India - Varanasi

JG: Via overnight train to Varanasi - a place I'll never forget. One of the oldest continually inhabited cities in the world. It's one of India's seven holy cities, located on the Ganges River, which is the spiritual focal point for people all over the region. Varanasi looks like a place whose calendar hasn't budged in two hundred years. Rickshaws abound, cows everywhere, narrow medina-like streets, and the stench is almost unbearable in places. The River is home to people swimming, bathing, praying, doing their laundry, even dying. Two areas of the river are dedicated to public cremation - in Hinduism and Jainism, getting cremated here releases you from the karmic cycle of reincarnation. And that was a sight like no other - bodies file in every few minutes, get dipped into the river, then right onto the pyre. Other travelers warned us the city was filthy and the vendors unbearably aggressive, but I found it to be friendly and peaceful. It's a city that tacitly states: 'this is who we are, this is who we've been, you can come and visit, and if you don't like it we'll be just fine'. I liked it so much, we stayed an extra day to take it all in. There we also met a Brit who was doing a longer stint through India, and his observations are more thorough and pretty comical (www.tombell.net).

Overall, India was enigmatic and exhausting. The architecture and landscapes are diverse, the food is outstanding, and the energy is unmistakable. The poverty is unnerving, and it's tough to be on your toes at all times, bargaining for everything and always watching your back, especially if you're a woman (Sandy had a couple of incidents where strangers got a bit handsy or tried ripping her off, which I unfortunately learned after the fact). I toggled between loving it and shaking my head -  simultaneously you can sense the warmth in the people, meanwhile trying to reconcile it with the aggression you feel in some parts of the larger cities, along with the lack of respect or even recognition towards women in many cases. The visit was worth the experience, but by the end of it we were looking forward to some decompression time.

SS: Our overnight train from Agra to Varanasi was only 3 hours delayed, stopped in the middle of nowhere, but was perfect timing to catch the sunrise and watch the locals loiter on the tracks, dodge the oncoming train and running to jump back on our departing train. 

Varanasi is hard to explain. As Johnny said, life, death and everything in between revolve around the Ganges River. Newborn babies are dipped and blessed; the dead are dipped and blessed before being publicly cremated and ashes spread into the waters; bathing and laundry are invariably every 20 meters; endless boats line the banks; habitual sunrise and sunset prayers and offerings; and dead cows and dogs float down to their final resting place are all part of a daily routine of the Ganges. The air is thick with haze, ashes and bewildering smells. 

There are about 80 ghats (stairs leading down to the river) lining the Ganges river, each having its own spiritual purpose and connotation. An alluring walk along the 2 mile riverfront is eye-catching, educational, and inspiring. It is also essential to take a boat ride to obtain the full panoramic appreciation. 

What seems like stepping into the 1700s, the old town is made up of winding narrow streets that are thriving and filthy. They are lined with endless amounts of shops, people, scooters, bicycles, cows and goats. Most streets only 5-6 feet wide are completely blocked by a massive cow! A tap on the butt usually moves it enough to squeeze by, but always be aware of the plentiful 'dump bombs' scattered everywhere. Johnny, unfortunately, had an unpleasant encounter!

I dared to embark on my first adventure alone to head to the post office only a few blocks away. Turns out I had to go to a different one that was a fair distance further. As a foreigner, you pay on average 3 times more than locals - but even with the inflation, you accept it and deem it reasonable. I hired a bicycle tuk-tuk (rickshaw) to speed up my journey at an agreed amount of 4 times the local price - more than happy to pay it just for the separation from the crowd. But upon our arrival back he demanded more than we agreed, and instantly I had a crowd of men closing in on me before settling the fare. Tightly surrounded, this may have been my most unnerving experience in the 9+ months we have been traveling. Back to Johnny's arm - holding on a little tighter now!  

Varanasi is intriguing and by far the most memorable place for me. The spirituality, the earnest people, and a city untarnished by tourism. 

It truly is difficult to explain travel through India. If I was to only pick 5 words, they would be: unparalleled, boisterous, malodorous, captivating, and discombobulating. It is truly a society that is not influenced by the power countries of the world, but sets its own standards - some exceptional and others debatable. 

Family photo at a Buddhist temple sight - we were asked to take photos with locals a number of times - this one wanted three generations worth in one shot...