ghat so we could see everything. On one side of us there were huge piles of wood, on a side note, the price of the cremation is determined by the amount of wood needed to burn the body. In front of us on a big slab of concrete were 4 or 5 bodies are in various state of cremation. Down below the burning were another 3 or 4 bodies waiting to be cremated. This wasnt something that you just wanted to stand and watch so we ended up going down after a quick look.

The man who showed us around, although adamant that he wasnt a guide then asked for money from us. He said that the money would go towards wood for those families that couldnt afford it. We later found out from a tourist office that we shouldnt have given money since that actually goes for wine for the man we gave it to. Oh well, we like to think we are doing a good thing.

After exploring the old city a little more by trying to find another ghat we decided to head back to our hotel since the guide book suggested not being out after dark.

The second day I was feeling a bit better about Varanasi, although still feeling a bit overwhelmed. I just feel like I am always on display here. Atleast in Kolkata I didnt feel like I was such a sight, but here and some other smaller places we have been it feels like I cant walk down the street without getting stared at or called out to. I think this added to my feelings towards Varanasi.

We decided to check out Sarnath which is just outside of Varanasi and supposedly the place where Buddha gave his first sermon. It was a nice change from the craziness of Varanasi.

On our way back from Sarnath we stopped at Assi Ghat, which some boys on the train to Varanasi said was the best one. It was much more open unlike the crowded ghats we had looked at before. I am glad we were able to see some different ghats.

In the end, after leaving Varanasi the next morning I didnt have the same strong negative feelings that i had when first getting there.

Filed under: Uncategorized on September 7th, 2008