13 Nov WEDS. Varanasi. Dawn (till Breakfast)

The fireworks continued into the early hours of this morning.    They weren't 'proper' fireworks, more like really loud explosions and they weren't 'official' as part of the ceremony but were being let off sporadically all over the place

So at midnight we went to bed and did our best to sleep.    I woke up at 5am this morning with the noises of early river activity but it was nowhere like as busy as yesterday.   The festival has finished and its much quieter here today.

There is a major clean up operation underway and we've both been impressed how relatively clean Varanasi is.     We'd heard all the horror stories (including Sue Perkins' TV programme) but really, apart from the usual post-festival residue of flowers, food wrappers and clay pots it isn't too bad.   The ladies with brooms were out from about 7am sweeping the rubbish into piles for collection by the rubbish men and within a couple of hours it was all looking tidy again.

They are still cleaning up after the unexpected floods last month and today there have been industrial water hoses set up throughout the area washing away all the mudbanks which had built up on the Ghats.   They are just flushing everything into the river.   

We both think that Varanasi is cleaner than Cochin in the South which is a place we love but if you visit outside 'tourist' hours when the tide is low, the water is filthy and they just don't clean up.

Generally speaking, based on our findings this trip, we think that India is gradually becoming cleaner ... obviously it has a long way to go but in the cities we've visited so far there is a huge improvement.   Prime Minister Modi's improvement plans are gradually taking hold.

We are very pleased with the location of our hotel which is centrally situated on the Ghats close to all the major action.   I took a few photos before we went for breakfast but looking directly down onto subjects isn't good ... there is a meeting place for worshipers/priests a few Ghats away but just a tad too far for my camera .

Anyway

Cleaning up after 'the night before' ...those brooms are very efficient

Most of the early morning noise we hear is the boats ... the oarsmen seem to chant/shout as they throw food to attract the birds

Then along came the monkeys - 4 of them.   I was enjoying my coffee on the balcony, just watching the world go by.  They aren't intimidated by humans and do what they like although they did avoid eye contact.

This one doubled back to our balcony and deliberately knocked my coffee mug off the balcony ledge and smashed it ... Luckily the hoteliers are used to these thugs and took it in their stride