Holy Cowsh--!!-- by Ryan

1/11/08--in Varanasi
I say that... because after arriving in Varanasi that's exactly what Suz and I have been scraping off our shoes! (Suz came up with the title).
 
Varanasi is considered one of the most holiest places in India where people bathe and cleanse themselves in the Ganges River... and also come to get cremated when they die.  But while holy, and fascinating, the city is also crowded, chaotic, full of poverty and some might say a little on the unclean side (thus the cow poop on our shoes!)
 
We arrived in Varanasi late Thursday night (our flight was delayed), which is not a good time because the city is full of dark winding alleys, and I must admit it was a tad bit uncomfortable traversing the alleys looking for a place to stay, we settled on a budget hotel 400 Rupees... that's 10 dollars a night (if you have not figured it out yet... Suz is a hardcore traveler who could sleep on the sidewalk with a mat and rock for a pillow if she could bargain it down to under $5 bucks.)
 
The next morning... Suz decided to wake up the entire Ganges River, as we rose at 4:00 in the morning... looking for someone to take us down the river.  Let's put it this way... we were the first tourist on the Ganges, and woke up most of the holy people who were sleeping on the banks (did I mention Suz is hardcore!)
 

The 2 hour boat trip may have been one of the fascinating experiences (since waking up to watch the sunrise at Angkor Wat in Cambodia).  For a 7km stretch people come down to the banks of the Ganges and bathe and cleanse themselves in a holy spirtual ritual before sunrise.  The cremations also begin early in the morning (they actually go 24 hours a day)... and we were given a fish eyes view of the experience from the waters with our boatman Ravi... 
 
Afterwards... we made our way back to our 10 buck hotel traversing Cow dung, dog dung, cows, monkeys, moto-scooters.  I wish I had a vat of Anti-Bacterial, maybe Bryan May can lend me his for my next trip! (only the folks at news10 will get that)
 
See ya... 
 
Back to New Delhi tomorrow...
 
Ryan