Having my birthday in India was a wonderful experience, it was really nice that some of my fellow volunteers could come and stay with me and join in the fun. I'm glad i have made a few Indian friends who could also attend. I was showered with gifts, flowers an amazing butterscotch cake, two new tops, I felt very lucky on the day to know such nice people.
The next day the VSO volunteers and myself headed out with our tour guide Sam for the day to finally see some of the waterfalls Jharkhand is famous for, Dassam falls, Johna falls and Hundru falls. The day was bright and sunny, I had one of my new birthday tops on, we had an A/C vehicle and a picnic packed.
We even got to see a rainbow across the waterfall at Dassam it was so beautiful.
As if this wasn't enough me and my friend Sue then headed off to find out what Varanasi was all about, a Holy city like no other. We took an over night train from Ranchi and arrived early morning. The hotel was as suggested in the lonely planet which was a relief however we had to wait 2 hours before we could access our room. I was a bit grumpy at this after an overnight sleep on a train, but recovered quickly to see what Varanasi had in store for us. Its hectic, dirty, smelly in places and very crowded, but amongst all this you see things you will never see anywhere else. Below is a picture of a man moving the cows away from the crowd just after one got a bit skittish and hurdled into a man taking him off his feet, sorry didn't get that photo! After that though cows were the new danger as packed into alleyways with people trying to find away around them.
To relax we went to the Brown Bread Bakery for some decent food and great coffee, proceeds of this venture went to a charity called learn for life school.
At night from the Dolphin restaurant the view of the boats gathering to view the Puja's taking place.
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| Ferryboat across River Ganges |
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| Alleyways in varanasi |
The best thing about Varanasi is the boat trips on the Ganges we did very well in our negotiations now experts from our time in India and managed 3 tours, one to transport us across the river with the locals, another to bring us down the river after visiting the Ramnagar Fort and Palace and also a dawn exploration to see the burning ghats and morning bathing rituals taking place.
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| Ramnagar Fort |
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| Hotel Alka |
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| Daily washing and prayers |
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| Washing the hotel sheets |
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| Sunrise on the Ganges |
As you can see it was an experience that is hard to put into words. But im very glad I have been and seen such a strange, bewildering, lively and crazy place.
Stunning images, Rosie. I think this is why I loved the North despite the extreme levels of chaos.
ReplyDeleteAm I the only one to notice the irony of the "Brown Bread Bakery" considering the main purpose of the Ganges in Varanasi?
Still a vague chance I may visit India in January. I will keep you posted.
Very best wishes, Vince
Hi Vince, yes im enjoying visiting a few places while im here. Its hard to take it all in though. Its so different to anywhere ive ever been before and could ever imagine. In both good and bad ways, i think once im home i will be able to sort it all out in my head.
ReplyDeleteIt may take a while to sort out. For me, the everyday misunderstandings you describe show that culture goes really deep.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, I thought being from London you might get my "Brown Bread" reference. Never mind, comedy was never my strong point.
Keep going; well done.
We missed the Ramnagar Fort! Varanasi was quite a city, isn't it? I find it, quite, bipolar in nature. Or something. It was a different kind of experience nonetheless!
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