Varanasi
November 30, 2011
I have never counted down the number of days to home and never looked so forward to going home. I miss my comfort zone. He sank into the seat opposite me and posed a sulking expression as I pointed my camera in his direction. We just had lunch after locating the real Shiva Guesthouse and the plan was to spend the rest of the day walking around town and along the river. But in less than an hour, we were back in Yogi. We’d rather stay indoors and stare at the walls than get out again. It was only just our first day here and we still have two more days??? Ugh...
The disorientation begins in the back lanes. A man washing hair along the streets. Throngs of folks jogging after a dead body. Many same signs each pointing in different directions. It's easy to get lost and common to squeeze past cows and goats hanging around in the narrow alleys. Sometimes a big cow would block the entire lane and we would just stand and wait helplessly for someone to shoo it away lol. More bizarreness awaits outside the maze - a sadhu with only half a face.
When we finally got here, we asked the staff behind the counter "Are you the real Shiva?" Food was bland and I think I lost my appetite after tiptoeing around dung and rubbish and holding my breath in the maze...
After the cremation of the deceased, their remains are scattered into the Ganges. Those prohibited to be cremated are disposed lock, stock, barrel into the river to decompose. Folks wash their laundry and bathe in the same river. Hindus believe bathing in the Ganges will wash away all sins. It baffles me how sins can be cleansed in the fifth most polluted river in the world.
He rocked the boat to stop the oars from slipping into the river causing water to splash. I had a tiny wound on my finger and a few drops of contaminated water (with human ashes and floating corpses) landed on it. I was so mad at him we never spoke a word during the boat ride.
Despite the culture shock, I must say Varanasi's skyline is actually pretty unique. Watching life by the Ganges is truly a mind-boggling experience.
The disorientation begins in the back lanes. A man washing hair along the streets. Throngs of folks jogging after a dead body. Many same signs each pointing in different directions. It's easy to get lost and common to squeeze past cows and goats hanging around in the narrow alleys. Sometimes a big cow would block the entire lane and we would just stand and wait helplessly for someone to shoo it away lol. More bizarreness awaits outside the maze - a sadhu with only half a face.
When we finally got here, we asked the staff behind the counter "Are you the real Shiva?" Food was bland and I think I lost my appetite after tiptoeing around dung and rubbish and holding my breath in the maze...
After the cremation of the deceased, their remains are scattered into the Ganges. Those prohibited to be cremated are disposed lock, stock, barrel into the river to decompose. Folks wash their laundry and bathe in the same river. Hindus believe bathing in the Ganges will wash away all sins. It baffles me how sins can be cleansed in the fifth most polluted river in the world.
He rocked the boat to stop the oars from slipping into the river causing water to splash. I had a tiny wound on my finger and a few drops of contaminated water (with human ashes and floating corpses) landed on it. I was so mad at him we never spoke a word during the boat ride.
Despite the culture shock, I must say Varanasi's skyline is actually pretty unique. Watching life by the Ganges is truly a mind-boggling experience.
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