Varanasi

We arrived in Varanasi after a 12hr overnight train ride. I didn't sleep much; every time the train stopped, I woke up. I was a little worried this would cut into my precious sight-seeing, but it turns out that really the only thing to see is the pilgrims bathing themselves in the toxic waste dump that is the Ganges River. It is believed that a bath in the Ganges will cleanse your sins and that if one dies in Varanasi, the cycle of reincarnation is finished and enlightenment is attained.

As a result of all the religious background, you can't buy beer. Also, Varanasi has become a haven for the those hippie/spiritual westerners attempting to 'find' themselves. I found myself sneering at every white male wearing traditional Indian clothes, hanging out by the river. There's a very specific word phrase that kept popping in my head when I ran into my western brethren. I wouldn't dare publish the phrase in a public blog, but it rhymes with 'bouche dag.'

That being said, the sunrise boat ride was admittedly quite nice. And seeing the crematorium, which operates 24hrs a day, was interesting. Literally forests of wood were stacked around the building, just waiting to engulf human remains in flames.

After the sunrise boat ride, I was out for the count. The combination of a sinus infection and a stomach pretty tired of super-spicy food did me in, and I slept for 20hrs. Interesting facts: 25% of foreigners end up with a sinus infection in India (that's how bad the pollution is), and Varanasi is the place where most foreigners fall ill (it is a dirty, dirty place).

Crematorium