After seeing Darjeeling Limited, how could I come to India and not take the train? Wednesday evening, after our drive from Agra, Jenn and I boarded the Swatantrta
Southern Express to Varanasi just after 8:30pm. We didn't really know what to expect of the night train and, additionally, since we made reservations within 48 hours of our train's departure, we were not able to book first class tickets as was suggested by some of our Indian friends. So, third tier it was. Prior to this trip I had very little knowledge of the train system; here in India, there are 8 different classes, ranging from air conditioned first class, which provides ample privacy, to unreserved seating, which basically consists of benches, the likes of which you can see on old city buses.
We were pleasantly surprised to find our car, though it had one long corridor which everyone uses for passage to the restroom, we, along with four others, had a little cubby to ourselves, with “beds” which folded down off the walls. We were provided sheets and pillows and as soon as I put my earplugs in, I was out. I slept through the night and awoke with only hour or so to kill before our train pulled into Varnasi.
We were met at the station by employees of our hotel, the Ganga Fuji home, a 5-story guest house tucked within the winding alleyways of the Old City. They put us in a pedicab, our bags at our feet, and we began, what felt like, a very, very long journey to the hotel. The sweat on our cyclists back soaked his shirt and it made me wish we took an auto rickshaw. We knew he wasn't happy and I really wanted to give him a big tip, and would have, had it not been for the hotel employees, with whom our driver began yelling when we arrived at our destination. Probably about the fat Americans and their luggage that dragged through potholes and mud in 90 degree heat – which must have been quite a sight for the locals. Not that I could tell, because they all stare at us anyway. For as many tourists that come through India, they still like to stare at and heckle...
Alas, we finally made it to the hotel and enjoyed a couple hours of quite time. We decided before even arriving in Varanasi that this would be the true vacation portion of our trip – we will sleep in, go to yoga classes, do some reading and just relax. There is not a whole lot going on in Varanasi – there are the ghats, the stairs leading down to the Ganges on which people bathe and wash clothes (and on certain ghats, perform cremation ceremonies, though we have not seen those yet), but the most interesting part about those are the people you find on them. This city is great for people-watching, but unfortunately for tourists, at least in my experience today, you get followed around by shop owners, so it doesn't seem like there is a ton of opportunity for quiet reflection. We will see how things go tomorrow when I make my way to the other ghats.
Right around sundown, we headed to the river to catch the aarti ceremony – a ritual performed by 7 Brahman, Hindu priests, during which they offer prayers to the river goddesses. You have the opportunity to buy 'lotus candles', little homemade candles in mini-muffin tins, placed in small recycled paper bowls and pink flowers, over which you make a wish, light and place in the river. It was so lovely to see all the tiny flames float out into the swirling river – definitely not something that can be captured by a camera, despite my effort. We watched the ceremony from wooden rowboats tethered to one another along the river bank. It was beautiful – they sang, played instruments, burned incense, sprinkled flower petals and lit large silver lamps.
Afterward, Jenn and I bought coconuts from the street and drank the water straight out of them. Not quite the same as my Zico from Trader Joe's but it was damn good! We got a little lost on the way back to the hotel on the dark, windy alleys, but found ourselves amidst a market catering to Indians, rather than tourists – shops with silk saris and sparkley bangles piled to the ceiling! We will definitely try to find that area again over the next couple days.
Off to bed – getting up before dawn to catch a riverboat ride and watch the sun rise over the Ganges!
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