Well as this journey continues on I now find myself in one of the most interesting cities of India: Varanasi (a.k.a. Benaras or Kashi). The city of the renowned Ganges River. Considered by Hindus to be the oldest living city and the birthplace of the goddess Shiva, Benaras certainly has much to see. Hindu temples are on every corner and gurus and sadhus can be seen all around. The ghats are filled with local Indians, pilgrims, and tourists. It’s only a ten-minute walk from home to the famous Assi Ghat which I’m fairly certain translates to European Hippie Ghat, but I may need to double check on that. Roaming tourists get their fill of whatever they like. Be it culture, sightseeing, trinkets, or drugs they take it all in whilst cloaked in “local” attire that for the men screams “I am a tourist, please rip me off” as the natives willingly oblige. Benaras is a magnet for the Hindu faithful and many come to witness the traditions and get a taste of eastern religion.
As strange a place it might be I truly enjoy being here. As my Hindi improves I can navigate the day more confidently and can manage to get things done with out too much struggle. Also, I can roam much more efficiently on my new bike. It may not be the Specialized back home but it gets me place to place much more quickly than walking.
It’s fascinating to observe everything that takes place and I can do so much easier than in Lucknow since I don’t stand out quite as much and the natives are accustomed to seeing foreigners. The other night I took a stroll down the ghats for my own curiosity and to be honest, since I am new to the city, I want to see some of the touristy things as well. Each city I’ve been to in India is unique in it’s own way. Benaras is no exception as it is far more eastern than any other city that I have been to in India. A stroll down the ghats and you can see mini temples along the way, vendors of every sort, and the ritual burning of corpses to break the cycle of reincarnation according to Hindu tradition.
The city is a tributary of narrow gullies and alleys that all look the same. Getting lost is no difficult task and careening through the throngs of people on my one-speed is a perpetual game of chicken. Stone walls and roads echo the many sounds and music of the streets. Being a tourist hub during tourist season means there is always something going on. Being accosted by snake charmers and drug dealers is a regular occurrence.
Drug dealers don't like cameras.
Being so far away it is nice to have reminders of home though. Thank God that I found a local burger joint and a familiar grocery store:
As I close in on my first week in Benaras and second month in India I’m finding that life here isn’t too bad though it can be very tiring. I find that I am always busy with things to do, places to go, and people to meet and the weather takes its toll as well. It’s February and the heat is already beginning to get intense, a few more weeks and it will be near unbearable. But overall my health has remained good and has allowed me to keep pushing on. I’m excited to see what will happen here in Benaras and, being city that it is, I’m sure there should some interesting stories should occur.
