Varanasi

Maybe the most important and holiest city for pilgrims since they come here to wash away their sins, to die, to be cremated and released into to the waters of The Ganges River.

I came to Varanasi with great expectations: thinking of learning tabla (a kind of drum); seeing and listening the most spiritual cerenomies. Well, now I'm glad that I'm leaving in a few hours to visit the land of Himalayas, Nepal.

I'd arrived at 04:00 AM and searched for my hotel, Vishnu Rest House (nice view, clean - but unfriendly service), recommended by a Polish couple I met before. It took nearly 1 hour of my rickshaw driver to find the place. After sleeping for a while, I threw myself on the streets of Godaulia (The Old City)and then the Dasaswamedh Ghat Rd. The unpleasant feeling inside me since my arrival had been growing with each step. 30 min. walk outside Godaulia was just enough for me to turn back to Godaulia, where I felt safe and away from chaos. It was really like a hell; for the first time I hadn't enjoyed my first day walk. Maybe the reason was the fact that changing cities/towns permanently makes it much harder to adjust yourself to the new place after a while. I had to give some time and chance to Varanasi.



Well, my feelings didn't change; in fact maybe worse than before. I didn't like the local people. I didn't like the young male adults, drank bhang lassi (heavy drug in the form of lassi-very similar to 'ayran' in Turkey), yelling and dancing during the end of Durga Festival (important religious festival), harassing the foreigners (rarely!. And I couldn't have stood more to see the dogs lonely, ignored, injured by other dogs and mostly lying in the corner of the roads-looking for a safe place. Maybe the reason is people I met, maybe the way I see things and maybe the things I experienced before. But anyway since this is my story...

Certainly, lots of people love the city. It gives lots of options to learn how to play Indian music, to yoga and all other things specific to the local culture. You may surely like her.

Three things happened to me that I will remember nicely. The first one is my first
haircut experience in India. It's really hard to find a barber shop with a electrical razor; it took my 1,5 hour to shorten my hair and mustache in the shop I found since the machine was from ancient centuries:)Painful, but funny... The second
one is the cafe, which is my favourite spot in Varanasi, named Lotus Lounge (below photo is my view from there). A teaser for the upcoming Goa...I had visited 6-7 times in 4 days. The owner, Mr. Atul, also has another restaurant in Goa; managing with his European wife.



Starting with a train travel to Gorakphur, my journey to Nepal will start tonight, accompanied by 3 Argentinians. They're the number 3. Two of them had been in Turkey for a while before coming to India and loved her. This might be the reason why we're getting along so well together with all our similarities in country basis. Probably Lumbini, a small village where Buddha was born in 563 BC, will be my next destination. I hope I could erase the unpleasant expression of my face there.

I'm sorry I could not upload the photos, it's difficult in Varanasi. In fact nothing too nice as my time in here.

See you soon,