India - Varanasi

Whoohooo, I finally get to blog now that JeeHeon has retreated to the comfort of her parents' home in Korea. Of course it won't be as witty, or as good, but here goes.

Being a little travel fatigued myself, or maybe just lazy, I opted for the 1 hr. flight to Varanasi, as opposed to spending 15+ hrs on the train from Delhi. Varanasi sits on the Ganges river, and is one of the holiest cities in India. As a matter of fact it's so holy, that it's nearly impossible to get a beer, or any kind of meat, or any eggs, or onions, or garlic . . .

The men in orange are sadhus (Hindu holy men), and they are everywhere in Varanasi:

A couple of Hindu men having a sunrise bath at the river:

A brahmin priest (he wanted 50 rupees for my 30 second visit and picture -- I got away with 10 and probably still overpaid):

The Ganges riverfront also hosts India's other major religion - cricket:

Cycle rickshaw is the way to get around in Varanasi:

Sarnath, ruins near Varanasi and the site of Buddha's first sermon following his enlightenment:

A couple of monks at Sarnath:

Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures of Varanasi's most interesting site -- the cremations that are carried out on the riverfront. Every afternoon, the untouchable guardians of the cremation grounds prepare several large log fires and subsequently handle burning the bodies right out in the open. It's a fascinating site, but unfortunately, photography is strictly taboo, and I don't need that kind-of bad karma.