Varanasi - part II

It has almost been a week since I arrived in Varansi and am loving it here. It's tough at times: the 40 deg+ heat, the smell, the rubbish, the minefield of crap (cow, dog and human) everywhere not too mention the swarming mass of people, and the constant begging and 'wot u want, rickshaw, hashish, opium?' But the magic of listening to a free tabla and sitar concert on the banks of the river makes up for it all!





I've moved to the heart of the Godulia, the old city which is a maze of narrow alleyways. They say you haven't been in Varanasi until you've been lost at least a couple of times which i have! My guest house is right on the river and is run by a quirky Japanese women and her Indian philosopher husband. My room even has a little balcony and costs all of $2 night! There is even a roof top area which I've slept on during the really hot nights. Ah yes and also the power goes off here on a regular basis and a few times I have woken up in a pool of sweat when the fan has stopped during the middle of the night. NB pic to the right is the view from the roof!

Last night we had a big storm which was such a relief as the heat had been building up for a few days. And the cool air was a life saver.







There are a few travelers here that I have meet but is actually pretty tourist free due to the heat. The other night a few of us from the guest house went to a 'dance' party at a swanky hotel on the outskirts of Varansi. It turned out to be one of those great impromptu traveling moments. When we arrived, we doubled the numbers and the hotel was so impressed that we'd made the effort they gave us free drinks all night! There was plenty of dancing and the music was both good and bad. Not surprisingly it ended up being a late one and not before a 3am visit to the pool was had by all!

Today I borrowed a beast of a bicycle (at least it had gears) and cycled out to Sarantha, about 10ks from here which is where Buddhism began and Buddha gave his first speech in the 5th century. A really pretty place with some great ruins, Sarantha made for a nice break from chaotic Varanasi. Riding on the roads is daunting at first as the traffic is incredible but mostly other bicycles, rickshaws, pedestrians, cows and the occasional truck or bus. Even though there are virtually no rules and one has to be incredibly alert it actually feels safer than riding on some roads back home. Happy to say i made it back in one piece and felt pretty confident. I think with the boating and now the riding, I'm definitely becoming a local. Just have to work on the language!

Unfortunately time is moving on and tomorrow i'm catching a train for 16 hours to the base of the western Indian Himalayas to a place called Rishikesh, which is supposed to be the yoga capital of the world. Will be sad to leave Varnasi but definitely plan to return one day.