Varanasi India 11/11-13

Leaving Chitwan, and hence Nepal, on our way to India was both sad and exciting.  Sad to leave a country that we had so many experiences and had finally begun to understand the ins and outs.  (We have realized that this is a reoccurring problem – as soon as we get the hang of a country, we leave!)  Excited to be on to our next adventure and to be honest, a new cuisine!  A quick aside: I now have a new appreciation for the States, more specifically NYC, and the availability of so many cuisines all the time.  Every time we leave a country we get excited about the palate.

The ride over the border was mostly uneventful.  A couple bus rides brought us to the India border town of Sounali.  Possibly one of the most chaotic places we have seen yet (This little border town will play a small role in our passport fiasco a couple weeks later).  The actual border is little more than an arch that you pass through but it is a pure free for all.  We got our passports stamped and boarded an Indian bus in a somewhat calm procession.

Along the way we hitched onto an American and an Australian girl heading in the same direction.  The American, Brooke, lived in India so she was the natural tour guide - a blessing considering the chaos we were entering.  Brooke gave us a few pointers, actually put us on the train to Varanasi and bid farewell.  She was due on a 40 hour train to Mumbia. 

We pulled into Varanasi early, around 5am, found a place to stay, dropped our bags and headed to the Ghats.  Varanasi is one of the holiest towns in India.  It sits on the banks of the Ganga River which is naturally the holiest river in India.  Cleansing yourself in the Gangas is a way to wash away a lifetime of sins and cleanse your conscious.  Ironically, there are hundreds of people doing this every day, all day – makes you think.  The touristy thing to do is board an early morning boat and ride up and down the river to watch these personal ceremonies.  So off we went. 

The Ganga River needs some explaining.  To be blunt, the river can scientifically be classified as a septic system, meaning the oxygen levels are so low and the toxins so high.  There apparently is a significant effort to clean up the river but, like so many religious places, the considerable red tape has slowed the process down.   The Ganga’s is the life line of Varanasi.  Aside from the daily cleansing ritual (which includes cleansing the mouth), the river accepts the towns septic and storm water, it is used by all the animals for bathing and drinking, it’s the laundry-mat, and of course a way of transporting goods.  Last but not least, the Ganga is the receptor of many of the souls who come to be deposited.  Mostly this is by cremation but in some cases it is simply sinking the corpse (which may or may not stay sunk).

Needless to say, the Gangas is a special place.  Once you digest the fact that the river is what it is (and that you yourself will not be stepping into it) you begin to see the magic behind it.  The entire town is connected to the river and the people have so much spirituality it becomes tangible.  For me it was difficult to be anything more than a spectator but for the moment that was enough.

-Alan