Varanasi

Varanasi is one of the worlds' olidest continually inhabited cites and is one of Hinduism's seven holy cities. The sacred Ganga (Ganges) River flows through here and people come to swim in the rivers to wash away their sins. The dead are cremated and their bones thrown into the Ganga. To die here means that you are free of the cycle of life and death (Moksha). People who cannot come to Varanasi to die are cremated and then their bones/ashes are brought here to be thrown into the Ganga.

We are staying in the old city of Varanasi. The streets are to narrow for any kind of transportation except motorbikes. There are narrow alleyways that connect the buildings from place to place. It is easy to get lost here. The ghats, entry ways to the river, connect the houses along the river via walkways that follow the river in front of all the buildings. 

Varanasi Sights

Our hotel. Our room faces the Ganga. Great view of the river traffic, sunrise (when it is clear) and the monkeys who jump from building to building.

Our home made charging station.

View from our room. Boats take tourists up and down the river, for the morning sunrise, to see the Manikarnika Ghat (Burning Ghat) and the nightly bell ringing, incense burning and singing by some Buddish priests at the Dashashwamedh Ghat. 

The lanes are very narrow and you have to step aside for the motorbikes and wandering cows.

Boats on the river. The sand beach area across the river is flooded during the monsoon season

Cows every where. They eat the garbage in the streets. At night they go home to their owners.

The Brahma bulls are very dangerous and often have their horns shortened.  We were walking down the street and this bull charged Charlie and got him with his horns, ripping Charlie's pants and scrapping his arm with his horns. The people kicked the bull away from Charlie. Charlie was pretty lucky on this one.

Manikarnika Ghat- This is called the "burning ghat" because this is where people are brought right after they die to be cremated. The fires here burn day and night cremating the dead. You cannot take pictures of the burnings. There were 15 bodies being burned when we arrived and we saw at least 20 more bodies being brought to the river for cremation in the one hour we were there. Only the males of the family attend the cremation. The men chanted and danced to the drums as they brought the body down to the river to be immersed in the Ganga (to clean the sins away) before being put on the fire.

Wood is brought in by truck and off loaded down river onto boats and brought to the ghat. People pay for the wood that is used in the cremation of the deceased. 

The sinking temple. At one point in time part of the temple sunk into the river and has remained that way ever since.

There is a group of monkeys that live around here and travel from building to building looking to get into people's rooms if the room doors are left open. Then they steal what ever they can get their claws into. One came into our room and stole our toilet paper. Jane saw him and yelled and he dropped the paper, hissed at her and scurried off to another building.

The Blue Lasii Shop was made famous by a review in Lonely Planet. It was started in 1925 and the grandson still runs it. We gave them a try. 

Mixed fruit lassie.

Strawberry lassie. They were both tasty.

The clay bowls that the lassie is made in are shot out after the bowl is used.

Dashashwamedh Ghat- ** A group of 5 priests daily in the evening at this ghat perform "Agni Pooja" (Worship to Fire) wherein a dedication is made to Lord Shiva, River Ganga (the Ganges), Surya(Sun), Agni (Fire), and the whole universe. "Wikipedia"*

We went to view this event and the ghat was filled with people sitting around the ghat and boat loads of people out in front of the ghat. It was a great performance.

The priests singing a song.

Inscense being spread through the air.

Boat loads of people out in the water waiting for the evening presentation.

More Darjeeling Sights

It was an uphill climb for this man.

Vegetable stall

Vegetable sellers

Common Leopard

Silver Pheasant 

Royal Bengal Tiger

Black Leopard

Himalayan Mountaineering Institute-  The institute is a training school for India's mountaineers.

The museum at the institute houses memorabilia from the 1922 and 1924 Everest expeditions that started from Darjeeling. Pictures could not be taken inside the museum.

Tensing Norgay lived in Darjeeling and was director of the institute for many years.

Time to leave Darjeeling and catch a flight to Varanasi. We rented this taxi for the 2 1/2 hour drive down the mountain to the airport.

A view down the hill to the city of Darjeeling from our hotel.

Half way down the mountain the driver stopped for a quick breakfast of tea and aloo matar (potatoes and peas).

Kids riding in the back of a truck on their way to school.

Darjeeling

Darjeeling 

Darjeeling originally belonged to the Buddhist kings of Sikkim.  In 1780 it was taken over by invading Gurkhas from Nepal.  Then the East India Company gained control of the region in 1816 but returned the land to the Sikkim in exchange for British control over the borders in that area of India.  In 1828 after exploring the area the British decided to build a sanatorium in the hills here and its location made it a strategic military location. In 1835 the first tea plants were put into the ground.  The climate was perfect for growing tea.  Thus the beginning of the famous Darjeeling Tea was grown here. 

Darjeeling is home to people from Sikkim, Bhutan, Nepal, Tibet and the original Darjeeling people. 

Scenes from Darjeeling

The hotel we stayed at which had a great view of the mountains and close to the main market areas. You left the hotel by walking downhill and returned walking up hill. It was quite a hike!!

An early morning view of the third highest mountain in the world,  Kangchenjunga at 28,169 ft from our hotel rooftop.

It was very cold at night. We had four heavy blankets on our bed and no heat.

But, we were given a hot water bottle every night. It was great and still warm in the morning.

The clock tower which was the central meeting spot for getting a jeep (taxi).

We found a little restaurant owned by a Tibetian family. The food was excellent, prices cheap and just a walk down the hill from our hotel and close to the central mall area. 

We ate breakfast and lunch/supper at the restaurant everyday.

Spring is just beginning to arrive in Darjeeling. 

Trees in bloom.

We went on a tram ride down the mountain that went over a large tea plantation.

Fields of tea plants.

Breakfast at our restaurant All of this cost about 200 rupees. ($3.00) Including tea

Shrine carved into a rock wall.

These trucks were used to bring in building materials and other supplies.

We hiked downhill for about 45 minutes and then hiked up this bank to get to the building at the top. This was the Tibetan Refugee Self-Help Center. They had an orphanage and made money by selling hand woven rugs and from donations to keep the center operating

There were about 15 women each weaving a different rug. They use the orginal rug as the pattern to make the new rug.

Of course we had to buy a rug!! We picked out this rug design to have made for us. It is a 6'x3' wool rug.  It will be made by one woman and the colors are all natural dyes made from plants. It will take 6 months to make and then it will be shipped to us.