Varanasi

We rickshaw to the station at Agra, the place is quite an experience.  As the only white couple amongst hundreds of families camped on the platform we're the centre of attention until it's clear we are not going to break into an "act".  The train as usual is a couple of hours late.  Families squat eating meals on the platform or lay out rugs and bedding to kip down as the train is delayed by "The management" by 15 minute increments.  They refuse to move the time expected on until the "Time due" is 5 minutes past, they then shunt it forward 20 minutes.

Eventually all aboard we settle into ourt routine of scoffing pringles and playing cards to pass the time till you're so tired the Roaches and Mice won't freak you out.

Awake as the train passes through Lucknow, and so read about the mutiny to cheer ourselves up.  There are monkeys all over the station "monkeying around" which makes a change from pigeons.  They scramble down the platform stanchions and onto the track ferreting for anything to eat or play with, they look big, threatening buggers and they have a worldly look about them that hints that you wouldn't get much of a lick of your ice lolly if you were foolish enough to take one out there.

Lucknow is a big junction and lots of lines converge, in the middle of them all there is a small enclosure just 4-5 meters square.  It's painted blue on the inside of a brick enclosing wall which is just 4-5 bricks high.  In the centre is a tiny patch of grass and a single plant with a large orange flower. There is a stout gent in his underpants (innerwear the Indians call 'em) sitting cross legged in front of the flower, hands palm upward in his lap, eyes closed in quiet contemplation while the expresses to Agra, Jodphur, Delhi and Guildford rattle by, scant feet from him.

When we arrive in Varanasi the touts are manic, but the tourist info people in the station are life savers!  They appear to have an understanding with the touts and manage to maintain an oasis of pester free peace where you can sit, check out a city guide, check out some accomodation and maps all without pongy buggers screeching at you about there taxi, rickshaw, motel, sister, avacado bathroom suite, life size balloon etc. Can't recommend strongly enough that you head straight here on arrival in Varanasi.

We're soon rickshawed to a hotel we pick from a map and get a first sight of the Ganges. It's a lot bigger than we expected and glassy, mirror smooth.  The city is beautiful (if you don't breath through your nose) from here as no traffic can get down to the river by the old city so tight are the streets and so lined by ghats are the banks of the river. Looking along to the rivers bend it is a staggeringly beautiful sight as boats pole along the frontage of the mind bending array of architecture that makes up the worlds oldest city.

We watch a nice sunset ceremomy with fireworks, lamps, bells and all sorts of music and chanting which is spell binding.  Afterwards an old priest tries to get us to drink Ganges water (Read further to find why this is not a good idea) he says it will get us into Nirvana, we say it will get us to hospital first and that we're on our way round the world and Nirvana like heaven can wait just a while, and decline.

We meet a nice Kiwi couple, Pete and Diane and share a boat trip in the evening down the Gnages to the burning Ghats and I have to say the whole experience is something we will never forget.  To be burnt here is to acheive instant Moksha, to enlightenment but you need to get the body here inside 24 hours, so a lot of oldsters come here and hang about waiting for the grim inevitable.  It's a bit like Bournmouth only here you get Nirvana (not the band)and in Bournmouth you get the Krankies ....you choose.

We get a tour of the cremation ghat (not through choice initially but please do it if you get the chance, it's amazing) and it's strange to get such an intimate view of death and the attendant practicalities.

If you're here inside 24 hours you get burnt, unless a child, unmarried or holy man (without sin) in which case you're weighted and just dropped in the middle of the river.  If you die from a Cobra bite they don't add the weights as the touch of the Ganges may heal you and they don't want you to drown.... so they tie you to a log and let you float off.  Further downstream apparently Tigers are developing a taste for people................and living in log cabins..........wander why that is?

They burn 300+ a day here and we were able to get right above the pyres to watch it all go on. They process the bodies down to the river and dip them 5 times, remove the cloths leaving just the inner stuff, white for a man red for a lady, then the body is placed on the pyre after being weighed so that the appropriate amount of wood can be calculated.

A male relative (no females allowed as if a tear is shed the dead don't get to Nirvana) lights the fire from a temple flame that has burned a thousand years!!

Can't tell you how much nose blowing went on once back in the boat but I think I may have a small chap from Delhi in my hanky. Candidate for worst job in the world goes to the bloke who, waist deep in the river, sifts all the ashes for gold teeth, rings etc which thereafter belong to the owner of the ghat whose enormous house overlooks the river.

A couple of bits don't burn, the pelvis of females and sternum of males, these are blessed and lobbed into the river.  Ghat staff turn the bodies like so many Bar-B-Q-ers to ensure the rest is evenly done.  It's strange coming from a culture where this is all shrouded in such mystique, to see these guys prodding the odd errant hand or leg back into the flames with long sticks, eyes watering in the smoke and ashes of dear uncle Albert etc.

Meanwhile all the usual life and routine on the bathing ghats goes on all around this with folk brushing their teeth, swimming, washing themselves and clothes, pets etc in the self same water!  Funny how they draw the line at drinking beer.  At Jaipur we'd seen a couple of huge silver water urns (biggest in the world) A Maharaja had these made so he could take Ganges water to England to drink, as he didn't trust our water supply!

A night boat trip is magical.  Poled down the river surrounded by hundreds of glowing candles, floated down the river.  It's a wonderful experience.  We stop to watch the sunset festival which is just a spectacular, unforgettable sight.

Had a great meal with Pete and Diane after a pedal rickshaw race through the packed heaving streets of Varanassi.  They are wonderful company and we agree to try and meet up in Darjeeling.  Speaking of which, after a few days here it's time to move on, fancy a cuppa??

We get a cab to the station to pick up our train to Darjeeling.....