Mr & Mrs Wanderlust : Varanasi..the infamous ganges and the rain!

Transport

We took the night train from Agra to Varansi. It is an incredibly busy train and we were very lucky to get confirmed seats at the last minute. However, it was actually comfortable and we slept well.

Day 1

We spent the morning chilling in the hotel following the long train journey before being forced to stay in by the torrential rain that began and continued until the evening, only being able to leave for dinner once it was dark so we couldn't really see much of Varanasi! For dinner we had a veg Thali that was actually the best we'd had in a long while and we thoroughly enjoyed it!

Day 2

Unfortunately during the night I became rather sick and I continued to feel really sick most of the day so I had to stick to the room, drinking water and eating a few bananas and some boiled rice. Thankfully the weather continued to be terrible with continual torrential rain all day until around 6pm so I didn't feel to sad about being stuck in the room.

The boys went for a very wet walk to the Ganges which I don't think was particularly enjoyable as the infrastructure in India is really not made for rain so the sewers overspill, the roads become muddy and quite honestly 'shitty' making it very difficult to walk around.

For diner we found a cafe (Aashish cafe on Assih Ghat) where I had a vegetable Soup and some lovely brown bread while the boys enjoyed Pizza.

Day 3

Today, all feeling better we got up for breakfast before going on a tuk tuk tour of the city's temples. We headed to some fairly new temples first; The Shiva Temple inside of the Banaras university, followed by the Rama temple (Both only 15-20yrs old). We then went to the monkey temple, the Durga temple (350yrs) and then the old Shiva temple, which is actually around 2000 yrs old.

After this we were taken to the Mughal area, this is where the majority of the cities muslim people live and there is a very active silk industry here. We were able to see how silk is made with the different looms and how patterns are made using cards with dots on! We were then taken to the place where they then export all of the finished products and fell in love with some gorgeous bed covers/throws. We really could have blown our entire budget in that one shop!!!

For dinner we headed to Pizzeria Vaatika Cafe as we felt it necessary to stay on the western food to keep my stomach happy. I was so happy to have pizza and then I even followed it with apple pie - and good apple pie it was!

Day 4

We started the day with a walking tour organised by our guesthouse. It was great walking along the ghat hearing about the history and culture that makes it such a sacred place. We then sat next to a temple at the burning ghat and were able to witness some burning ceremonies. Its important to note here that you are NOT under any circumstances able to take pictures. It is incredibly disrespectful and it is likely that if caught, on top of the verbal abuse you are likely to receive. It is also common that people will try and bribe you. It was very moving watching the ceremony that is steeped in such long standing traditions.

Following on from this we walked through the windy cobbled old town, taking in the sights and smells as well as visiting a couple of temples.

After the walking tour myself and gary did a little souvenir shopping before heading back to the guest house for a simple dinner.

At 5.30 (its pictch black by this point) we took a boat (100rs each) onto the ganges to get the best view of the Aarti ceremony. It happens every evening (weather permitting) at around 6pm and was really lovely to watch. Aarti is a Hindu fire ceremony performed by Brahmin disciples to honor the holy river, Gods and deities.

We then had to get our stuff together ready to catch the infamous varanssi to kathmandu bus!!!