It's not our place

 

One of the must see's in Varanasi is to go along the Ganges at dawn, to see all the devout start their day with a refreshing dip in the river. Given the high level of pollution there although I would love to have my sins washed away, however it's a health hazard, so I'll just watch from the boat. As the Prime Minister is from here there have been good improvements over the last few years and a new dawn arti is now performers at Assi Ghat, at the end of the ghats to the south. It was well worth leaving at 4am to take a boat along the river as the city slowly woke up, and then see sunrise behind the arti ceremony. I was on a shared boat with the hotel and when we went to sit down the German woman resisted sitting at the front, saying 'it's not our place'. It's so interesting meeting new people and sharing experiences and plans. I always love to sit near the action ( apart from stand up comedy, when you are more likely to be picked on!). So it's great to have someone's else's take on the situation. What did I do? I sat in the middle then got up to go to the side to take photos. 

Then afterwards I meet Sonu, our guide from the Sunderbans and we walk along the ghats back to Assi Ghat for much needed refreshments and shelter from the 40 degree heat. It's great to have friends in India! 

The best Lassi in Varanasi

It's my fourth time to visit Varanasi, some say never go back to places that you have already visited, but this place is like no where else on earth. It is full of life, death, spiritually and is an assault on all the senses. In the narrow street by the ghats you jostle with cows, monkeys, funeral prosessions and motorbikes, so you always need to keep your whits about you. There the most incredible lassi shop that's been passed on from generation to generation found in the backstreets. The Blue Lassi Shop takes the most care and attention to prepare your lassi, and it is well worth the wait. And the shop is on the route to the main burning ghat, so it not for the fainthearted, as the all male chanting processions carry the bodies on bamboo stretchers though these narrow passageways.

The inconvenience is deeply regretted

There's always quite a lot of confusion at train stations, last minute platform changes, where's your carriage going to be, as the air conditioned carriages are sometimes towards the front or back of the train. But the biggest issue is any delays, unless you are at the beginning of the route, these trains travel enormous distances, picking up delays along the way. The longest I've had to wait one night was three long hours, so there was nothing so bad this trip, but you are serenaded at every station by the same recorded woman's voice used to make the train announcements. Funny as women are seldom seen or heard at the forefront of things, so her calm tone of announcing a delay, but then following with 'the inconvenience is deeply regretted' makes it easier to bear. 

He's a dirty man

In India you are never alone, there's always someone who is starring at you, or begging, or trying to talk with you. When it gets difficult is when  the following and the starring takes on another level. At the Lucknow Residency famed for the siege of 1857, we too we under siege from a creepy guy who just followed us and was rubbing himself, so I reported it to the stewards, who through 'lost in translation' initially thought I was asking for directions to the toilet! We point out the guy and they take him away, and we carry on looking round. Then when we leave they get him to apologise to us, which I block, not so interested as he knows this is wrong, then the tourist police say he is a dirty man and will hand him over to the police. What will happen to him I don't know!  

Then hilariously they ask us to fill out the visitors book, to which I write 'a very interesting visit' 

Lucknow cuisine

Before I left I saw an episode of a Rick Stein in India, and a whole programme was dedicated to the cuisine of Lucknow. From the vegetarian options of previous destinations here you eat wonderful rich Narwab cuisine, and drink! So we treat ourselves and head to a roof top restaurant at Clarkes Hotel, and have our first taste of Lucknow kebab, and it just melts in your mouth, amazing! Then we have the wonder light desert, that is served on the streets and covered with edible silver paper. On the last night of our travels together we make a reservation and head to the Exquisite Taj hotel. We have a beautiful three course meal, mojitos and toast another wonderful trip. 

Holy waters

Our journey through Uttar Pradesh takes in some of the most Holy sites in India, here in Allahabad the Ganges meets the Yamuna, two of the holiest rivers in India. Here pilgrims take boats to the rivers joining point and bathe, whilst we dip our toes in. Joyous devotees chat and smile, full of joy at being here at the holy Sangem. It's hard to imagine how in the Kumbh Mela this city hosts almost 100 million people! We then leave our boat and head to the fort, which is occupied almost entirely by the army, but you can visit the underground temple. Wanting to head to the ghats, we start walking, but soon grow tired, as the heat has definitely risen. We flag a rickshaw, and two motorbike riders stops to help. Soon we are on the back of their bikes, and at the ghats, our chosen destination.    They come back to drop us back into town, pleased that we are enjoying their city. They are both advocates, well educated and very polite, and it's great to have bumped into them. When we leave they both come to the station to see us off, an unexpected treat!

Beer and meat

Our next stop is Allahabad, and being in a larger town gives us more options. We have been on a vegetarian diet for almost a week, with no opportunity to drink, as we have been in highly religious areas, with restrictions imposed. So after an long afternoon of walking round the city, we head to the Grand Continental Hotel and are treated to live Urdu music, and have the most amazing chicken and chilly potato dishes wages down with crisp cool beer. The entertainment also comes from drunk dancing customers, who are swiftly told to sit down and the police guy who takes the microphone and sings 'we don't need no education'. Only in India!

19 in a rickshaw

Early morning trains are always a pain, early starts, hotels having to unlock gates, but they are a part of the travellers lot. Mostly I take auto rickshaws alone or with friends, but it's great to mix it up and travel with more locals in shared rickshaws. So when we arrive at Chitrakoot we get chatting to an older guy sitting on the reception sofa and after asking him directions to head out on the holy walk, around the sacred hill. We joke about him joining us, and he says yes .... he works for the government in the tourist department! So we get a auto to the sacred Kamadgiri hill, where pilgrims walk along with monkey infested paves sacred path. Lord Rama spend over 11 years here in exile and Bhrama, Vishnu and Shiva took there incarnations here. Temples and shops line the paved circuit around the hill, and monkeys hang from the electricity wires, trees and fences. 

On the way back we get a shared auto with 19 of us squeezed on for the journey. A different experience than just taking one alone at ten times the price. Later that evening we head to Ram Ghat, and take a decorated boat with sofas along the river, and rabbits laze around on the boat!