A very Indian experience in Varanasi

Varanasi is the most fascinating, spiritual, confusing and frustrating destination we have ever visited. Nestled on the banks of the sacred River Ganges in the north of India, a few hours’ travel east of New Delhi, Varanasi (previously Benares) claims to be the oldest continually inhabited city in the world.

Our introduction to the city was symptomatic of both its majesty and its infuriating chaos. Arriving on a short-haul flight from Delhi due to all of the trains being booked out, the first part of our journey seemed blissfully simple. We picked up a set-price taxi from Varanasi’s tiny airport into town, lounged in the back of the old but surprisingly well maintained Ambassador car, and were unceremoniously dumped at the point where the ‘new’ and ‘old’ cities meet – no motorised vehicles are allowed anywhere near the old town, in order to protect the ‘ghats’ , the various sets of riverside steps, some of which are dedicated to the cremation of dead Hindu believers (known as the ‘Burning Ghats’). Trying our best to make head or tail of the unsurprisingly useless map provided by our Lonely Planet guide, we attempted to navigate our way through the early evening throng to the tiny lane where our guest house was set.  Arriving in the middle of a Hindu festival, though colourful, loud and hypnotic did not help us in our mission to seek out our digs as we were crushed by throngs of dancing, prancing devotees.

Despite having already had a couple of weeks to acclimatise to the melee of sights, smells and sounds that is India, the culture-shock hit us badly as, laden-down with heavy rucksacks, we were buffeted left and right and accosted at every step with offers of a guide, boat trips, ‘strong ganja’, cheap rooms and cheap women (despite walking within two feet of my wife!). With any number of shopkeepers  having made it clear that they had absolutely no idea where to find our guest house, we made the cardinal error of hopping into a couple of cycle rickshaws (they couldn’t fit both of us, and our bags into the same one). On giving the address of our guest house, we found our drivers heading off in separate directions into the throng of festival goers, before meeting up again to begin an impassioned and furious argument as to who was heading up in the right direction.

We made the wise decision to scarper at this point and fortunately found ourselves under the wings of a couple of German guys who knew where our hotel was. They led us down a series of narrow pathways and lanes, dodging any number of sadhus (holy men) and holy cows until we arrived the entrance to our hotel, the lads resisting our offers of a thank-you beer and disappearing off into the surrounding lanes like a couple of teutonic travel angels. One more unpleasant surprise awaited me, as having taken Amanda’s rucksack on my front as well as my own behemoth bag on my back, I realised that I had no way of seeing where I was putting my feet and had managed to connect with a large and seemingly very fresh cow pat twenty metres from the entrance to the guest-house. Thank you Mr Cow!

Checking in with no problem and mounting the four sweaty flights of stairs to our well-appointed budget room, we made straight for the roof terrace restaurant for some much-needed Kingfisher beers and veggie curries. Taking in the sights and sounds the river, the puja ceremonies, the boisterous gangs of monkeys and the smoking funeral pyres at dusk was jaw-droppingly different and distinctly otherworldly. Of all of our travels, we have never visited such an amazingly atmospheric place, with such character and such verve. A genuine must-visit, though pack patience in vast amounts and a very open-mind.

Great things to do in Varanasi:

• Take a Ganges boat trip. Best done in the evening or early morning. The boatmen will take you along the various ghats. Not many speak a great deal of English, so unless your Hindi is up to scratch take a good guide book for commentary on what you’re seeing. Watching people swim, wash, brush their teeth and do their laundry in some of the most toxic river water in the world is extraordinary!
• Watch a Ganga aarti ceremony at Dasaswamedh ghat at dusk – beautiful lights, hypnotic music and an incredibly spiritual atmosphere, even if you’re as cynical and world-weary as they come.
• See what goes on at the burning ghats but make sure you do so from a respectful distance – the Hindu faithful are cremating their dead and you should ensure that this remains a private, family ceremony for them. Respect the dead.
• Chill out – Varanasi has some great restaurants, cafes and bakeries, most of which either have river views or rooftop restaurants – this is as good a place as any to watch the world go by.

We stayed at Ganga Fuji Home (800 Rupees/night for an air con private double) and would recommend it. We would also recommend the following places to eat/drink:

• Brown Bread Bakery - it supports a local school, runs a women’s empowerment group, uses organic produce, and refills your water bottles for you (Rs5) – the food is also brilliant.
• Dolphin restaurant - great riverside views and excellent veggie food.