Varanasi Trip Report

vaclav

We (myself and my wife) spent a week in Varanasi. When preparing our trip I have used information often gathered at this site - to repay this help I offer this report on our experience for others to use. All the information provided is highly subjective and based on my personal values - please take it as such; I do not want to go into any disputations regarding my observations. With my trip now over I will not follow this topic to closely any more - in case of any questions you will have to PM me.

Varanasi is probably the most Indian of all India - all typical features are amplified there: dirt, pollution, chaos, colours, rituals, etc. We have found it interesting just walking around the old town streets and watch the life go by. On the other hand the morning bathing in the Ganges has not been so spectacular as on documentaries - it was more real bathing than a ritual, more life as usual than an everyday feast (I am afraid the documentaries about Varanasi exaggerate and give impression of permanent puja). So, do not expect too much performance and prepare for seeing a real life, often quite raw and pragmatic. Touts in Varanasi are not too bad and do not bother too much - even boatmen are reasonable and do not push overmuch. I recommend to stay near Godowlia and Dasaswamedh Ghat - there you are in the middle of all, close to all interesting sites, market and restaurants.
Ganges boat trip: Easy to find boat, you can bargain the price down to Rp. 50 per hour per small boat. Ask the boatman to go down the river first and row the boat back up. Normally, they do it other way (do not know why) and therefore you will stay away from crowd of other tourist boats (rowing up against the current your boatman will keep the boat close to the river bank, leaving other tourist boats behind your back closer to the river).
Sarnath trip: One-hour trip by motoriksha (about Rp. 50) takes you away from chaos (and real life) to quiet and clean but quite small park. Good for change from Varanasi chaos but do not expect too much. Around main site are Buddhist monasteries representing various Buddhist nations - interesting to compare.
Accomodation: Vishnu Rest House - reasonably priced place near to old town, nice terrace to view the Ganges; the restaurant is not too good. Originally, we had reservation in Scindhia Guest House but they did not bother to show up at the airport to give us that promised free ride to the hotel (I guess, they keep to this service advertised on their website just when taking one of their most expensive rooms) - well, it was better after all and we have found the Vishnu Rest House better located close to many good restaurants.
Food: Many cheap and good restaurants on Begali Toja street (I can esp. recommend Monalisa and Ankita). But the best restaurant is Rajshree Restaurant on Godowlia - frequented with locals, very cheap Indian food, excellent mixing of spices and general tastes - best cooking I have encountered in India.
Other remark: My wife has got another souvenir from Varanasi - Dengue fever spread by mosquitos operating at daylight. It was not that bad but made us to cut our trip short and go back to Europe to recover. This disease is not esp. dangerous but makes one quite weak; there is no special cure - you just have to wait it out. It is said that the Dengue fever is going to be more frequent now with global climate changes - great.

proxyindian

I just have a question about Indians and disease and the Ganges. Everyone is familiar with the image of dead bodies, sewage and people bathing and rinsing their mouths out with water all within feet of each other. First of all, is this true or something of the past? Mark Twain writes about it and says that there was an English scientist who had proven that the Ganges does indeed kill germs. Mark Twain says he doesn't know how Indians figured this out thousands of years ago but the river is miraculous. Of course this book is a hundred years old. Does any one know what was going on? Surely there's been more testing.

But if the water is just like any other water, how come so many visitors to places like Varanasi just don't keel over dead? I thought maybe it was that people built up a resistance over the years. But what about a wealthy Indian family who isn't normally exposed to lots of germs? They come from Bangalore and stay at the Taj Ganges, play tennis, go dancing, etc. and next morning their driver takes them as close to the river as possible, then they go down to bathe. Will they just all have to be hospitalized by noon? Or what about a family who has lived in Southall for twenty years and is bringing the kids to India for the first time on religious pilgrimage? If they go down to the river and bathe, what will happen to them?

arunchs

Every flowing water body has an ability of self-purification to some extent. This ability is known to be on the higher side in Ganges, which is what the scientists you have mentioned might have probably found out.

This purifying ability og Ganges has nothing to do with religious beliefs of India.

But the pollution that pours into Ganges from Kanpur is just too much for any river to handle, and the waters of Ganges remains black, may be except during monsoon. Dead bodies and people bathing have very little to do with the pollution in Ganga, it is primarily industrial waste.

I have no idea because I was too scared to try, but I doubt if people get sick just by a dip or two in the Ganges. I know people who have taken a dip, and don't do it everyday. Nothing went wrong with them. Probably some percentage of people end up getting sick in Varanasi(locals or visitors) anyway, but it may not be a very big percentage.

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feralBoy

I was thinking about going to Varanasi, but I would only be able to go for a day and a half. Do you think it's worth it. It would be 2 overnight trains (one each way), just to see varanasi.

Also, they have done sampling of that water, and it's pretty much sewage. I would not step in there on a bet. I don't think it's something that would automatically kill you, but long term it would probably have some adverse effects.

sam371

Just some food for thought on the waters of the Ganges:

http://www.science-frontiers.com/sf094/sf094g11.htm
http://www.moxon.net/india/death_of_the_ganges.html

Ringo Ng

I booked the overnight train to Varanasi for stay 2 days 2 weeks later too , travel is not to count 1+1 , it's our feeling .