Please comment my 3.5-day Varanasi agenda

DB1st · Oct 7th, 2009, 22:39

Shyam Lal has no cell phone. His younger brother, Bharat, has a cell phone (09795552648). Shyam is very dark, about 5 ft 8, bald-shaven, head-face very round (as opposed to angular) as is his body!

Total cost 2000 Rs. 1000 Rs if no dinner. I am afraid I am not a good negotiator--so we paid 2K. We did not tip. It was worth it and we would do it again!

Our conversation was done within ear shots of the hotel people--this would help in case we disappeared in the boatride, we thought.

My husband and I are in Varanasi now, our 2nd day. After we checked in at Gangesview Hotel (Asi Ghat), we asked Mr Prakash (hotel manager) if he knew Shyam. He said yes and went down to the ghat to get him. He came back with Shyam's brother because Shyam already went home. I was not going to make arrangement for sunrise and sunset boat trips with Shyam via his brother, so I asked if Shyam could come and meet us at the hotel. The answer was yes and the brother went to fetch him who showed up about 15 min later.

Sunrise trip: To be at 5:30A from Asi Ghat. Would take about 2 hrs. Return to Asi Ghat. (The boat was quite a big one, with no motor. The return trip was harder as it was against the stream. Seeing how hard he rowed made me feel that he ought to get what he asked for in fees. His father did the steering).

Sunset trip: To be at 5:30P from Asi Ghat and to watch Puja from Dasaswamedh Ghat. Dinner to be rice, potato stuffed-pancakes (there is an Indian name and I don't remember what it is), tomato chutney, cashew chutney, dal stew, paneer-potato curry and 3 1-liter bottles of water. (We did not want salad as our motto is "cook it, boil it, peel it or forget it"). Would take about 2 hrs. Return to Asi Ghat. (Indeed the tomato chutney was to die for! Every dish was good too. We were sitting cross-legged (like doing yoga) on a blanket shoeless. We started eating as soon as we got on the boat which was rowed to the middle of the river rather than close to the Ghats. Some dry leaves sewed together with 1-inch bamboo picks were our dinner plates where rice was served. There were also terra cotta bowls to serve food in. Metal spoons were provided. No napkins. Shyam's wife prepared the food and put it in round metal containers. Shyam did the serving and served the 2 of us first. He was very generous spooning food for us. The boat was bigger than the morning one with the motor covered up as a big box in the center of the boat. Shyam's 3 sons (ages 7-10 or so), his father and an assistant were also in the boat. Once we were served enough food, I told him that his sons should eat too. He waited until we got done, then served the 3 boys who ate on the other side of the motor box. When they got done, they took the oars from the grandfather and the assistant. The latter 2 then ate. Shyam ate last. I guessed the family was brought to help eat the food. We actually did not mind. It shocked my husband as they got the "left-overs"--i.e. what was not served to us, not what we did not finish on our plates. I was brought up in Banghok where maids ate "left-overs" after we did too. Going to D. Ghat was by human rowing. It started to rain while Puja was going on. We took refuge in an empty "houseboat" that our boat was tied to and watched the pujas from there. Actually there were 2 pujas going on simultaneously and we could see both from where we were. The 2 were on either side of Praya Ghat. When it was almost done, we took off to go back to the hotel using the motor. This helped us from getting totally wrenched. When we got to Asi Ghat, we paid Shyam 2000 Rs.)

Hope this helps.

Dyanne · Oct 8th, 2009, 00:29

Fantastic information!!
Just one question: was the price you paid for both the sunrise and the sunset trips together?
Thanks very much.

DB1st · Oct 8th, 2009, 21:42

2000 Rupees was for both sunrise boatride and sunset boatride (including dinner). After the sunrise boatride, we did not pay him. After sunset ride, then we paid him the 2000 rs.

If there had not been dinner, both sunrise and sunset boatrides together would have been only 1000 Rupees.

whinger · Oct 10th, 2009, 20:09

It sounds like you had a great time and having read through this thread, we will definately be looking forward to much the same when we visit in November for three days.

thank you.

Jim

goingback · Oct 24th, 2009, 04:08

Thanks DB1st.

Whinger - when will you be in Varanasi? we will also visit in November. What a about Northerners meet-up. I suppose it will depend on which Rugby league team you support though.

whinger · Oct 24th, 2009, 16:57

We plan to be in Varanasi on the dates of 11th, 12th & 13th leaving for Delhi on 14th & really quite excited about it. I say we plan, we have been touring India for seven years now and just received our visa applications back from the consulate REJECTED... We have to go down to Birmingham next week to sort them out the old fashioned way!!!!!

As for the RL team... Well I am not ashamed to declare I'm a Cougar supporter

Which dates are you there?

