Varanasi - train only 4h late ;)

Scheduled train arrival time in Varanasi: 8.20am
Actual arrival time: 12:20...

That would b 4h delay... and 15h on that train altogether... [Which was btw way better than I expected it 2 b]. I actually slept pretty well on the train (with my earplugs and airplane sleeping-goggles on and wrapped in my sheet form home )

by the time we actually got 2 the hotel it was 2:30pm (that was after a loooong auto rickshaw ride with the 3 of us - Drotka, Ricardo - an American we met up on the train who was supposed 2 stay @ the same place, me + our 3 huge backpacks... all that in that small thing... and we actually bumped into like 3 things on the way (bikes, other rickshaw) & also pushed some other rickshaw forward [when the driver considered it moving 2 slow...]

We were only dreaming of shower after that [last one we had was in Delhi the previous day in the morning...] - and its 37 degrees in the shade all the time...

THE HOTEL IS GREAT 4 a change. The view is amazing - on the Ganges and the ghats [stairs ending in the river] - where they perform all the rituals of cleansing in the holy water. We live on the top floor in a room with balcony. They warned us not 2 leave any stuff on the balcony, or the balcony door open when we leave, as crazy monkeys would take our stuff and play with them. How cool is that

After a long shower/laundry session we went up 2 the town with Ricardo

haha, and that was an experience again. U wouldn’t believe how much cow-pies r lying around EVERYWHERE. The streets in they r really NARROW (1-1.5m so). It’s a real LABIRYNTH (I’m not kidding its really hard 2 find the way anywhere, u r lost after 5 min) [Babisku: its like where we went on holiday, just make the town x 10 the size in terms of space it takes on the ground and 5 times higher - the buildings r 5 storey high!]

And there’s cows everywhere walking around. And motorbikes moving around beeping. No rickshaws r allowed by the ghats (they wouldn’t fit in anyway)

We live quite close to the burning ghat - where they actually burn dead bodies. Apparently all Hindus want 2 die in Varanasi as then their souls will go 2 heaven. Or at least: get burned there after death. Not all bodies may b burned though - some (of e.g. holy men, pregnant women) r thrown in the water just like that

also: a couple of huge sewers end up here... people swim, bathe, wash, and their ashes r thrown in there 2...

BY THE WAY: our lonely planet says the Ganges water in Varanasi contains 1.5mln faecal bacteria coli per 100ml of water (while safe for bathing figure would b less than 500!!!!)... niceee... nevertheless: the Hindu's want 2 bathe in it - in order 2 wash away all their sins..

I guess I will keep my sins for a later occasion and NOT bathe there this time...

Anyway: we had a nice dinner on a rooftop restaurant (on the 5th floor, over the whole city) with Ricardo [the food was, of course, very yummy!]

I COULD upload the pickies, but my hard drive just died. And i couldn’t charge it (only1 socket in the wall in the room and the power cuts last 1/2 a day anyway...]

I’ll try later 2day anyway!

DAY 2:

We took an early morning boat trip (4am up an running in the boat) together with Ricardo. It was ABSOLUTELY AMAZING to see the city waking up and all the rituals in the Ganges. This is THE most important thing to see in Varanasi - the way the Hindus cleanse themselves in the morning in the river. They were also washing the clothes (read: beating the crap out of them on the rocks - I still don’t get it HOW on Earth they can have these beautiful colourful clothes after having beaten them to death like that)… SOme other peoplw would just was themselves (and yes, brish their teeth using their fingers) - all in the above-described ''cleansing'' Ganges water…
It was an amazing view

haha. actually. Today the first Delhi-belly incident took place. I was feeling kind-of weird since morning. But when we were actually in the middle of the river, I felt worse. I must have looked green on my face, since even the boat-man noticed. He couldn’t speak much English (although he really tried - and attempted all the time to explain some rituals / give info about buildings we passed). Anyway. He noticed I wasn't feeling fine. And he only said "Ganga, Ganga good!"- and pointed at the water. I immediately realized he's right about what it would be best to do. And didn’t wait with that too long - YES, I THREW UP INTO THE HOLY GANGES. haha, needless to say, 1 minute later I was feeling WAAAY better! Ganga good!

- Varanasi