Second stop: Varanasi.

Let’s just say that at this stage I was so out of it that I thought I was perfectly normal. In actuality I think the onslaught of India had melted my brain into a pot of ghee.

I arrived on a train straight from Kolkata, but 5 hours late thanks to some random middle of nowhere stops. After a whole night and  day on the train you better believe I was happy to be free of its icily air-conditioned shackles, and be out in the bustling crazy reality of Varanasi train station. Yep, I was so excited by that prospect that I approached the first Westerners that I spotted on the platform. Lucky for me they turned out to be awesome Australians who I’d run into again later on.

But back to Varanasi. Holy city. Pilgims bathing in the Ganges. Cows everywhere. I had prepared myself for a total onslaught of every sense and was rewarded with a town that was tamer than imagined. See, visiting in the low season can have it’s benefits. It may be ridiculously hot, restaurants and guest houses might be closed for the summer, but it seems that some of the touts take a holiday too!

There is something about Varanasi that I just loved. The city has a wonderful feeling that I can’t quite pinpoint. There’s a strange new sight around every corner, like a man blessing himself with a shitty cows tail. Just because you don’t understand it doesn’t make it wrong. A weird cafe run by three very attentive young Japanese women. Early morning walks. Dawn boat rides. Getting lost in tiny alleys and stumbling across yet another temple. I left Varanasi feeling much more comfortable with India, thankfully.

Way more photos on flickr.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, August 11th, 2010 at 5:24 am and is filed under Uncategorized.