12 Nov TUES. Varanasi mid morning

After breakfast we set out to meet Sunil, the owner of the boat company who we'd organised a 4 hour row boat trip with.   As previously mentioned, he contacted us to say that the Govt has apparently banned row boats from the ceremony this evening allowing only motor boats to use the river.   So we needed to get our £40 deposit back.

Sunil tried to interest us in a motor boat trip but it would have meant being with the people from the other 5 row boats he'd had to cancel and we didn't want to be part of a large group.   Actually, having spent a bit of time here I'm now pleased we didn't get the boat trip.  It would be nice to view the ceremony(ies) from the river but I think taking photos from a moving boat at dusk wouldn't have been very successful.   Our camera skills aren't up to getting good shots in poor light.

The numbers of devotees had swelled considerably since our earlier walk and in places (near the temples especially) it was unpleasantly crowded.

Hundreds of people were bathing in the river and then hanging up dripping wet clothes to dry so the paving slabs were muddy and slippery. 

We took lots more pictures then took a break for chai ... we'd had chai from this man earlier in the morning and he remembered us and offered us a 'seat' out of the hot sun ... sadly it was out of the sun but in direct line of the pigeons so both David and I got sh*t on.     The Indians thought this was funny and told us it meant good luck ... not our opinion but each to their own.    We've noticed in other Indian cities that people put seed out for pigeons and I think its considered a good thing to do (karma).

He asked for his photo to be taken with the guy manning the flower garland stall next to him - he said this was his Dad but we're not sure if he was joking.   They were good fun anyway and the chai was good!

Its a real holiday atmosphere in Varanasi and the food stalls are doing a great trade

Wet clothes hanging anywhere there's a space

Floral offerings for the Goddess Ganges .... mostly marigolds

Many people wade into the water, hold their noses and dunk themselves.   Others stand waist deep in the water and use vessels to pour river water over their heads - some, like this guy, go the whole hog and just 'go for it'



I don't think I'd even want to dunk my big toe in the river water although it really wasn't as dirty and contaminated as we'd expected.   Most of the stuff floating on the water was offerings of flowers or candles.

We saw lots of people washing their hair and their clothes in the river and they were using plenty of shampoo/soap so its a real chemical mix I'd guess ... plus the unsanitary bits!

The Ghats were cleaned regularly by sweeping ladies, or guys with two large squares of cardboard with which they scooped up rubbish and put it into bins they carried. 

Not sure she is taking this 'sin cleansing' dip seriously enough

I had to stalk this guy for quite a way as there were so many people around I kept getting photo bombed.  He was a strange character.     There are a lot of wild monkeys around and they're a nuisance (we watched them cause havoc on the outside terrace of our rooftop restaurant/bar when 4 of them had a rough and tumble - they sent chairs flying and ripped out some of the 'fairy lights')

I assume these are tame monkeys

It began to get too crowded and claustrophobic for us and it was also very hot/humid.   So we headed back to our hotel and BEER!