Drinking lassi down in Varanasi
After a rather epic journey from Nepal in great company, Marine and Romain from Nice and Mikesh from NZ, encompassing bus, taxi, auto-rickshaw, train (unreserved 2nd class ie. the Indian local carriage, hard seats, no lighting and lots of curious locals) and another auto-rickshaw we reached the holy city of Varanasi on the banks of the Ganges, or Ganga as they say here. We were forewarned via Lonely Planet and fellow travellers that Varanasi would be intense. So we booked a hotel a little above our regular cheapo option: Hotel Ganges View , and very nice it was too. A proper bed and a room adorned with peacocks, lots of peacocks. Duncan likes peacocks. A lovely haven from the noise, smells, hawkers, and Delhi-belly incite-full lassis that I was to encounter. Walking along the ghats is fascinating ; a people / goat / buffalo / cow / dog / cricket match watching paradise. And then you reach the burning ghats, wood stockpiled in anticipation of the impending cremations. Appar...