Retired Nomads - Part 2 : Varanasi, India - Dawn Boat Ride on the Ganges & Old City Walk & Buddhist Trail & Sarnath

Varanasi, India - A.M.

I will split this into 2 posts as well. We essentially did 2 days' worth of touring in 1 long day.

Our guide, Pawan met us and it’s still dark, and it was quieter and not congested as we walked the same small street to get to the van to get us closer to where we would board our boat for our ride on the Ganges. Driver was Rashid.

We got out and walked and he found a rowboat for our peaceful ride. He said the motorized ones were too loud to fully enjoy the ambiance. We each bought a floating candle to float on the river in remembrance of our special loved ones who have passed.

We went from Dasashwamedh Ghat to Manikarnika Ghat. During the ride, our guide told us about the history of Varanasi, explained the morning rituals in the city and the special features of the various ghats that we passed along the way.

He explained the buildings to us and pointed out the people swimming and bathing in the holy water of the Ganga. It really was a surreal and moving experience. You could see and feel what a religious experience this was for the Indians who came here on maybe a once in a lifetime pilgrimage to the Ganges River.

We went by the huge furnace area where they burn the bodies. On the way back we floated our candles, and it was quite a moving experience. The guide was relating losing his mother and we were all crying remembering our lost loved ones. The sunrise was awesome and really set the mood for our morning.

The guide was starting to rub a few of us the wrong way. It was hard to take photos as his hand was always in the way. At one point he actually moved the chair he was sitting on right in front of Greg. He asked him to move, and he did. He would say he wasn't going to talk too much but continued to talk.

people spent the night by the river

boy that sold us the flower candles

Tom & Cathy

our row boat driver

wood stacked at a smaller furnace in another ghat where they burn the bodies

this looks like a painting, but it was a real man

almost at the turn around point

getting ready to float our candles

not a dry eye in the boat as we did this

our candles floating away

ashes burning

only ashes being cleaned up in the day time

lots of wood being delivered and stacked

ashes

camels across the river

After the boat ride we went for a walk before returning to the hotel for breakfast and a shower.

We stopped by Manikarnika Kund, a small sacred water-tank. From Manikarnika, we walked through narrow lanes, into the very heart of the city, towards Varanasi’s most famous pilgrimage site, the Kashi Vishwanath Temple (Golden Temple). The lanes on the way were dotted with small shrines, residences, teashops and lodgings for pilgrims.

After about a 45-minute walk, we arrived at the Golden Temple. We visited the Kashi Vishwanath as well as the Annpurna Temple. We stopped at a tea & spice shop and had some Masala Tea which was hot and wonderful.

waking to our hotel

It was an adequate breakfast at the hotel, and they brought out fresh banana pancakes while we ate. We tried lassi which is a blend of yogurt, water, spices and fruit. After showering we set out for the rest of the day.

breakfast - love the crispy happy potatoes

dining room

Ganges from our hotel window

We set out for Sarnath where the guide got annoying fast. We had about a half an hour to the site, and he waits until we get there to talk for about that long explaining the birthplace of Hindi. We get out of the vehicle and stand under a tree for shade. Then he insists that we all stand in front of him so he can make eye contact, so essentially, we are now partly in the sun. It’s hard to stand that long in one place and we were antsy and walking around trying to ease our feet or backs and tried to take a photo and were told there would be plenty of time later for that. He continues to drone on like we are history students. He explained nothing about what we were seeing. Mainly it was the history of Hindi. Finally, we were set loose on our own and luckily there were plaques explaining what we were seeing. Sadly, by that time we were kind of "over" caring about what we were seeing. Seems he could have done his lecture on the bus ride there.

Sarnath (along with Bodhgaya and Kushinagar in India and Lumbini in Nepal) is one of the four most important Buddhist pilgrimage destinations in the world. It has special significance because it's the place where the Buddha gave his first sermon. Turkish Muslim invaders arrived in the 12th century and destroyed much of Sarnath and many other Buddhist sites in North India. So, we were seeing the remains and it really was interesting to see.

Cathy & me walking through the alley

in the vehicle

we stopped to see the art of weaving

their work was beautiful

back in the vehicle

arrival at Sarnath

We left there and walked to the museum and there were people selling things, but he marched us quickly past. Tom and Cathy stopped, and I went back to join them when he hustled us away. I know he was trying to show us as much as possible in our short time we had, but shopping on the street is part of the experience for us.

Next, we visited the Sarnath Pilar Archeology Museum which contains important findings from the excavations of the site.

After visiting the museum, we went to visit the 80 ft tall Buddha which is India's tallest standing statue of Lord Buddha. There were some Indian ladies there that wanted Cathy & me to pose in photos with them. It's not uncommon when traveling to have the locals want photos of you. Possibly the blonde hair and Cathy is tall. Though, last time in Mumbai, a couple of guys wanted Greg's photo with them. We had fun posing with the ladies. One of them was arranging us by the colors we were wearing.

After the last stop I asked if we could do some shopping like for a magnet and small souvenirs hoping we would go to a street market, but we were taken to a shop that sold mostly "high-end" stuff. Only one magnet said Varanasi (which I got) and the shop owner kept pushing Taj Mahal ones. I did pick up a small statue of Lord Ganesh and I think Cathy bought a colorful peacock.

We did stop for lunch before shopping. We enjoyed the food, and it was nice to take a break and relax. After the shopping we didn't have time to go back to the hotel for a rest as it was time for our evening bazaar walk.