Exploring India's Spiritual Mecca

First of all, Merry Christmas!! It is December 25th and Cassie and I are relaxing in Delhi for the day before heading to Jodhpur tomorrow...

Varanasi was incredibly unique. By the 3rd day we had a pretty good grasp of things. The time volunteering at the school was interesting, as they asked us to come back at 12;30pm, which we did. We then helped serve lunch and were told that the school day was over! So much for that- but it was great to see the kids, interact with them and get to know their lives a bit better. Their English lesson for the days was Q: "What is the name of your school" A: "My school name is Learn for Life." Cassie and I had all of these extravagant plans of teaching them an English sounds song or maybe a Christmas song and didn't get to do either. The teachers overplanned, once again!

We treated ourselves to a spa afternoon at Hotel Surya; the treatment we chose included an Ayurvedic massage and a steam bath/shower which was so nice considering our hotel did not have hot water. The ladies were so sweet, though one insisted on watching me get dressed and then gave me a thumbs up while saying "verrry nice!" haha

We also spent time along the ghats and saw the evening festivals consisting of rituals and cremations. One ghat, the Burning Ghat, has cremations all day and this is where the bodies go that are carried along the path that we encountered on the first day. Of course cameras were not allowed so we have the memories only (though burning bodies are not what they are all cracked up to be! Except maybe slightly disturbing!) The next morning we were up early to take a sunrise boat ride along the ghats which was AMAZING. I am so glad that we chose to take the boat ride, it was one hour and only 100 rupees. The sunrise was beautiful and being in the water was very peaceful, even though there were so many other boats around. It is seen a purifying to bathe in the Ganges River so we also got the chance to see many people bathing, dipping, praying in the Ganges River (which is very polluted; mad props to those who venture in!). The boat ride has been one of my favourite experiences so far.

We then made it for a morning yoga class at Om Shanti. The class was 2 hours long and consisted of breathing exercises, 80 minutes of yoga, and then a meditation at the end. It was only Cassie and I so we had our instructor all to ourselves. He was very nice and forgiving at our lack of flexibility!!

After eating lunch at our favourite little bakery, we went to check out of our hotel and head to Delhi. The train ride was a much better experience that the 3 bed per side sardine can experience a few nights previous. We actually got a pillow, sheets, and a blanket! It was heaven! I didn't even have to put on my sweater that was purchased from a men's shop in Agra! (Oh yea... the sweater is HOT)

All in all, Varanasi is not to be missed. It is an amazing assortment of Hindu and Muslim cultures and the oldest city in India. The 'old' aspect has been well-preserved... and not to mention the gorgeous silk fabric they are known for!!

We are now in Delhi, taking it easy on Christmas Day. We are hoping to see a Bollywood film tonight, so that should be fun!!

Hope Santa is good to you all!!!! xo