Carol's Travels

Ranvir arranged for us to have a special yoga and meditation session at 8:30 this morning. Half of us took part in this experience. It was very relaxing. 
At 10:30 we went to the lounge to learn how to put on saris. Ranvir brought a sari for each of us ladies to use for this activity. A female hotel employee was there to put a sari on each of us. I volunteered to be first.

Paul took lots of pictures of me, then I took pictures of some of the other ladies. 

 Paul then took several pictures of our group of ladies in saris.

At 12:30 we left for the airport. When we got on the plane, Ranvir had gotten exit row seats for Paul and me so Paul would have room to stretch out his legs. What a difference a few inches more of leg room makes!
When we arrived in Delhi, we were taken to the Pride Plaza, an airport hotel. We ate dinner about an hour after checking in. Since it was Valentine’s Day, Hugo and Kris spread some glittery paper hearts and candy hearts on the tables. The hotel restaurant had given most of their salads and desserts valentine names. Thinly cut beets and watermelon slices were cut into the shape of hearts. I was impressed with the clever names for each salad and dessert. There was such a wide selection of food, one couldn’t begin to taste everything. The dinner was delicious.
Shortly after dinner, we went to bed. Ten of us will be leaving the hotel at 4:15 tomorrow morning to fly to Southern India.

This morning we left the hotel at 6:00 to ride the bus to the Ganges. It was still dark outside, but the narrow streets were well-lit when we got out to walk to the riverbank. We saw lines of people walking who were carrying ashes. When we got to the river, we stepped down steep concrete stairs to get to our large rowboat. I am glad I followed Ranvir’s suggestion to being my trekking poles.

Our city guide told us a lot about the various religions of the people here and their cremation tradition. We watched the sunrise over the river and watched the funeral pyres in one location. Elsewhere, people were throwing ashes in the river. Along this river bank in one of the houses, the Beatles stayed for a while and wrote, “Here Comes the Sun.” Other movie stars stayed in this area too. We disembarked the boat and walked along the bank among the colorfully dressed people, cows, and even a snake charmer. We then rode the bus back to the hotel to eat breakfast.

At 10:30 we went to the silk place next door to the hotel. It was fascinating to watch weavers working at the looms making fabric for Saris. It was interesting to learn about the design system using cards attached to the looms. The artists can pick the colors. I didn’t pass up the opportunity to purchase some exquisite scarves. Varanasi is known for their hand-loomed silk.

I barely had time to take my purchase to the room before it was time to go to a Buddhist museum that had lots of artifacts. After that, we walked to the place where Buddha gave his first philosophical talk.

We returned to the hotel, then at dusk we rode rode electric tuk-tuks back to the riverbank. It is crazy how people drive here with their horns blaring and barely missing cyclists, pedestrians, and other vehicles.
We got in the boat and were rowed to the place on the riverbank where there were at least eleven funeral pyres. After that, we watched young priests perform a ceremony giving thanks for the day that has just passed. We then walked to tuk-tuks for another wild ride back to the hotel.

This is the small city where Ranvir lives. After breakfast we went to a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It was built in the ninth and tenth centuries by the Chandela Dynasty which dominated Central India at that time. The intricate erotic stone carvings here have come to symbolize the important role of love and prana energy in the Hindu religion. I was pleasantly surprised that this site was cleaner and more impressive than Angkor Wat in Cambodia. There were very few people visiting the site while we were there.

Then we went to eat lunch at a small outdoor restaurant run by Ranvir’s nieces. In front of the restaurant some men with defanged cobras in baskets greeted us. Eeek! The food was not spicy. The way they cooked eggplant was tasty. They used smaller eggplants like the Japanese eggplants. They dipped very thinly sliced pieces into a mixture of egg white, cornstarch, and salt. Then the pieces were fried.
Next, we drove to the airport and checked in for our flight to Varanasi. I had my peepers puppet in my pocket, and the lady checking me asked what was in my pocket. I took them out, put them on my finger, and said, “Hello!” to her. She laughed and waved me on.  While we were waiting for the plane, I checked out the gift shop. After some bargaining, I bought a necklace and a bracelet for cash so the vendor wouldn’t have to pay tax.
Before dinner this evening, we were entertained by two musicians. The uncle played the sitar and the nephew played the dumbak before we had our farewell dinner. Then we went to a shish-kabob restaurant in the hotel for dinner. We had chicken, mutton, lamb, goat, and fish plus various bread, sauces, and desserts. It was a delightful evening.