Heaven and Hell


After a fine breakfast of,unsurprisingly, masala dosa we meet our guide for a walking tour of the back streets of Varanasi. Much of the time is spent dodging various dung piles, motor bikes and cows in narrow alleyways.We stop at various times and look in at various temples; we have become big fans of Ganesha and Shiva and have put them into the top 1 million of our favourite Hindu gods. Apparently we are now living in the age of Shiva, which turns out not to be a good thing.















We stop of at the iconic Blue Lassie bar for absolutely delicious lassi-shake made using spotless hygienic techniques; they are served in disposable terracotta mugs.




Every now and then there is a hub-bub on the streets as a dead body is being carried through the street on a stretcher. The tour ends with a bicycle rickshaw ride down the busy main thoroughfare; we  are impressed by the strength of the 40kg driver as he hauls a couple of lard-asses around; a definite contender for the polka dot jersey next year.
The afternoon is free so we wander along the waterfront and observe do a bit of sadhu sightseeing








and end up at the cremation site on the river which is like a scene from hell. Bodies are brought down to the river and immersed and then placed on a pile of logs and incinerated before your eyes; all around there are the usual pile of rubbish, cows and dogs. Smoke is pervasive and it is an image we will never forget.



In the evening we take a boat cruise where we get a ringside seat at the evening ceremony performed by the local group, Harry Krishna and the Vishnu All Stars.



Why can't they bring back Kylie Minogue?
At dinner we are served illegal beer at an immoral price accompanied by the delicate aroma of smoke wafting over from the cremation site.

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