Varanasi

 We started our morning with our third critique.  Again, India had provided us with a plethora of great photos to share with our group.  This may be the best workshop I have been in as far as all of the participants doing well from the start.

After lunch, we loaded up to start our day of travel.  We flew from Udaipur to Delhi and then on to Varanasi.  There's not much to say other than KFC is an international food court staple and security is a pain no matter where you experience it.

We had a late arrival into Varanasi which made our transfer to our hotel even more interesting.  Our bus dropped us at the top of an embankment with several sets of stone steps leading us into an area that looked like a resting spot for dead boats.  However, two of those boats would take us and our luggage to our hotel on the banks of the Ganges River.  It was eerily quiet as we made our way through a misty/foggy trip along the river.  We passed the area where people are cremated (open fires dotted the pyres lined shore) to our hotel perched on the edge of the river.  Near midnight, we were all ready to get to our rooms for a good night's sleep.

The next day we strolled along the river in front of our hotel.  This was the second day of Diwali, the festival of lights, and Varanasi and the Ganges are very holy spots where many people have come to celebrate.   This includes a ritual of bathing in the river, perhaps one of the dirtiest in the world, which erases sins of the Hindus that have made a pilgrimage here.  Because the river's level fluctuates wildly depending on the season, steep steps lead to the buildings high (at this time of year) above the water.  

Later in the day, we took a sunset cruise along the river.  Diwali definitely attracts a large number of people to the city for the celebrations.  After we finished the cruise we walked to a nearby Arti Ceremony  which is held nightly during the holiday.  People gathered early to grab a good seat to watch the nearly hour long ceremony that was lead by six men in identical costumes.  The ceremony included flowers, fire, drums, bells, and incense.  It's very uplifting with the audience participating at times with chanting and cheering.

The next day we took another boat ride on the Ganges, this time to the other side of the river where hawkers entice people with camel and horse rides.  There were fewer people on this side since it is mostly a sandy beach.  We each got a chance to light a candle and float it on the river.  We then went to  watch a practice session with Kusthi Wrestlers.  The practice area consisted of recently churned dirt under a canopy.  The wrestlers a very strong with one doing a warmup of gymnastics on a nearby bar.

We returned to our hotel for breakfast and a chance to look through our photos for our last critique session.  Late in the afternoon, several of us went to the house of our local guide to see how they celebrated the main day of Diwali. They live in a modest, unfinished (due to Covid) house on the edge of Varanasi.  We got one last crazy tuk tuk ride in the traffic to get to where he lived.  His whole family was present for the occasion.  They offered us tea and several food dishes as a sign of hospitality.  His mother lead the ceremony which included saying prayers to the gods (each family has their favorites), followed by adjourning to the roof to light fireworks.  

We returned to our hotel for their celebratory dinner on the roof.  Fireworks in the city began around sunset and continued late into the night.  We were served a beautiful buffet and were serenaded by a band playing somewhat more modern Indian music which made conversation a little difficult.  The fireworks also made sleep a little difficult for our last night.

The next day we transferred via boat and bus to the airport for our return trip to New Delhi where we would catch our flights back to the US.  Thankfully, there was a nice lounge available to us to relax and eat before we boarded our long flight back to JFK.  I think most of us slept for at least half the flight before landing a few minutes before 6 in the morning.  I was fortunate enough to catch an earlier flight back to Tulsa, allowing me a shower and nap upon arrival.

The trip was photographically rich and the group was fun to travel with.  India can be a challenging country to tour but I was very glad I made the trip.  I'm not sure I'll return any time soon but I'm thankful for the experience.

Until next time.