Wednesday, after celebrating the Obama victory, we prop-jetted back to Kathmandu, enjoyed a final Nepalese dinner at the Kathmandu Guest House, and strolled the night streets of still-crazy Thamel. Thursday morning, we stimulated the local economy, buying several Everest and Kala Pattar patches, a poster, and having the Buddha Eyes embroidered on our light jackets. Vicki particularly stimulated the local pashmina industry.
Air India got us to Varanasi Thursday afternoon, only an hour and a half late, but too late to see the Buddhist site of interest there (Buddha's first sermon following enlightenment, it is said), so we did the Ganges evening water program, hiring a boat to take us out to watch the assorted rituals, activities, etc., along the shore. Part of the deal is buying little flower/candle things to set adrift in the river (it is all about fire and water, visually, and the various temples, ghats, etc.). You're supposed to make a wish as you set your candle adrift. Vicki probably wished for less pain in her shoulder. I wished, fervently, not to fall in. This is also the place where they cremate the (dead) faithful and place their ashes in the holy river. (They used to deposit the (uncremated) bodies in the river but that is no longer done, except for snake-bite victims (we were told)). See illustration.
Everyone told us Nepal would be a good warm-up for India, and I can see that this is the case. Pretty much the same song as Nepal, in many ways, only many, many decibels louder and more complex. Varanasi has about 3 million people, and most of them appeared to be out Thursday evening. We spent the night at a "traditional" Indian inn, the Pallavi International Hotel, which must have been very nice at one time. Very colonial-looking. An Indian corporation now owns Jaguar and Rover, did you know?
Friday morning we did the sunrise-on-the-Ganges water program, another boat, somewhat different activities and sites. Particularly memorable were the yoga practices along the shore--groups of them--the "laughing" yoga practice, the individual holy persons worshipping and praying. Later we toured some of the "old" city, getting close to but not in a major Hindu temple. Security in India right now is really strict. We were searched and frisked three times just for the flight to Varanasi.
Our tour of Varanasi thus concluded, we jetted this afternoon on Kingfisher Airlines (actually very nice) to Khajuraho, the site of the great Indian Sex Temples. I am not quite sure why Vicki scheduled us to come here, but I look forward to seeing all these World Heritage Sites tomorrow.
Air India got us to Varanasi Thursday afternoon, only an hour and a half late, but too late to see the Buddhist site of interest there (Buddha's first sermon following enlightenment, it is said), so we did the Ganges evening water program, hiring a boat to take us out to watch the assorted rituals, activities, etc., along the shore. Part of the deal is buying little flower/candle things to set adrift in the river (it is all about fire and water, visually, and the various temples, ghats, etc.). You're supposed to make a wish as you set your candle adrift. Vicki probably wished for less pain in her shoulder. I wished, fervently, not to fall in. This is also the place where they cremate the (dead) faithful and place their ashes in the holy river. (They used to deposit the (uncremated) bodies in the river but that is no longer done, except for snake-bite victims (we were told)). See illustration.
Everyone told us Nepal would be a good warm-up for India, and I can see that this is the case. Pretty much the same song as Nepal, in many ways, only many, many decibels louder and more complex. Varanasi has about 3 million people, and most of them appeared to be out Thursday evening. We spent the night at a "traditional" Indian inn, the Pallavi International Hotel, which must have been very nice at one time. Very colonial-looking. An Indian corporation now owns Jaguar and Rover, did you know?
Friday morning we did the sunrise-on-the-Ganges water program, another boat, somewhat different activities and sites. Particularly memorable were the yoga practices along the shore--groups of them--the "laughing" yoga practice, the individual holy persons worshipping and praying. Later we toured some of the "old" city, getting close to but not in a major Hindu temple. Security in India right now is really strict. We were searched and frisked three times just for the flight to Varanasi.
Our tour of Varanasi thus concluded, we jetted this afternoon on Kingfisher Airlines (actually very nice) to Khajuraho, the site of the great Indian Sex Temples. I am not quite sure why Vicki scheduled us to come here, but I look forward to seeing all these World Heritage Sites tomorrow.
4 comments:
this reminds me of the classic scene in a "Simpsons" episode (the one where all of the jobs at Homer's nuclear plant are outsourced to India) and the ultra rich Mr Burns describes his experience of floating down the Ganges River with a bunch of corpses who he refers to as "his new chums"!
A traveling friend once sent us a postcard from the sex temples and, duh, I thought it was just a bunch of monkeys until Wes told me to take a closer look. We have laughed about that a lot!
Guys always take a close look.
Post a Comment