Varanasi

Varanasi, simply put, was chaos personified. Our visit there was truly a unique and crazy experience. It is one of Hinduism's holiest places, where millions of Hindus come to to bathe in the Ganges, whose holy water is supposed to wash away their sins, and the place that people go to be cremated after death at the burning ghats. Jia and I stayed at a local hotel by Meer Ghat along the Ganges, and spent our first afternoon visiting the Viswarnath Temple and walking along the many ghats. We were assured that if we had never seen a dead body before, we would do so in Varanasi. At the ghats, we saw people bathing and yes, corpses being burned at the Manikarnika Ghat, the main burning ghat. Piles of wood were stacked up high all around for that purpose. We saw a body wrapped in a colorful piece of cloth, carried through the streets toward the ghat. The cremation process at the burning ghats is suppose to free people from the cycle of birth and rebirth.

Early the next morning, we took a boat ride in the fog on the Ganges where we observed the pilgrims that have come to Varanasi to bathe in the Ganges. Thousands of people were bathing by Desaswamedh Ghat, the main ghat, where throngs of people covered every free inch of space on the steps of the ghat. While there were fewer people at the other ghats, all the ghats were buzzing with life, as people washed their clothes and laundry and washed themselves in the river. The weather in Northern India was surprisingly cold, and the water probably even colder, but nevertheless, the pilgrims eagerly jumped in for ablution. We rowed by Manikarnika Ghat again, where we observed the watery burial of a baby. It was carefully put on a boat by relatives, then rowed to the middle of the river where its body was thrown overboard.

After the boat ride, Jia and I took a yoga class at one of the yoga training centers. The teacher was a bit crazy but the class was good nonetheless. We then got an ayuvedic or energy massage which was the most bizarre experience. It would be an understatement to say that we felt really uncomfortable. The masseuse kept telling us we needed male energy. Towards the end, we just told him we were done and had to leave. Ultimately, we couldn't tell if he was a real masseuse or not, and if the massage is anything like what an ayuvedic massage should be like.

Aside from the religious rites, Varanasi was also an assault on the senses. Cows, goats, sheep and dogs roamed freely, and the pungent smell of animal fecal matter, which littered the street, and human bodies and waste was overbearing at times. The twisted, narrow streets in the Old Town were crowded with visitors and locals alike, and the cows that are considered Gods. Avoiding stepping on sometime unpleasant, the touts that were so pervasive as well as the animals on the street made walking an obstacle course that required your constant attention. It is definitely not for the faint of heart and after two days, I was relieved we were heading to Agra.