Alright guys it is our second last destination here in India.
We have finally made it to Varanasi (वाराणसी) and this is our first morning exploring the
ghats.
Yeah and this is one of the must visit destinations that we planed in our itinerary.
I visited back in 2010 and it is a fascinating place to visit.
It is the kind of place where you don't really have a set schedule you just kind of wander
around the ghats and take it all in.
And at different times of day there is different types of things happening.
So it is one of those places that you just return to all throughout the day and something
fascinating is always going on here.
Yeah and I mean we've been here in the morning for just maybe a little under an hour and
we have seen so much already.
There is people doing laundry, there is like people having their breakfast, there is goats
wandering around.
There is people bathing in the Ganges.
People are bathing.
There burning ghats are already are happening.
People are being cremated basically so there is a lot going on and it is just a lot to
take in so it is the kind of place where you stroll around slowly and you stop frequently.
Ghats is the word used to describe the steps that lead down to the river’s edge.
There are a total of 87 ghats in Varanasi (वाराणसी), some bigger than
others, but we just focused on a handful, starting at Dashashwamedh Ghat (दशाश्वमेध
घाट) and working our way down.
Along the way we saw former palaces built by royal families, cheap guesthouses that
cater to backpackers, and plenty of temples.
So when we were in Agra a few days ago I overheard a few girls saying how they had been in Varanasi
(وارانسی) and they refused to get any laundry done because they saw people doing
laundry on the Ganges river.
And I thought okay they are probably exaggerating.
That doesn't actually happen.
But now we're out here and we're seeing hotel bed sheets and hotel towels being washed by
hand in the river and I have to say I'm kind of horrified.
I probably will not be handing in any laundry while I'm here.
Just a bit further downstream we came to Manikarnika Ghat (मणिकर्णिका घाट),
also known as the Burning Ghat, where bodies are cremated.
Hindus believe that cremation on the banks of the Ganges River can break the cycle of
reincarnation, which is why many choose to die here.
If you decide to visit the Burning Ghat, be aware that camera use is not allowed and you’ll
have to keep your distance.
As lively as the Ganges is by day, we also made time to visit by night so we could watch
the Ganga Aarti ceremony (श्री गंगा आरती).
This is a fire worship ceremony that takes place at Dashashwamedh Ghat (दशाश्वमेध
घाट), with lots of singing, chanting, burning candles and billowing incense.
You can watch the ceremony from the steps or aboard the boats for a small fee, but either
way, you’ll want to arrive early to claim a spot as it gets very busy.
Okay so we made it down to the ghats.
It looks like the ceremony is about to begin.
But we got Sam's parents some seats up on a balcony by the temple so they're going to
get great views.
They're like VIP seats.
We paid 50 Rupees each.
50 Rupees and we're going to run around and film like crazy.
So see you in a bit.
Sam are you dancing with them?
(Singing and dance music)
So one of my favorite things to do here in Varanasi (वाराणसी) is just wander
around like go exploring through the old town is just like a labyrinth, it is like a maze.
There is so much people watching.
There is a lot of animals, there is a lot of cows.
There is also a lot of opportunity to shop as well so I'm going to show you some of that.
So I don't know if you guys can hear this but we're standing by the window here in our
hotel room and the honking never ends.
You know what?
I would love to just get uh a thing of popcorn and sit right down here because this is like
the best entertainment ever.
Oh my gosh.
Just outside.
It is absolute madness.
Like pan to this.
Show what is going on.
I feel like I'm slowly losing my mind.
There is honking from sun up to sun down.
It never ends.
This is probably one of the busiest like intersection roundabouts in the city because we're really
close to some of the main ghats and there is just a lot of all-kind-of-things happening
here.
I mean you see cows, you see people, you see autorickshaws.
You see peddle rickshaws.
There is vehicles.
It is absolute madness.
I'm going to go down on street level and capture some of that for you.
Yeah, and Sam is going by himself because there is no way I'm subjecting myself to that.
It is a solo mission.
Solo mission.
Bye.
(Street noises and honking)
Ah, no thank you.
Oh my gosh that cow is still there.
This is going to be the best timelapse ever.
It has just been eating from the same thing.
You seem friendly.
Do you want little pets.
I don't have food but I can give you little pets.
Hello cow.
Hello.
Lastly, it wouldn’t have been a proper trip to Varanasi (वाराणसी) without
taking a boat ride down the Ganges River.
We were up before the crack of dawn to meet our boatman, and our early morning wake up
call was rewarded with one of the best sunrises we saw in India.
So confession time.
We were the only two willing to wake up this early and get out on a boat.
So I think we deserve a few brownie points for that.
Yeah.
Huh?
Maybe even a Snickers bar.
Maybe a Snickers bar.
We bought a whole bunch of Snickers bars to take on the train later today.
So yeah, we definitely deserve this but it is pretty special moment.
Like never in my wildest dreams would I think you know the two of us would be out here in
India out on the ghats in Varanasi (وارانسی) but yet here we are.
It is pretty awesome huh?
It is really neat no matter what time of day you come down here.
There is always something going on and you know you come down at peak times you'll see
a festival.
Yeah.
Or early in the morning or late at night.
Yeah, exactly.
And we've been exploring at all times of day so this has been really cool and we're just
kind of wrapping things up here.
We've got a train to catch to Kolkata later today.
So yeah, our last time here at the ghats.
Yeah it is I'm going to be a little sad to leave them actually.
I know it has been a great experience.
And it has been really cool uh traveling with you guys too.
Yeah, well it is always special traveling with you two.
I know that.
Ah, it is like having two personal guides along at the same time.
Haha.
With a lot of knowledge.
So we're wrapping things up here in Varanasi (वाराणसी) at the train station.
We've done all of our train travel in India by trains so it is kind of appropriate that
our very last journey to Calcutta is by train.
So yeah, we're just our train has been delayed by four hours so we've just been waiting a
really long time and now we're getting ready to board.
Hopefully it is coming soon.