from the bottom of the sea to the top of the world

[PHOTO_ID_L=dscf4391.jpg] Varanassi is the one stop in India that people talk about for years afterwords, describing nightmares, fascination, disgust, or any combination of the 3, from their experiences in the city.  I had heard what to expect, and felt adequately prepared for what I would witness, though India always has the ability to out-shock your expectations.
The reason all tourists come to varanassi is for shear curiosity and to see the culture at its most raw moments.  The reason all Indians come to varanassi is to die and be cremated in the holiest of holy places.
Once getting off the train, I paired up with the 3 other backpackers I had met whom were sleeping in the next 'holding cell' over from mine, and the 4 of us walked out into the line of fire together, thinking our increase in numbers would provide more strength and safety than if we attempted the town alone.  The four of us headed out of the station and caught a rigshaw towards a hotel called the riverview.  The roads in Varanassi bore a lot of resemblance to the ones in Delhi...overcrowded, dirty, disgusting, cows, feces, horns honking...need I go on???  By the time we pushed through the traffic, the sun was setting, and none of us had a clue as to where we were being dropped off, or how to find the hotel there after.  We knew we were trying to get to the Ghanges river, which is where most tourist hotels are located.  Unfortunately, the buildings within about 1/4 mile of the river banks are so close together that cars nor rigshaws can pass between the narrow alleyways, so we were dropped off far from our destination.  The rigshaw driver, who was hoping to cash in on our ignorance, then followed us as we got lost in the maze of bldgs.  He knew we would get lost and hence would need some directions.... a money making opportunity for him.  He also knew that if he walked us up to the hotel himself, he'd receive commission.  Sure enough, he followed us, though we didn't know it at the time, and sure enough, we got lost and had NO clue as to where we were or which direction the river was.  Then, out of the blue, there was our rigshaw driver, willing to reel us in.  We were skeptical to trust him, and several times told him to leave us alone, but he wouldn't, and before we knew it, we were encircled by about 8 guys, all hoping to make some money off of the lost tourists. It was like a shark feeding frenzy! We were 2 women and 2 men, all of us telling them (sometimes even yelling at them) to back off and that we'd make due on our own, but eventually, we had to admit that we were totally lost, had no sense of direction in the maze, and truly needed the assistance of a local.  The sun had already set as well, none of us had access to a flashlight, and there are no 'street lights' hanging overhead.  We picked one guy out from the crowd that had established around us, and as he led the way, the rest of the pack followed.  Several times we had to scream at the rest to leave us alone and back up.  When we eventually got to the hotel, we had been escorted there by 4 guys, all trying to get the commission from the hotel.  We instantly told the hotel that we arrived of our own doing, without the recommendation of the men, and insisted that they did not receive the commission, as they had been very aggressive and had followed us despite our appeals to be left alone.  The hotel owner obliged and turned all the men away. 
Once we arrived at the riverview, we realized that we had the wrong hotel... we thought we were heading to a nice clean recommended hotel by the tourist office.  Instead, we ended up at the riverview that appeared as though it should be impounded and shut down for health and safety reasons.  And of course... the roaches were everywhere!  After a night on the train, there was no way I was going to stay here, though the other 3 were too tired to continue looking elsewhere.  When the owner showed me to my room, I laughed as it resembled the train I had just gotten off of an hour before.  I was moving on.  I pulled out my guidebook and discovered another hotel just 2 blocks up.  I told the owner that I wanted a place with a/c, and since he didn't have a/c, he wasn't offended by my choosing to leave, especially since my 3 friends were staying.  I noticed he had a 10 year old boy, and I asked if the boy would escort me to this other hotel, and I would pay for his services.  The man was happy to help, and I grabbed my pack and the mans business card- promising to return if this other place didn't have an a/c room - and I headed for what I hoped would be greener pastures.  The boy navigated very easily through the maze of alleys, and 15 minutes later, we were at the other hotel.  They had 2 rooms available, 1 with a/c, 1 without.  The hotel manager explained to me that there is no point in paying for the room with a/c, because the power goes off so much in town that I'd never have a chance to use it.  I took the room without a/c, paid the boy 20 rupees, and off he went.  This hotel was years away from the other in terms of cleanliness, modern facilities, etc., I ate dinner at the hotel restaurant, took a cold shower, and despite it being unbearably hot and humid without the a/c (and the power was off all night as the hotel owner said), I headed to bed.
