Varanasi
This past weekend 11 of us went took a quick trip to Varanasi (India's Holy City). It is the oldest living city in the world, and gave me my first real taste of what I'll call 'Authentic' India. This trip made me realize that Hyderabad is really a bubble, full of many of the amenities that make me feel at home.
We arrived on Saturday later than expected due to plane delays. That night was ate dinner at our hotel, then took a walking tour along the Ganges. It felt good to walk around! So much of my time here is spent indoors, or in a car being driven somewhere, that it was nice to use my feet as transportation for once. We returned to the hotel for tea and hot chocolate, then were in bed early.
We woke up at 5am on Sunday (yuck!) to meet our boat by 5:30. That morning we took a 2 hour boat tour of the Ganges. It was really fantastic -- at sunrise dozens, maybe hundreds of people make their daily pilgrammage to bathe in the holy river. If I had even so much as touched the water, I would probably have gotten sick, but the people who live here are essestially immune, as their bodies must build up certain antibodies against the germs and bacteria.
24 hours a day Hindus cremate bodies and throw the remaining ashes into the Ganges. We got the chance to get very close to 2 cremation sites. It was an incredibly interesting experience for me -- one which required that I see the world through a different set of eyes. I had to take a few steps back and accept that just because something is different, or perhaps strange, it doesn't mean it's wrong. All in all, I am glad we went, and glad I am now able to say that I've seen the famous Ganges.
For my complete set of photos, click here.
To learn more about Varanasi, check out this website.
We arrived on Saturday later than expected due to plane delays. That night was ate dinner at our hotel, then took a walking tour along the Ganges. It felt good to walk around! So much of my time here is spent indoors, or in a car being driven somewhere, that it was nice to use my feet as transportation for once. We returned to the hotel for tea and hot chocolate, then were in bed early.
We woke up at 5am on Sunday (yuck!) to meet our boat by 5:30. That morning we took a 2 hour boat tour of the Ganges. It was really fantastic -- at sunrise dozens, maybe hundreds of people make their daily pilgrammage to bathe in the holy river. If I had even so much as touched the water, I would probably have gotten sick, but the people who live here are essestially immune, as their bodies must build up certain antibodies against the germs and bacteria.
24 hours a day Hindus cremate bodies and throw the remaining ashes into the Ganges. We got the chance to get very close to 2 cremation sites. It was an incredibly interesting experience for me -- one which required that I see the world through a different set of eyes. I had to take a few steps back and accept that just because something is different, or perhaps strange, it doesn't mean it's wrong. All in all, I am glad we went, and glad I am now able to say that I've seen the famous Ganges.
For my complete set of photos, click here.
To learn more about Varanasi, check out this website.
Ganges River at Dawn
Look: I'm really here!(Look: I'm really up before 6am!)
