Auli -> Rishikesh -> Corbett National Park -> Varanasi -> Agra
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During one of my many strolls on the ghats in Varanasi, I was sitting in a corner, camera in hand and looking for anything that could be interesting. Some one walked in and sat next to me. He started a conversation in broken English and hurled many questions at me at once! He wanted to know many things – like where am I from, was my camera Japanese, how much did I pay for it, etc. He did not look very friendly but I answered him anyway. He wanted to have a look through the viewfinder, which he did. He wanted to have a good look at the other bank, which was too far.
“I can’t see the east bank properly in this,” he said.
“Yes, it is too far,” he replied, “You won’t be able to see the other end well,”
He did not seem to be satisfied with my answer.
He bursted out – “A camera, which can’t help you see the other side is useless crap!” Bekaar is the word he used for it.
I am not sure if he wanted to annoy me or pick up a fight, but if that was the intent, he had picked up the wrong man. So far I had given terse answers to his questions, but this remark made me smile. I told him I could not afford anything better than this. He insisted again that my camera is crap, and seemed to be intrigued by the fact that I am still smiling. He then cut short with the tangential conversation and got down to business. He introduced himself and started a monologue.
“We have a silk shop near so and so ghat. We sell Benarasi silk sarees and many other artifacts. You will like them. You can come and visit us anytime…”
Saying that, he handed over his business card. I could not help but feel that he won’t go too far in his job as a salesman. I nodded silently, took the card and pocketed it. He was unsure what to say next, whether to continue talking to me or move on. To his luck, another traveller walked past, carrying some long object enveloped with a cloth cover. Our salesman sprang from his seat and rushed towards him asking what instrument was he carrying! I watched them walking together for some distance, and continued on my way!
Read more about Varanasi on paintedstork.com
* Images of Varanasi
* Travelling to Varanasi from Corbett
* Arriving at Varanasi
* Many perceptions of Varanasi
* First day at the ghats
* Boat ride on the Ganges
* An encounter on the ghats
* Photo Essay: Ganga Aarti
* Life on the ghats
* About Varanasi
With the rains subsiding and the earth still wet, it is a good time for people who are looking for a weekend break and would like to get out of the city. This is a time when the rivers are still full of water, the forests and hills are green and everything looks beautiful. If you are wondering where to go, here is a list of places you can read about on India Travel Blog.
DAY-TRIP, LEISURE, PICNIC
1. Muthyala Maduvu or pearl valley
2. A morning in Nandi Hills
3. Muthathi
4. Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary
5. Sangama, Mekedatu and Chunchi falls
6. Shivanasamudra – Gaganachukki and Bharachukki waterfalls
7. Talkad
8. Balmuri Falls
9. Hogenakkal
10. KRS dam and Brindavan gardens
11. Melukote
12. Manchanabele
13. Devarayanadurga
14. Madhugiri Fort
TREKKING
1. Hiking in Brahmagiri Wildlife Sanctuary
2. Trekking on the railway tracks to Yedakumari between Sakaleshapura and Subrahmanya
3. Bandipur National Park
NATURE, WILDLIFE
1. Driving to Coorg
2. Driving in rain: Jog falls, Karwar, Kali and Goa
3. Mullayyanagiri and Charmadi, Chickmagalur, in the monsoon
4. Bandipur National Park
5. Bhadra wildlife Sanctuary: Muthodi
6. A birding trip to Wayanad, Kerala
7. Dandeli: Wilderness and adventure
LEISURE, HISTORY, CULTURE AND MORE
1. Driving from Bangalore to Goa via Jog and Murdeshwara
2. Hampi
3. Belur and Halebeedu
4. Melukote
5. Gokarna
6. Badami and Banashankari
7. Aihole
8. Pattadakal
9. Mahakoota
10. Lepakshi
Auli -> Rishikesh -> Corbett National Park -> Varanasi -> Agra
+Previous: First day at the ghats
+Next: At the ghats: bumping into a salesman!
+Go to beginning of the series
On my second day in the city, I woke up early to take the famed early morning boat ride on the Ganga. I walked down to Assi ghat at 5.30 in the morning. There were already many people next to the river. Scouting around a bit, I found a bunch of boatmen waiting for customers. After a short discussion with themselves about who should get me, one of them started a conversation with me. He started in Hindi, but he did not seem to be appealed by my broken Hindi and decided to speak broken English instead! Being my first boat ride here, I did not know much about the place but my guidebook had given me an idea of the prices.
At first, I said vaguely –
‘I want to go till the other end and come back’
‘That will take four hours. At Rs.150 per hour, it will be Rs.600,’ he replied.
The numbers looked way too high. And I did not want a four-hour ride anyway.
‘Not for four hours. Let’s only make it two hours. One hour for going and one hour coming’
‘Okay, I will take you up to Manikarnika ghat. That will be one hour from here. Rs.300 for two hours’
We haggled a bit. My guidebook suggested a price of Rs.60 per hour and he was way off that mark. Finally he agreed for Rs.150 for two hours and we got on to the boat.
During the early morning boat ride
It was just before dawn and the east was turning from dark to orange. There was some activity on the ghats but very few boats on the river. As we moved into the middle of the river, I noticed a kid with a small boat that was just big enough to fit him in. He rowed towards us and I watched him wondering what is he up to. He came close to us, nearly touching our boat and asked if I would like to buy ‘deep’. I was mighty impressed with his entrepreneurship and dedication to work. Later while we were coming back, I saw a couple of bigger boat where they hooked on to tourist boats and sold small statues and other souvenirs.
A view of the ghats
Sunrise over the Ganges was beautiful. As the sun moved upwards, more and more people walked on the ghats to have a dip in the Ganges, pray to sun god and perform morning meditations. Groups of men and woman walked into the river, took the customary holy dip, murmured prayers and climbed back up. Yogis sat cross-legged with rudraksha mala. Men and women squatted with eyes closed and hands held together in prayer. The ghats were live with activity.
A hermit in prayer
women praying…
Ganga looked calm and still with little flow in this early summer. My boatman Naresh told me that she flows fast and furious in the monsoons and the water level rises much higher. Sadly, the industrial waste flowing in from Kanpur and other cities upstream ensured that the water was dark, polluted and repulsive. My dream of swimming for hours in the deep waters of the Ganga had to remain unfulfilled.
A woman praying…
After nearly two hours, we returned to Assi Ghat where I was staying. The two-hour boat ride was an excellent preview of Varanasi. I was introduced to the magical enchantment of the religious Varanasi and at the same time was subjected to the stark realities of depletion of the holy river.
Read more about Varanasi on paintedstork.com
* Images of Varanasi
* Travelling to Varanasi from Corbett
* Arriving at Varanasi
* Many perceptions of Varanasi
* First day at the ghats
* Boat ride on the Ganges
* An encounter on the ghats
* Photo Essay: Ganga Aarti
* Life on the ghats
* About Varanasi