I woke the next morning early, partially due to the humidity and heat in the room, partially due to the knock at the door.  It was the 3 friends from the train. They left the hotel, having gotten no sleep due to bed bugs and other insect 'experiences', and were on the move in search of another place to sleep.  The hotel I was at was full, but I wasn't going to give up my bed, so I stayed put for 2 more nights there, and they headed off.  We agreed to meet up later that evening for dinner, so I was on my own for the day.
After a long cold shower (never any hot water in India, not that u really wanted it anyhow), I headed for breakfast and then out to explore the city.  I also wanted to check email, and was able to get on for about 20 minutes, until , as I would come to know was more common than not, the power went out again, and would stay off for most of the day.  Apparently, the government shuts the power off for extended periods of time, though the reason still alludes me.
[PHOTO_ID_L=dscf4380.jpg] I headed to the river banks, which is the main attraction in Varanassi.  The banks are lined with bathing ghats that extend for miles, making it a true obstacle to just stroll down the river, as some ghats are elevated, some lowered, some dismantled, etc. [PHOTO_ID_R=dscf4377.jpg] Walking the ghats can actually be just as challenging as walking through the city streets.  Even though you are walking in a direct line along the river, the obstacles that you must cross leave you exhausted.  The stairs go up to one level, then you have to walk around a herd of cows, go down 2 levels to the next ghat, where you have to avoid all the boat taxi drivers hassling you for business, then walk up 1 level to get around the cremations and smell of burning flesh, then.... oh yes. The smell of burning flesh is one you don't forget.  This is what makes Varanassi what it is.  Let me explain:
There are 2 burning ghats on the riverside - so called because at all times, there are bodies on fire, burning, being cremated, out in the open, for all to see.  Ashes cover you and stick to you due to the humidity, family members of the dead are engaging in religious rituals, and the smells and thick smoke cause you to choke and gag, especially if the wind shifts in your direction.
As I was saying , there are 2 burning ghats.  One large main ghat is specifically only for Hindus, the other smaller ghat which is further down stream, is for all other religious backgrounds, including jews, muslims, christians, etc.  The stench of walking by the first, big ghat was so overwhelming that I headed to the smaller one, which is a 30 minute walk.  There, I met a local who was in charge of the burning process.  Kindly, (though he did later push for a donation to help cremate those whose families can't afford to do so), he explained to me what I was watching.  There were 3 platforms. The one closest to the water was elevated and for the most noble cast, or wealthiest.  The middle platform was for your average middle cast citizen, and the furthest platform from the waters edge was for the dead who were in the bottom cast, who had no money and couldn't afford the cremation process, and were possibly being burned through donations of others.  On each platform were bonfires, the number of fires depended on the number of dead people lying around.  Behind the ghats were stacks of different types of wood.  [PHOTO_ID_R=dscf4371.jpg] Depending on the money the family of the deceased had, this dictated the type of wood that would be used for the cremation.  The man in charge of completing the cremation knew the exact equation of how many pieces of wood it would take to burn an entire body.  The families had to pay for each individual piece of wood, which apparently can be quite expensive.  Anyhow, let me back up....
So there are 3 platforms, the closest to the water is for the wealthiest, etc.  When a person dies, it is tradition to burn them ASAP, meaning hopefully within the hour, so that the family has no time to grieve.  Several times, I was walking around the city, and I would see a family carrying the body of a loved one down to the riverside.  The dead body is cloaked in a yellow piece of linen (different colors dictates religion and wealth), and then is carried by the male family members to the cremation site.  Let me add as a side note here that when people die who don't live in Varanassi, many times, the family makes a beeline for the city if they can afford it, as there is no holier place to be cremated than on the banks of the Ganges river.  If a person is terminally ill in the hospital, they will be brought to the river to die.  Some people feeling that they are on their last breath will drown themselves in the river, and sometimes bodies or body parts might float by.  If a family can't afford to get the body to Varanassi, they will at least bring the ashes to dump in the river.  
