To India. With all my love ❤️

My guide came to the hotel for 5.30am and we set off to the Ganges river for a private boat cruise ! and to see the early morning life at the river.
The driver dropped us off and we had a 10min walk....always a life threatening experience as motorbikes ,tuk tuks ,cyclists cars trucks and buses come at you and each from all directions , beeping their horns incessantly.
The only thing to do is to keep walking!! Tricky when you don't know where you're going and can only follow the guide ,who cant hear you for the noise of the horns and, if you cant remember his name and cant shout to him...it gets even more interesting!🤣🤣...
Incredible to see so many hundreds of people up and about at 6am ..
.My guide invited me to stop for a bayleaf tea ..Its served in a small once use only clay cup...The reason for throwing it away is something to do with purity.
I was bit wary as it was street side cafe ,but apparently one of the best in the city
There were several men sitting at this tea shop chatting and drinking their tea . They had yellow foreheads and a red mark ,after being to the Hindu temple and to the Ganges
Moving on I was approached to have the yellow and red mark of being Hindu on my forehead which I did .It felt right and poignant to do so as I was going on the Holy Ganges river
People were carrying their washing on their heads and in carrier bags or bin bags to the river.
Its sad to say that very young children were up at this time too ,selling flowers with a candle and matches .The idea is that you light the candle, place the whole thing in the water, and say a prayer or ask an intention from the gods
The same ceremony that I witnessed last night is also repeated each morning.
Difficult to describe reaching the boat we were going on....but ...up a set of steep metal steps, step down into a large rather ancient boat ,stepping on various planks and blocks en route .Climb Up! Out of that boat,more planks and blocks, walking towards the boat we would be going out in , next we stepped down into it via more blocks and steps....The Ganges version of Go Ape !
But ,it was sooo worth it ,to reach the boat and realise I'd be having this boat experience just for myself was incredible
Once on the boat, I was required to wear an enormous one size supposedly fits all life jacket. I made the mistake of sitting down..instant wet backside...good job my trousers are quick dry fabric !🤣
Id no idea it was going to be a private cruise ...incredibly special and noted the looks of other tourists crammed on other boats.
It meant I was able to savour the atmosphere unhindered by others
The whole scene was alive with people and boats ,music and daily life and yet it was only 6am ....vast numbers of people !
I witnessed people of all ages and genders going in the water of the Ganges. I spoke with some young girls, introducing myself in Urdu and asking their names .They said the water is cold. It was also not a great colour .
On the cruise ,we passed the open cremation area where multiple bodies are burned on wood fires ...This was singularly the most challenging experience in all of my travels.
Id told my guide who spoke good English that I didn't wish to go there. It wasn't possible to avoid as the fires are obvious from the boat. The guide did direct the boat driver away from the scene, but not before pointing out ,look there's a body waiting to be cremated .Inevitably I saw it ,covered in a white sheet on a simple stretcher at the waterside.
I was told, Cremations happen all day and all night .When we passed in the morning there were no fires / Cremations
It feels uncomfortable and undignified. Also as a tourist for the boat to be able to go as close as possible, feels wrong. I felt like it was honing in on a grieving family. The multiple cremation at any one time was also difficult as I am used to a different way of doing things ,one person at a time. My guides who are Hindu didn't feel this way was difficult or lacking in respect for the person..It was an interesting difference in a cultural and faith approach to death. My guide, a young guy called Ravi ,didn't handle my situation well in relation to this experience .Id told him I had had a number of significant bereavements in the past 18months ...but he still pointed out far too many aspects of this experience. adding, look in the water things from the body or possibly he meant it was a body..
I do respect how death is dealt with,its just so far out of my sphere of experience and combining that with my own recent loss it was a tough call.
At the end of the cruise, we went for a walk through the old town. It was a maze of narrow alleyways with shops dwellings ,people bikes ,motorbikes, all trying to do their thing all at the same time. Motorbikes didn't drive slowly but bipped horns and just drove .it was like being in a much narrower and more chaotic version of the the Shambles in York .Of all the places I have visited this had tricky pavements as there was quite a lot of dog poo everywhere .This also made the atmosphere rather unpleasant at times.
My guide took me to an Aromatherapy shop ,where a lovely gentleman explained different oils to me .Most notable, lotus 🪷 flower oil being good for memory. I succumbed to buying a small bottle of lotus flower oil....to support him...but i decided to leave it at the hotel.
I was upset to see some really thin horses being used to carry bricks in panniers but recognise people are doing what they have to do with the available resources .
We moved on to a tour of the University area in the car .and discovered the Nursing faculty. The university is very good and has good Government hospitals attached
Students live in single sex accommodation on the campus. Mainly because its expensive to live elsewhere and not close to the centre.
Next we went to a surprisingly modern and different Hindu temple, which had the Astrology symbols in the ceiling. I actually thought this was one of the nicest Hindu temples I have been on my travels. It had a light airy feel to it.
Outside there was a rescue centre for the street cows .Nevertheless they did look very thin ...and there was the inevitable smell of cow dung 💩
The guide told me that in rural areas families will spread the cow dung on the floor...Cow dung is considered sacred ... a challenging practice and perspective. I think he also said spreading it on the floor keeps the flies away, which I definitely don't understand.
Before returning to the hotel my guide took me to a place where handmade silk items are created on a loom by 2 people working together . It was really interesting and intricate work . Sadly though its been passed down through the generations, the young people today aren't interested in learning,so its a dying art ,as with other craft skills I've seen during my time in India. The owner showed me some silks made by more automated method,with punch hole design cards .Still seemed quite primitive.
I was shown some finished items in the shop area ....all incredibly beautiful ...and difficult to refuse to buy...but , I don't need any of it Some items £450 equivalent.. However, I did buy one item that Im really happy with and felt I would frame and put on the wall...
Returning to the hotel ,I had tea and cake ,charged my phone and waited for a different guide to come for the evening.
My guide for the evening was the lovely young man who had met me at Varanasi airport..He had arranged an evening cruise on the Ganges river .The plan was that we would see the ceremony from last night but from the boat
Once again, we had a private boat! It was actually nicer than the morning boat and no mountaineering to get in it but a brief walk through the wet sand and water of the Ganges...for which I was very pleased to be wearing my hiking boots.
The riverside was pretty with many houses and buildings lit up ...The place was still insanely alive with hundreds of people.
It gradually went dark but didn't noticr sunset.
Once again we were expected to wear enormous life jackets....They didn't fasten and my guide and I abandoned them.until the River police spotted us and tannoyed to put them on ....oops! 🤣
The river police also prevented all those in small boats from pulling in to watch the evening prayer ceremony. Although it had been the intention to see the ceremony from the boat, I honestly don't think we would have achieved it due to the larger boats that had pulled in.
The cruise was enjoyable and a different vibe than the morning.
Unfortunately though, it was impossible to ignore that the cremation site was in full swing ,with at least 3 to 5 fires 🔥 evident... I did look but then turned my back.
On the way back to the hotel I offered to treat my guide to a Macdonalds He was really pleased. However Macdonalds was Rammed ! ,so we left it
empty handed .Instead I had fries 🍟 from room service ...arguably hotter than any available from Macdonalds.An amazing day.Read more