I must add, my wife is a part time Leeds fan

Oct 7th, 2009, 22:39	#16
DB1st Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Arizona Posts: 38	Shyam Lal has no cell phone. His younger brother, Bharat, has a cell phone (09795552648). Shyam is very dark, about 5 ft 8, bald-shaven, head-face very round (as opposed to angular) as is his body! Total cost 2000 Rs. 1000 Rs if no dinner. I am afraid I am not a good negotiator--so we paid 2K. We did not tip. It was worth it and we would do it again! Our conversation was done within ear shots of the hotel people--this would help in case we disappeared in the boatride, we thought. My husband and I are in Varanasi now, our 2nd day. After we checked in at Gangesview Hotel (Asi Ghat), we asked Mr Prakash (hotel manager) if he knew Shyam. He said yes and went down to the ghat to get him. He came back with Shyam's brother because Shyam already went home. I was not going to make arrangement for sunrise and sunset boat trips with Shyam via his brother, so I asked if Shyam could come and meet us at the hotel. The answer was yes and the brother went to fetch him who showed up about 15 min later. Sunrise trip: To be at 5:30A from Asi Ghat. Would take about 2 hrs. Return to Asi Ghat. (The boat was quite a big one, with no motor. The return trip was harder as it was against the stream. Seeing how hard he rowed made me feel that he ought to get what he asked for in fees. His father did the steering). Sunset trip: To be at 5:30P from Asi Ghat and to watch Puja from Dasaswamedh Ghat. Dinner to be rice, potato stuffed-pancakes (there is an Indian name and I don't remember what it is), tomato chutney, cashew chutney, dal stew, paneer-potato curry and 3 1-liter bottles of water. (We did not want salad as our motto is "cook it, boil it, peel it or forget it"). Would take about 2 hrs. Return to Asi Ghat. (Indeed the tomato chutney was to die for! Every dish was good too. We were sitting cross-legged (like doing yoga) on a blanket shoeless. We started eating as soon as we got on the boat which was rowed to the middle of the river rather than close to the Ghats. Some dry leaves sewed together with 1-inch bamboo picks were our dinner plates where rice was served. There were also terra cotta bowls to serve food in. Metal spoons were provided. No napkins. Shyam's wife prepared the food and put it in round metal containers. Shyam did the serving and served the 2 of us first. He was very generous spooning food for us. The boat was bigger than the morning one with the motor covered up as a big box in the center of the boat. Shyam's 3 sons (ages 7-10 or so), his father and an assistant were also in the boat. Once we were served enough food, I told him that his sons should eat too. He waited until we got done, then served the 3 boys who ate on the other side of the motor box. When they got done, they took the oars from the grandfather and the assistant. The latter 2 then ate. Shyam ate last. I guessed the family was brought to help eat the food. We actually did not mind. It shocked my husband as they got the "left-overs"--i.e. what was not served to us, not what we did not finish on our plates. I was brought up in Banghok where maids ate "left-overs" after we did too. Going to D. Ghat was by human rowing. It started to rain while Puja was going on. We took refuge in an empty "houseboat" that our boat was tied to and watched the pujas from there. Actually there were 2 pujas going on simultaneously and we could see both from where we were. The 2 were on either side of Praya Ghat. When it was almost done, we took off to go back to the hotel using the motor. This helped us from getting totally wrenched. When we got to Asi Ghat, we paid Shyam 2000 Rs.) Hope this helps. Last edited by DB1st : Oct 8th, 2009 at 21:52.

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Oct 8th, 2009, 00:29	#17
Dyanne Member Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Israel Posts: 8	Fantastic information!! Just one question: was the price you paid for both the sunrise and the sunset trips together? Thanks very much.

Oct 8th, 2009, 21:42	#18
DB1st Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Arizona Posts: 38	2000 Rupees was for both sunrise boatride and sunset boatride (including dinner). After the sunrise boatride, we did not pay him. After sunset ride, then we paid him the 2000 rs. If there had not been dinner, both sunrise and sunset boatrides together would have been only 1000 Rupees.

Oct 10th, 2009, 20:09	#19
whinger Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Yorkshire, UK Posts: 48	It sounds like you had a great time and having read through this thread, we will definately be looking forward to much the same when we visit in November for three days. thank you. Jim

Oct 24th, 2009, 04:08	#20
goingback Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: UK Posts: 237	Thanks DB1st. Whinger - when will you be in Varanasi? we will also visit in November. What a about Northerners meet-up. I suppose it will depend on which Rugby league team you support though.

Oct 24th, 2009, 16:57	#21
whinger Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Yorkshire, UK Posts: 48	We plan to be in Varanasi on the dates of 11th, 12th & 13th leaving for Delhi on 14th & really quite excited about it. I say we plan, we have been touring India for seven years now and just received our visa applications back from the consulate REJECTED... We have to go down to Birmingham next week to sort them out the old fashioned way!!!!! As for the RL team... Well I am not ashamed to declare I'm a Cougar supporter Which dates are you there? I must add, my wife is a part time Leeds fan