Varanasi

First stop on our trip has been Varanasi, which we flew to after one night in Delhi. We have been so busy for the past few days I haven't had time to blog - so much to see and do here. Varanasi is one of the oldest continually inhabited cities in the world and it is also one of the holiest for the Hindu faith. Ritual affects every aspect of life here and it's an amazing environment to be in.

The center of spiritual life here are many bathing areas or ghats where you can walk down and bathe in the Ganges river. This is a major pilgrimage site for Hindus, who believe the Ganges is literally a goddess, the "Mother". Bathing in the river cleanses you of your sins, and the most holy event would be to be cremated at one of the burning ghats along the river. This is believed by the Hindus to stop the cycle of continual rebirth.

We have been getting up at dawn and walking down to the river to observe the morning rituals. It's beautiful early in the day here (plus it gets too hot and sticky to do much in the afternoon - not as hot as Dubai but more humid). While we were here we witnessed the end of a three week ceremony honoring your ancestors by fasting and doing rituals in the water. They also hold very large nightly ceremonies to the river at the main ghat (pictured above). The road to the main ghat is a huge bazaar, and really the biggest sensory overload I've ever experienced.

Gina's River of Sound tour has been a truly amazing experience so far. She has arranged for us to meet with a number of master musicians and spiritual teachers that she has studied with. This has been a privilege - the gurus are some of the best musicians in India, and just wonderful, good-hearted people. We have had a packed schedule of classical Indian singing and dancing lessons or concerts, as well as going to some of the local temples and doing some chants there. I'm not an experienced singer at all and I've discovered that I really like it. I'm thinking of pursuing more lessons in the future.

The other people on the tour are all great and we've been getting along easily. Many people are on a similar voyage of self-discovery. I was a little worried about the transition from solo backpacker to organized tour but not a problem.

We took a river boat out to see the ghats at dawn, and on the way back the oarsmen couldn't row all of us against the current and we kept on running into bathers on the ghats. Gina's advice was to keep chanting this friendly local chant - she said "if we are going to run into them we can at least sing them a song" - which worked surprisingly well. The Indian temprament in general has been incredibly patient with us so far. There are of course the constant beggars, requests to take rickshaw rides or "come see my friend's garment shop", and that can be get overwhelming sometimes, but by and large it's a pleasure getting to know people over here.

Varanasi's also known for its silk and textiles so we've been getting some clothes made here. Which is a relief because my wardrobe wasn't really humidity-friendly. Been averaging about four showers a day...

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