We arrived early into Varanasi on the train. Air Conditioned (AC) Third Class was fine but the rocking and shunting of carriages would jolt you awake. I didn't get much sleep but it was OK.
After checking into the hotel, having a shower and washing clothes (as we stay at the hotel for 2 nights/3 days) was just what I needed to do. Then I went straight to the Ganges River. I walked down and then up the river's edge to see all the ghats.
1) Ganges River.
2) Dashashwamedh Ghat.
3) Harishchandra Ghat (cremations).
4) Assi Ghat.
5) Nagwa Ghat (nothing there).
6) Manikarnika Ghat (cremations).
7) Shri Kashi Vishwanath Temple (just the outside and a little of the exit side).
I really needed to stretch the legs and there is no better way that to go for a long walk by the river. What was unique was when I arrived at the Harishchandra Ghat. I was wondering why there were 'bonfires'. It took me a couple of seconds to work out that they were performing cremations by the Ganges River. I saw a pair of feet sticking out of the fire before I 'clicked'. The only other time I had seen cremations was in Kathmandu, Nepal.
The cremations happens all day long. Over 200 cremations per day is performed at the Manikarnika Ghat, as I was advised by one of the workers.
Walking through the city...it was busy. I saw a traffic jam containing motorcycles. This rarely happens as motorcycles can cut through most traffic.
Food in Varanasi is tasty and very cheap. So far so good on the food front. I have not gotten any food bugs.
By 7pm, the poor sleep had caught up to me. It was time to catch up on the blog entry and download/upload the photos.
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