Holy Cows and Holy Ganga in Varanasi

Arrived in Varanasi at 6am yesterday. Back to Saturday evening...

Didn't go to New Market after writing my blog, wasn't up for the crowds and chaos. Sat in Blue Sky AC for a snack, then gathered my bags at Galaxy. As I was preparing to leave, the friendly manager gave me a pack of mini chocolate bars for the train - how sweet! It takes so little to be warmly remembered. Got a taxi to Howrah station, found my train, found my bunk. Again, I was on the side that had only two bunks and for once, I had the lower bunk which I was happy about. But a guy sitting nearby told me his mother had been assigned the upper bunk but had problems with her knees and would I mind switching with her? Of course, no problem. So back to my regular upper bunk spot, piled my bags at one end, and lay down for some yoga music and Life of Pi. Still loving the book. I couldn't fall asleep when I tried around 10:30, tossing and turning, the bright fluorescent ceiling lights shining onto my upper bunk (forgot to put my eye-mask in my little accessible bag). But I didn't care. I didn't care if I didn't sleep at all that night. I was comfortable, the train AC was working well, and the antibiotics had taken effect. I couldn't have asked for more.

Only ended up sleeping about 3 hours that night. Woke around 4am and hardly slept again until the train arrived at 6. Having read about the rampant Varanasi tuk-tuk scams, I was very clear with my driver (despite his speaking no English) about where I wanted to go and how much I wanted to pay. A few minutes after taking off, we got stuck in a massive traffic jam going through a bus/truck lot (first real jam since I've been in India, not bad). My crazy driver aggressively swerved through the mess when he could squeeze by, getting honked at wildly, and turned the motor off when there was nowhere to go. Which was often. I was glad the temperature hadn't reached its midday peak yet - would have been unbearable. Finally got to the drop-off spot about an hour later (14km). Tuk-tuks cannot go into the narrow lanes leading to the riverside ghats and guesthouses, so I had a 15 minute walk to Ganpati GH. Luckily, people pointed me in the right direction, or I would have never found my way through the narrow lanes. Bags are now heavier than ever, and I am determined not to add anything to them in Varanasi. Had to stop several times along to the way to put some down and regain my strength. Finally made it, only to be told that my booking confirmation e-mail had not been received. I knew I had sent it, but there must have been a computer glitch. Neither their fault nor mine. But I was hot, tired, and therefore irritated. They had a few options for me: a non-AC room, a room in a neighboring building that also belonged to them, or wait until 10am to see if another non-confirmed guest shows up or not. If not, it's a room like the one I wanted. I said I'd wait. It was about 7am. Went to their lovely patio overlooking the Ganga (nice to be back by it!) and read some magazines that were lying around. Walked around to other balconies on different levels of the GH, and marveled at the amount of activity on the ghats. There were so many boats and people, so much color. Received a call from Meera, had a nice chat, then went to the rooftop for a glass of orange juice at the resto. Desk guy came to find me around 9, telling me they had received a cancellation, and I could have the room I wanted. Yay! Waited till 10 while the room was being cleaned, then collapsed on the bed for a nap. Went out to explore a little a couple hours later, stopping for lunch at Brown Bread Bakery, an organic cafe that supports a school for underprivileged children and a women's empowerment group. Walked along the narrow lanes - shit, flies, cows and garbage everywhere, and realized it was easier to navigate the streets of Calcutta than the tiny back lanes of Varanasi. Quick stop at internet before going back to my AC room for another nap - exhausted after last night's limited sleep. Relaxed and read before hiking up the many flights of stairs to the rooftop restaurant for dinner. It was dark, and the view of the river and ghats was beautiful. There were religious chants coming from the loudspeakers as Ganga Arti (candle-lighting as offerings to the river) was being performed at a nearby ghat. Had a yummy salad and rice pudding while reading Life of Pi. Back in my room, I read more about Varanasi in my guidebook, watched a little TV, observed the moth flying around and the several geikos crawling on the wall, then had a great long sleep. AC was mediocre, but at least allowed me to pull a sheet and light blanket over me while I slept. Felt great!

Up at 10 this morning, off for breakfast (Ganga view again) and internet, then a short cool-room break. (I only have the AC room till 10 am tomorrow, so taking full advantage of it. Then it's 5 days of heat.) Lots of time to explore this strange and magical city, described by Mark Twain as: "older than history, older than tradition, older even than legend and looks twice as old as all of them put together".