Varanasi Buzz

"Hello Boat Sir?"

"Yes you come from?"

"Boat trip best price"

"You want something?"

"Boating lady?"

"Boat Trip this way"

"Very cheap boat"

"Boat trip"

"Boat Trip"

"NO!"

...Mosquito Tout, Flicked away.

Varanasi Christmas

Checking into the very obvious guide book favourite was the right move for Christmas, lots of travellers have come together here and on Christmas Eve about ten of us had a party and created a Varanassi Christmas ritual. We built a focal point using a set of Russian dolls painted as Santa, and anyting sparkly we could find, in the middle of this we placed a little wooden candle stand that said "merry christmas" in German, which Sara's aunty had given her to bring out for Christmas. Our ritual was to each light the four birthday candles in the stand, blow them out quickly and make a wish. The wish I made that was nobody would get sick though our celebrations; apart from the effects of the 8% Kingfisher beer, everyone I have seen today has been alright, wonderfully the South African guy in the room nextdoor who has been ill for two days is also better and smiling again!

Christmas day has been a really relaxed affair, I wondered the Ghats with Julian from Essex who has been cycling around the world for over a year. It was really relaxing to just wander the full length of the Ghats, stand in awe, take photos and chat in lazy English knowing you would still be understood! We are staying at the North end of the city and at the southern end we stopped for Pizza under a Christmas tree, I went all out and had extra cheese, it was delicious although the beer last night followed by the pizza today has bloated me to excess and its a bit uncomfortable! In fact that could also be because I have eaten 3 times today and we are probably going to eat again later once a few of us have been to the train station to get our onward journeys arranged. Varanassi has served up probably my most enjoyable day in India so far, so a fitting Christmas day far far away.

I feel Happy!

Burning

Tonight I had my first view of the ritual burning of the dead on the Varanssi ghats.

There were 22 bodies and family groups in sight during the time we were standing there at just one ghat at 8.30 in the evening. There are ghats (broad stairways littered with temples) all along Varanassi's banks down to the Ganges where it is a great honour to be cremated.

I have just walked amongst families weighing dried wood on giant scales to buy and build a pire for their loved-one and then watched as others made final preparations by having the body placed upon the pire and adorning it with gifts of biscuits and sweet smelling spices and foods. The bodies are shrouded in white silk which when a pire is lit, burns very quickly revealing the body beneath. 

There were a few macabre silhouettes but fundamentally I was not revolted, afraid or especially moved. My companion who has been here before felt great compassion for the grieving families but I struggled with this as they (99% male) seemed as emotionless as the men standing in the aisle of the bus, some were on their mobile phones and one even took a photo of his loved one's lifeless face before the pire was lit. I am not sure what to make of it other than my regular pragmatism which says that this is just what they do here. I'll go back tomorrow and see if things change ...happy Christmas folks.