Carry on down the Ganges

Photos from Rishikesh and Varanasi are here:

Rishikesh - http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=153551&id=771224918&l=abda451fd7
Varanasi - http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=153822&id=771224918&l=ca41489c53

Its amazing how a bit of sunny weather can lighten your mood about a place - the last time I was in Delhi was back in August and it rained, couldn't wait to get out of the place. This time it was lovely and sunny so I decided to head down to the Indira Gandhi museum. I'd sorted out my train ticket to Haridwar the previous day which hadn't been without hassles - the Foreigners bureau in the main railway station had been full of Indians buying multiple tickets for folk who couldn't be arsed to walk down there. Over an hour I queued keeping an eye out for potential pushers in, some people took an age then inviting their mates up for a chat, me just over a minute at the counter naturally to get sorted - no availability on the train the following day but I could go Wednesday.

The Gandhi museum was really interesting but it looked like they were doing some renovations to the house so only the exhibition about Rajiv Gandhi was open. A couple of rooms were on display Indira's bedroom and her study which were like time capsules and in the garden where she was assassinated a glass walkway had been constructed. Then it was off to the Craft museum taking my life in my hands crossing six lanes of traffic to get to India Gate for a chill and an ice cream. Decided I'd risked enough crossing the road the last time so took a rickshaw the rest of the way - agreed a price and then the driver took me to the wrong place swearing blind it had changed it's name. I don't fall for that one and pointed out where he should have taken me - not a happy bunny when he realised he would have to go round India Gate again for no extra money. The museum part of the complex was interesting showing all the different arts and crafts of the regions which were all distinct but it was a bit of a labrynth. In the artisans area, there was a small market but it was really hassly and I thought they could have done some maintenance on the village houses outside which looked really run down.

I was up early the next day to catch the 10 to 7 train to Haridwar one of the shorter journeys on the trip taking just over 4 hours. I was sat next to a Swami who wasted no time in showing me and the Israeli guy sat the other side of him a glossy brochure about the various enlightenment courses he ran. Maybe I'm a bit of a cynic but the Swami business seemed to me to be doing very well as the guy had a top of the range mobile phone, laptop and Ipod. Chatted as well to an interesting French guy who had worked in logistics for Medecin Sans Frontiere in Niger, he said there were loads of jobs that were non medical which is something I've always fancied doing working abroad for a charity so may look into that when I get back.

Compared to most places in India Rishikesh was a doddle, nobody followed me when I got off the bus and I was able to get a rickshaw really easy which dropped me a few k's up the road at Swarg Ashram. It was a bit of a walk to the hotel as no rickshaws were allowed over the suspension bridge - the first room they showed me had a cracking view of what appeared to be an underground car park, the next one had a lovely view of the hills marred slightly the great big electric pole outside my window. I could see why Ringo Starr had compared the place to Butlins, the ashrams of which there were many in this part of town did have a certain holiday camp look about them.

I wasn't really into the guru meditation stuff - some of the gurus looked a bit shifty in my opinion, usually sporting a hair style and beard that had gone out of fashion somewhere in the early seventies - it was just a bit too big business for me and a little on the heavy side. That said I do have a soft spot for having my palm read - I knew the guy's main business was selling gems but what he said about my past was so freakily accurate there must be something in it. Anyway the good news was that I had a long life ahead of me (no fear of Indian buses on mountain roads now) and that I would continue to live a simple life and would eventually meet the man of my dreams - so I bought a lovely Jupiter stone necklace from him which he told me would help me in the future with its postive vibes.

Moved hotels pretty quickly to a cheaper place up in Lashman Jullah - lovely view over the Ganges the only downside being the taxi stand opposite my room - still it was good alarm clock. Went rafting one day which was brilliant - the people on the trip were real good fun 9 Spaniards, 2 Germans, 2 Indians and me. The Spanish were all expats working in Delhi for the Spanish Trade Council and and a bit on the crazy side - a couple of the rapids were a bit on the scary side but we just screamed like loons as it climbed the mountainous waves and at one part of the river we could jump out of the boat and just float downstream which was lovely if a little cold.

I'd had a lot of trouble getting a ticket to Varanasi - two trips up to the station dealing with one bloke who was a right grumpy arse and another in charge of the carbon paper department who had graduated from the University of stating the obvious - "all full because its Diwali" - " really I would never have guessed and you know the availability of every train in India without even looking at a computer-wow!!" In the end I ended up going to a travel agents who with a bit of local knowledge took 5 minutes to sort out what the station hadn't managed to achieve in two days. Had to take the local train down to Haridwar and saw my best bit of mispelt grafitti so far on this trip - "Only foals fall in love and I am one of them" - total madness in the station as I was in unreserved, stood in the doorway waiting to get off and the train had barely stopped before people were trying to barge past me - I did say to the waiting throng that they would probably find it easier to get on if I was on the platform but nobody listened so in the end I just took to a bit of barging and shoving back.

The train to Varanasi took an age - nearly 22 hours - not a bad nights sleep to say we had a few snorers and a baby who was managing to outscream Yoko Ono on my MP3 player. The toilets though were another world - a pungent aroma of bloke wee and dirty protests as I've no idea how poo could get into some of the places where it was - so it was a case of sit on your leg time after lunchtime. As I was staying in the old town near the river I'd arranged a pick up from the hotel as I knew I would have been hassled at the station, got lost in the lanes and ended up losing my temper as my sense of direction on arriving isn't the greatest - but as the train was nearly 3 hours late there was no one there to meet me - real frustrating time trying to contact the hotel as the phone number was wrong in my guide book and I couldn't hear them when I did get through but thanks to the guy in the Tourist Information place eventually one of the guys from the hotel showed up - there's no way I would have found the place otherwise.

The hotel was pretty cool overlooking the river Ganges but I thought it was pricey for what it was and noisy - the first night I was awoken by some mad man ringing a bell and shouting randomly at 4 in the morning and on my last night there was some religious festival down on the ghat - started about 3am with fireworks and by 5 they were still singing and dancing, only stopping when it was time for me to get and check out of my room, which I was a little on the grumpy side about!

I think Varanasi has got to be one the dirtiest places I've visited - the constant smell of bloke wee and rubbish and cow shit - the Ganges itself was filthy and I was reading that the water quality is so bad that it is considered septic but because it is a holy river people continue to bathe and wash their clothes in it. That said I did like the place especially the old town where you wander for hours getting lost in the lanes and I found the cremation ghats quite moving though the way they dipped the bodies in the Ganges beforehand was a bit iffy usually laying the body on a pile of rubbish before throwing some Ganges water over the copse. So I spent my days wandering the lanes and ghats - was a bit museumed/forted out by this point - did get a bit of hassle usually from blokes wanting improve their English (ha ha heard that one before!!), sell me drugs or take me out in a boat but at least it wasn't the usual "what country" which really gets on my nerves.

Right that's it for the moment - next stop Nepal....