Tales from the Trail

Well after the tranquility of Rishikesh, I headed back to Indian chaos, this time in Varanasi. Like much of India, I found Varanasi to be full of contrasts. It it the holiest city in for Hindus, and once again on the banks of the Ganga (the Ganges).

The main feature is the bathing and 2 burning ghats which stretch for over a kilometre on the bank of the Ganga. Like elsewhere in tourist areas, the touts are uncompromising, offering boatrides, massages, shaving, flower and candle offering to float in the Ganga as well as the usual postcards etc. Once again the cows take priority over human traffic.

Once I settled in, I was able to look beyond these challenges which have become part of everyday life here. I was also able to find some peaceful moments – a chilly dawn sunrise boat ride, although as it is winter here, there was no sun to be seen, but plenty of atmospheric mist rose up from the water. I also managed some quite time by the river, watching the children fly their kites, playing cricket and the glow of the candles floating down the river after sunset.

One of the most interesting and confronting aspects of Varanasi is the burning ghats. The deceased bodies are brought to the ganges for burning, some travelling by train from miles away for their final rights. I actually found the whole experience quite serene and comforting. I’m really glad that I got to witness this different way of treating the deceased. Out of respect I didn’t take any photos of the the burning ghat (apart from the distance of the dawn boat ride), so I thought I’d share with you what I saw….

Walking towards the main burning ghat, I see the smoke rising before I get close. I walk past vast piles of wood of different thickness. Large old metal scales are waiting, like they have been for so many years before, to carefully calculate the correct amount of wood required to burn the body. I walk up the side of the ghat, past more piles of wood, more than five times my height, and from a balcony, look down at the scene below. There are about 8 fires burning, some just starting, others raging, and some just smouldering. There are men – all men, family and friends, watching or helping with the proceedings. There is a sudden loud chanting – more like football team supporters than a religious chant, and from below the balcony, I see four men carry a body wrapped in glittering gold and red cloth, while others follow after. They navigate past the crowd, past the dogs and cows, and make their way down to the edge of the Ganges. Wading into the murky water, they fully immerse the the body in the river. The body is then placed in a queue on the ground, waiting for the next available fire. The pyre is prepared by one of the lowest casts in India, and they prepare the wood for the body. Four family members then place the body on the wood pile. Some of the bodies are just covered in plastic, and I saw red blood through the plastic. The final pieces of wood were then placed over the body. One of the family members is chosen to light the fire. They stand out because their heads are shaven and they are wearing a simple white cloth. They hold stiff reeds in their hands, and hot coals from a eternal fire is placed on the reeds. They then circle the body, and when the reeds catch alight, they place the burning reeds underneath the prepared pyre.

The pyres normally burn for about three hours, after which most of the body has turned to ash, although some parts such as the chest do not burn completely. The man with the shaved head removes this part from the fire, and balancing it with two sticks, carries the remains and places it into the Ganges. When all is done, the ash is collected and removed and more workers sift though the ash in the river, similar to panning for gold. And in a way, this is what they are doing – sifting through the remains for anything that may be of value.

Up to 250 bodies can be cremated in one day at the larges ghat, and the fires after burn 24 hours a day.

The start of the pre-dawn boat ride on the Ganges. It was a very small and old wooden boat.

The burning ghat

Riverside view

Daily rituals

Morning bustle at one of the main ghats

Time for some reflection

Washing in the litter strewn river

Morning bathing. It was very cold this time of year, and yet people still bathed every morning in the dirty water

Women bathing

River scene

Boat building

Cricket on the banks of the Ganges

River scene

Chai time

Riverside ceremony

After the whirlwind trip through Rajasthan, I decided to take some other travellers advice and head to Rishikesh. I hadn’t heard of the place before, and wasn’t on my original itinerary. The only options to get there was either a 17 hour bus ride or two trains going via Delhi. I had heard a few nightmare stories of drivers on overnight buses being drunk, so it was a 11 hour overnight train to Delhi and then another 7 hour train ride to Rishikesh. I made the most of the one day in Delhi and saw a couple of sights that I missed out on the first time.

My first long haul train ride. I splurge out on a first class ticket, which is a compartment with only 2 bunk beds. Only trouble was there was a guy below me who started to talk to himself within five minutes of getting on the train. I was thankful when he fell asleep, but not for long as the talking was replaced with loud snoring. Needless to say I didn’t get much sleep. In the morning the snoring was abrubtly replaced with several loud curry induced farts. I was relieved to arrive in Delhi.

The Qutb complex. The main feature is the Qutb Minar – the tallest brick minaret in the world. Construction began in 1192, but took several centuries to complete. It was stuck a couple of times by lightning during construction and also damaged by an earthquake.

A close-up of the Qutb Minar

Inscriptions near the base of the Qutb Minar

An ornate doomed roof

The site also contains ruins of a mosque as well as several other impressive buildings

The Lotus Flower temple (Bahai House of Worship). Looks suspiciously like the Sydney Opera House, but is a lotus flower rather than sails, and is lined with marble rather than ceramic tiles.

The temple from a distance

Settling in for my 7 hour train trip to Rishikesh. One class lower than the previous trip, it was nevertheless a comfortable and drama free trip.

