I arrived to Varanasi last night.

This morning I set out and walked along a 7km stretch of the Ganges River where everyday about 60,000 people go and take a holy dip. Along this same area, 30 large sewers are continuously discharging into the river. At the start of my walk the first thing that I noticed was the smell. The Ganges is so heavily polluted in Varanasi that it is septic and I could not believe that I was seeing people bathing in it, putting the river water in their mouths, and washing their clothes in it. I knew I would see these things but experiencing it is something else. It is hard to believe that there is any life in the river but there is the occasional jumping fish, birds diving for fish, and people throwing fishing nets.

Walking along the river the hassles started immediately. “Where you from?”, “What is your name?”, “I can be your guide.” I have developed a twitch from constantly shaking my head back and forth signaling a constant, NO! But it really does not help keeping the touts at bay.

After I had walked the 7k stretch of the Ganges I walked inland a bit to walk back to my hotel on the main streets. The hassles progress on the streets but mostly from crazed rickshaw drivers. “Why you walking?”, “Where you walking?” “Rickshaw?” My head continued to sway back and forth delivering a constant, NO!

The population in Varanasi exceeds a population of 1,200,000 and it’s not hard to believe walking the streets. My senses have been on overload this entire trip but in Varanasi things seem to have reached a peak. The traffic is mostly motorbikes and rickshaws. The flow is constant and the amount of motion and sound from every direction is disorienting. Monkeys swing from window to window, building to building. Cows and water buffalo appear at every corner. Dogs roam aimlessly looking for scrap. Humans carry other dead humans to the burning ghat. And, there is piss and shit EVERYWHERE. It’s overwhelming to say the least. The only way I can sum it up is that Varanasi looks, smells, and sounds apocalyptic.

In the early evening I took another walk along the 7k stretch and watched various ceremonies take place at the many ghats. About an hour after sun down there was a power outage and at first it was great to see the only lights being that of lotus flower candles floating in the river. Up river I could see the burning corpses. I quickly forgot about the power outage until I started to attempt to navigate my way back to my hotel. The narrow streets are more like shoulder to shoulder alleys that where very dimly lighted by a few scattered candles here and there. It really felt like I was wondering in the world’s biggest haunted house. I was immediately lost, however somehow knew which direction I needed to go but on several occasions would walk down a narrow street that I could not see down and I would look up to see stars but could not see my hand in front of my face. Somehow after twisting and turning and walking from one distant candle to another I made it. Just before arriving to my hotel the power came on and as the lights flickered back to life I saw my hotel sign. Had the power not come on when it did I would have easily walked past my hotel.

After my day of walking the streets of Varanasi the last day of 2007 I can’t imagine what it will be like when this city enters the New Year. How could all this craziness get anymore crazy?

HAPPY NEW YEAR!