Varanasi

Varanasi is one of the holiest Hindu cities in the world, and the atmosphere of the city is certainly calming - even spiritual.

The city itself, along with the holy river that runs through it, is dirty, smelly and probably full of disease, but watching the city wake up from our rowboat at sunrise was a beautiful experience. Along the 3 miles of ghats (steps down to the river), and alongside each other there were hundreds of people; they were swimming, washing clothes against the rocks, washing themselves, praying, practicing yoga, setting up shade, chanting, burning bodies, preparing fishing nets and washing their buffaloes. Then there were the many people just watching the people and each other. The ghats are full of colour from the sarees and flags and the orange of holy men as the sun reflects off the water, the brass jugs used for washing and the many old temples and palaces that line the river.

We have taken in the atmosphere and spent our time exploring the narrow lanes that spread back from the ghats, and relaxing (and recovering) with new found friends.

Our one experience away from the 'calm' was a further boat trip at sunset. The think fog of mosquitoes had us quickly returning the the sanctuary of the shore.