Rishikesh. I’m quickly discovering that the different states of India often feel like different countries and Rishikesh was no exception. It’s in Northern India, adjacent to Nepal. Needless to say, it was quite cold this time of year. The touristy area is to the north of the city, in a few small villages clinging to the hills with the Ganga (Ganges River) flowing through the middle. It’s a quiet and very scenic area. It’s also a very spiritual place for Hindus, with lots of Ashrams and Sadhus (holy men). While many tourists opt to stay in an Ashram, I preferred the independence of a hotel. I ended up spending 17 days here, in a reasonable hotel with a hot shower, wifi, and a balcony with partial river views. The total cost of my stay for the 17 days was $110.

I spent my days doing yoga, meditation and learning about Ayurvedic medicine. I also enrolled in a 10 day panchakarma (detox) treatment, as well as 7 day Ayurvedic theory course.

Here are a couple of pics.

View of the Ganga and the pedestrian footbridge which links the villages.

The pedestrian footbridge – also used by motorbikes, donkeys, cows and feral monkeys

Breakfast view from one of my regular cafes

One of the many Ashrams

Another view

Goodbye Rishikesh – I’m heading south for some warmer weather, but stopping at Varanasi on the way…..

A few people have asked me if I am enjoying India. Overall, I’m enjoying it a lot more than I expected. It’s a vast, diverse country which I can only begin to tap into on one short trip. At times it can be a bit exhausting and overwhelming, but I am learning to go with the flow and have the art of haggling with the auto rickshaw drivers down to a fine art. I’ve had a mildly upset stomach for a couple of days, but nothing serious, and have stuck to vegetarian meals.

Apologies if this is too long. Best you make yourself a cup of tea and settle down with a couple of Tim Tams. Seriously though, any feedback would be appreciated.

I have spent the past 10 days or so travelling through Rajasthan – the Land of the Kings. It’s a really interesting and diverse part of India with loads of history. The region was ruled by fierce Mughal warriors, and there are impressive forts and palaces in every main city.

On the streets of Jaipur – the Pink City

More street stalls in Jaipur. There are hundreds of these stalls in every city I have visited. They are selling chewing tobacco. Needless to say what goes in has to come out, so brown spitting (and teeth) are common features in all the streets.

A window from Hawa Mahal (Palace of the Winds) to the street below

Jaipur skyline from the Hawa Mahal. In the distance is Jantar Mantar. For those who are interested, it is an observatory built in 1728 and consists of fourteen major geometric devices for measuring time, predicting eclipses, tracking stars’ location as the earth orbits around the sun and ascertaining the declinations of planets.

The upper floors of the Hawa Mahal

Artwork at the entrance to the City Palace in Jaipur

From Jaipur, I headed to Pushkar, a small town built around a holy lake. It was great to spend a few days chilling here. It was a nice change of pace, with less touts vying for your business.

The bathing ghats around the holy lake

View of Pushkar from a hillside temple. Yes Sharon Mulligan, I walked, and it was the first decent bit of exercise I had done since the Camino!

A religious procession on the streets of Pushkar

Next stop was Udaipur – the Lake City.

Lake Pichola in Udaipur with the City Palace in the background

A mobile street stall

The pathway leading to my hotel. Yep – I am still doing India on the cheap!

The view from my hotel room

An all too common sight – beautiful architecture that has seen better days

A local fruit and veg market in Udaipur

For the man or woman who thought they had everything they needed – a shop selling glasses and second hand dentures

Udaipur from the City Palace

For my last stop on the Rajasthan express, it was off to Jodipur – the Blue City

The view from my hotel terrace of the Mehrangarh Fort – the most impressive fort that I have seen in India. Construction began in 1459 but most of it was built during the 17th century.

One side of the imposing fort structure

One of the main sets of gates. The metal spikes were to prevent enemy elephants ramming the gates

Some of the intricate architecture inside the fort

Inside one of the reception rooms

The detailed stone lattice work was to allow the women of the fort to look down to the courtyards. They were forbidden to be seen in most areas, apart from those designated to them.

View of Jodhpur from the fort – it really is blue

Just in case you have forgotten what I look like

Well I have been in India just over a week now, after flying in from Thailand on Christmas Day. It’s taken me quite a few years to build up the courage to visit India and so the day of reckoning finally arrived. India was everything I was expecting and more – chaotic, colourful, crazy, contradictory….. quite the sea of humanity. It has been exhausting and testing at times, but also very beautiful and rewarding. In general, the people here are really friendly and generous. Anyway, it’s early days with so many more adventures to come. Here are a few pics of what I have seen so far.

The streets of Delhi, just around the corner from my hotel. Despite the noise, pollution, rubbish and chaos, I really enjoyed Delhi. I guess everything was so new and I was ready to take it all in.

The Red Fort – Delhi

Inside a Sikh temple

Chai time! Have been really enjoying the local chai, and a great place to stop and have a chat with the locals.

Street stall

Just chillin’ – Delhi style

Delhi colour

Just one more thing to dodge

A bit of Indian colour and movement

Off to Agra. The view from the rooftop terrace. Unfortunately the weather was misty and overcast for the 3 days that I was in Agra, so not blue sky photos of the Taj. And it was cold – really cold. Had to invest in a winter jacket and thermal pants.

Agra Fort

Agra Fort

Agra Fort

New Years Eve Indian style. Ended up being quite a fun night.

Fireworks from the rooftops for New Year. Thankfully health and safety concerns not yet too much of an issue here. Agra was also my first experience in a $8 a night hotel. Well you do get what you pay for. Despite the power cuts and mould, the room was liveable although the funniest thing was getting wet socks the first time I cleaned my teeth in the bathroom – the outlet pipe ran directly from the bathroom sink onto the floor.

Despite having seen so many photos, the taj is still really impressive up close, especially all the detail in the craftsmanship.