We rested during the hot afternoon and gathered about 4 pm to go for a walk beside the ghats of Varanasi.
The usual cows wandering around. I've become quite used to them by now and they don't bother me.
Varanasi is also a shopping town and these plastic bottles are meant to be filled with water from the Ganges and taken home.
Happy gave us instructions to follow. Basically no photos of people bathing or being burned.
Meditation.
So first view of the Ganges (or Ganga ). It appears to be about half a mile to the other side which has a sandy bank and is relatively deserted.
Numerous boats to take people for boat rides, particularly at dawn and dusk.
The boats are of all shapes and sizes and state of repair.
Further upstram is a new bridge under construction. The pollution is so bad I was not aware of the extra bridge in the background until I played with the photo.
A helicopter flew past. The President and Opposition Leader were in town that day for political rallies.
Some sort of huge water inlet or outlet.
Waterworks.
Steep steps lead up from the ghats.
Just chillin'.
Some enterprising children had set up a toll gate with a large piece of bamboo. Happy ensure none of us paid.
No it is not Venice, though a ride here is much cheaper.
These children are being taught to become monks to serve at the ceremonies.
I have no idea what the blue towel are for. They were there the next day.
A very contented cow.
The river does flood on occasion, sometimes with high levels of water.
Boys playing cricket with a tennis ball. I wished I could have joined them.
Happy had organized this young man as our 'lead the way' person. We would need him later that night when we tried to navigate the back allies of Varanasi.
Later in the evening, this would become a ceremonial site.
Perhaps the 'on Site Technology' is paper.
More cricket.
It is a good place to hang out with a friend.
The two burning ghats were not doing too much and I did not take photos. The cost of wood is enormous so only the truly wealthy can afford it.
Look at that old iron filled with burning something.
Happy took us to the famous 'Blue Lassi'.
Mine was just stunning. Thick, unctuous and full of fruit flavour. This was the apple / banana version.
There is quite a lot and you just need one.
The tub of yogurt.
Tired dog, like me at the time.
Some of the very narrow lanes.
The lanes are a shopper's paradise.
We were taken to a merchant who tried to sell us silk stuff. All of us were too tired to be interested and most of us were bored and glad to leave.
We had dinner at a pizza place overlooking the river. They were good.
No comments:
Post a Comment