Varanasi, India

It's difficult to describe our Varanasi experience. Some words that come to mind are bizarre, amazing, unique, and weird. It was by far the biggest culture shock we have had so far. It was truly an oppressive assault on our senses.

Varanasi is considered the oldest living city in the world. People have been making the pilgrimage to Varanasi for 4,000 years to burn the bodies of their deceased relatives and bathe in the Ganges river to 'wash off their sins.' People believe that burning a person's body beside the river stops the reincarnation process. If you are a baby, pregnant, or have committed suicide, your body is not cremated but put into the river so you can be reincarnated again. If you have the time, look up Varanasi and the Aghori people. These people live along the river banks of the Ganges and cover their bodies head to toe in human ash. The Aghori also follow cannibalistic practices.

Andreas and I walked along the riverfront and watched the bizarre happenings. We had a few up close and personal encounters with dead people. It seemed that everywhere we went along the river people were carrying around the bodies of loved ones. We can now say that we have witnessed a cremation. It is both horrifying and fascinating to be a part of this ancient tradition (understandably photography is not allowed).

It was both interesting and gross to see people bathing, washing their clothes, and brushing their teeth in the water right next to where the bodies were burned. I cringe to think what a microbe slide would look like taken from that water. Most horrifying were the hotels washing all their linens in the river (we used our sleep sacks).

Andreas and I both decided that Varanasi is a place we don't want to go back to, but think everyone should go to see at least once in their lifetime. This is truly a place we will never forget.Read more