Previously
I just had a three-day yoga retreat in Rishikesh, having a great experience for the physical and mental aspects of yoga. I also got to explore Rishikesh a bit, seeing the Beatles ashram which was really cool.
I had to wake up pretty early for my taxi to the airport from Rishikesh. I was somehow able to get two water bottles through airport security, I guess they just didn’t care haha. I read while waiting and got my flight to Delhi, and then my flight to Varanasi. I got a shared taxi to my hostel and the traffic was insane compared to Rishikesh! I was not used to it and this was definitely more of how I pictured India. The cab then tried asking for more money than what we agreed on, it’s unbelievable how they try to squeeze tourists. I chilled in the hostel with other travelers in a nice area by the rooftop and quickly got lunch at a cafe nearby. I had so much good food for so cheap, I couldn’t believe it.
Ghat Tour
I got back to the hostel for a ghat tour which was okay but felt quite touristy. It was with a group of tourists and we walked to the ghats (stairs by the water) and then took a motorboat through different ghats. We went across the river to this “desert” which was a small area which had sand and some camels for tourists. This huge Aussie guy that’s really into wrestling somehow convinced one of our guides to wrestle him and it was no match! The Aussie wrestled another Indian guy too and he was intense and out there to kill, it was not in good fun.
We then saw the burning of bodies from our boat which was interesting, but I wish we could have been closer to it. Our guide explained various things involving Indian religion and rituals. We went to a different ghat for the Ganga Aarti, a specific ritual ceremony that occurs every night in Varanasi. It was interesting, but we were very far from it and there were many tourists and locals in boats for it so a massive crowd which made the ceremony get old very quickly for me. We then checked out a local Indian dance and then walked back to the hostel.
Some travelers and I grabbed some beers from a side shop. There were not many places in Varanasi to buy alcohol because it is such a spiritual place, this side shop was one of the few somewhat nearby the hostel. I haven’t had beer in India yet and it felt really good to drink and chill on top of the hostel with other travelers even though I was exhausted.
Day 2
The next morning, I woke up and found out the train from Agra to Delhi was sold out. This rattled me a bit because it was the main reliable train to go from Agra to Delhi to catch my flight out of India at the end of my trip. I was trying to figure out what to do but was assured there were many reliable options to go from Agra to Delhi which calmed me. I then split a cab to Sarnath with three other guys at my hostel. I didn’t find Sarnath to be anything special, it was the place Buddha did his first teachings, so it was somewhat interesting but we just walked around and took a few photos. We checked out some other temples and saw a giant Buddha statue too.
After we were finished with Sarnath, we ubered back to the city and went to a place that has bhang lassi. Lassi is pretty much an Indian milkshake, I’ve had them before in Canada but bhang is an edible form of marijuana mainly used in Holi celebrations. I had a bhang lassi with Conor who’s had it before and he said these were pretty strong, I found they had a decent taste to it.
After, Sam and I went to Shri Kashi Vishwanath temple, the main golden temple in Varanasi. We had to go through a foreigner gate, and then locked up our stuff in lockers. The people in charge of sign-ins accused Sam of being Muslim since he’s from France and his beard made him look like he could be Muslim. They kept asking and I kept saying no and became angry with them. Muslims were not allowed in this Hindu temple. Sam and I entered the temple and there were lines for all these rituals, phones and cameras were not allowed. There were different ceremonies and music going on, where I watched other people ring/strike bells. I started to get high at this point from the bhang lassi. I found this was a great spot to meditate, I did for a bit then walked around to see all the rituals. Sam decided to stay and meditate for a while, so we split up.
I then left the temple and walked through the streets when a lady asked to take a photo with me, this was a first for me since I’m brown. I know a lot of white tourists that were asked for photos. She didn’t have her phone, so I had to take selfies with my phone and send them to her on WhatsApp! She then asked for a photo of just her! I really didn’t understand but she gave me her number to WhatsApp them.
I then walked to the burning ghat and watched bodies burn, and this time I was a lot closer than before. I walked along the ghats to the Aarti ghat. Again, I was way closer which made it seem a lot more real for me. Right by the ghat I got a massage by some guy. He said it was 50 INR ($1 CAD) for a shoulders, neck and head massage. Then he massaged my back and it was quite a long massage but he wanted 2000 INR after! Luckily I didn’t have much in my wallet so I gave him the rest which was a few hundred INR. I got a beer and chilled in the hostel but was falling asleep in the common area before going off to bed.
Final Day in Varanasi
On my last day in Varanasi I woke up early at 5:15 and met up with a few from my hostel to go to the ghats for sunrise. It was really pretty and calm during that time. I also walked by the lady who asked me to take photos and she called my name and reminded me to send them, what were the chances! There was some public yoga going on at a ghat that we sat in for. There was a leader for it and lots of locals and some tourists. The yoga got a bit crazy, one exercise is called Lions Breath where you stick your tongue out and yell and it got scary with some people and how serious it was! After that was an exercise of forceful laughing which made us laugh it was so funny!
After yoga was finished we walked back to the hostel for me to pack up my stuff and chill with other travelers. I also went to a nearby Airtel store and the agent called my Delhi hostel and I explained that the sim card wasn’t working. I gave my cell number and the guy in Delhi said he would make sure it works, the agent at the store couldn’t do much else. I got lunch at a café and chilled at the hostel more. A bit later my sim card worked! By 3:15 I said bye to the travelers I hung out with the past few days. One guy named Dan will be in Mathura for Holi so I might meet up with him then. I got a tuk tuk to the airport but realized that was stupid because it’s an hour long drive and was not the most comfortable. I got to the airport and checked in and caught my flight to Udaipur.
Final Thoughts
I really enjoyed Varanasi! I found it to be very non-touristic which I did not realize as much in the moment before I went to other cities in Rajasthan. I found the spiritual aspect to be very interesting and getting to see bodies being burned was a unique experience. I also thought two to three days was more than enough; apart from the ghats and ceremonies there wasn’t much else to see. My hostel (Bunkyard Varanasi) was also a great place with a nice common area to hangout but I found the receptionist very pushy on tours they offered, some of it was a bit too much.
Up next is my time in Udaipur, one of the most beautiful cities in India!
Cruzin the World 