Varanasi pics

People bathing at the ghat in front of the old palace


People bathing at the ghat


People relaxing after their bath at the ghat


Graffiti in Benares (Varanasi)

My own hennapainting

Tried to paint my own hand with henna (mehendi). Could only do the left hand. Not bad huh? I want to master it, should find myself a good workshop to learn the tricks..



Before



After

And the winner is: Khujaraho!

Finally decided where to go. I'll go to Khujaraho, visit the worldfamous temples there. The temples are much different from any other temple city in India. It is not about worshipping gods/deities. The temples of Khajuraho are instead famous for the eroticism etched on its walls in the form of sculptures. The temples are on the World heritage lists.

After that I'll move on to relax in Orchha.

But first stay a little bit longer in Varanasi. Yesterday I moved to a hotel in a more quit area in the Shivala ghat...that makes a biiiiig difference.. and Varanasi simply has a lot to offer..

Evening Arti on the Ganges

Bhai just told me yesterday about the evening Arti. Every evening at 7 o clock a pooja is held at the Dasaswamedh ghat. The streets near the ghat are closed during the Arti...

It's so nice to stroll through the narrow streets on the rythms of the chantings.. to the ghat where the pooja is held.. as I reach the ghat the atmosphere becomes more magical.. a mix of beautiful indians from everywhere, young, old, baba's, poor, rich...they all gather here for the pooja, clapping and singing, sitting on the stairs or in the boats....on the background the ganges is flowing, the boats are moving on it's rythm, the beautiful smell of incense and burning wood, the light of dia's...a serene, colourful and peaceful athmosphere.. what a magic... an experience you will not easily forget... Tonight I'll have to go again....

Where shall I go????

I am now in Varanasi. It is beautifull but also very busy. I don't want to travel to touristic places after Varanasi. Need some time to relax, read, write..

But I don't now what to do next. My plan was to travel further to Nepal but it's raining there and I really feel like relaxing in the sun for a while...

The beautifull Andamon islands sounds very appealing but then I have to travel back to Kolkota.

Hmmm...


Well, let's eat first, walk along the ghats, visit some travel agency and decide later..