The body is carried to the river by the men in the family only.  The women are not allowed anywhere around the burning ghats.  They must stay home.  This is because in the old days, it was common and culturally and religiously expected for the grieving widow to throw herself on the fire as well, being burned alive, as a sign of dedication and faithfulness to the departed.  Though this tradition is now not followed, in order to prevent women from doing so in the case of extreme grief, they are not allowed at the burning ghats.  Also, I was told that crying or signs of being upset at the cremation site interfere with the chances of a body being welcomed to heaven, as death is seen as a good thing and therefore one should not grieve. Rather, a celebration might occur.
Once the body arrives riverside, the family pays for the wood, which is assembled on the ghats, and family members sit around the platform while the cremator prepares for the body.  Several concoctions are placed on the wood, and then the body is laid on top, still cloaked.  The body is then covered in butter and some other mixtures of holy things, the face of the person is revealed, though the cloak stays on the body, and the family gathers around.  Some take pictures with the dead body, holding up the head, proving the body is dead.  Then they walk around the body 10 times or so, chanting prayers.  The family then goes back to sit down, and the cremator goes to the holy flame...supposedly a fire that never stops burning at the top of the ghat, and takes fire from there to light the fire under the person.  As the body begins to burn, the cremator is in charge of making sure the deal is satisfactorily completed.  Ashes fly, flames consume the person, and you can stare at the face of the deceased the entire time as the body burns.  While the body is burning, any sons or fathers of the deceased must have all their body hair shaved, and then the hair is tossed onto the flames. 
The smell is nauseating and reminded me of stories of the death camps of Nazi Germany.  The body is burned very precisely with tons of little rituals that I can't recall or explain, but one thing that did fascinate me was that there are 2 bones of the body that do not burn.  One being the chest bone of a male, the other being the pelvis of a female.  When the body is completely burned, these bones are gathered from the flames and tossed into the river.  The idea behind the cremation is that it is believed life is an endless cycle of reincarnation, and that we are made from the 5 elements - earth, wind , fire, water, and wood (I think this is the 5th element??).  Cremating the body returns it to its most basic form, and reunites it with the 5 elements so that a new life can be created. 
There are some exceptions however, of people who are not allowed to be burned.  These include, unborn fetuses (pregnant women who die must have fetus removed before being cremated), a person who dies of a snake bite (snake bites are considered good fortune and holy animals, and if a person dies from a snake bite then they have broken the cycle of reincarnation and get to go directly to heaven), and babies who have not had any food other than their mothers milk (this is holy as well and the child has not taken anything from the 5 elements and therefore does not need to return anything to them)....there are others as well, but those are the ones I recall.
Once the pelvis of a woman or the sternum of a male are tossed into the water, the remains of the fire and ashes are pushed off the ghats into the waters below, and the ghat is cleared for the next cremation.  This goes on and on, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
To observe this ritual and to stare into a fire and see a human face staring back at you can be a haunting experience.  Its one you can only stomach for a limited amount of time, and once your curiosity has been satiated, it is time to move on.  Most only tolerate the city and the constant smells of burning flesh for 2-3 days.  That was all I planned on staying for myself.
Later that evening, I met back up with my 3 friends from the train. We headed to dinner, internet, and then back to the hotels. 

On the way back to the hotel, 3 of us (one headed in the other direction) were staring up at a street light that stays on at the burning ghat.  We were noticing the swarm of bugs surrounding it.  It was probably a good 50 ft. above our heads or so, and we were fascinated by the amount of bugs attracted to it.  Just in that moment, as we were all staring at the light above, directly beneath it, the electricity in the city was cut off, and all of the bugs that were around the light dropped to the ground, completely engulfing us in giant insects.  Myself and the other girl shrieked as we were jumping up and down, with no where to run, covered in grasshoppers and roaches, shaking out our hair and pants and tee shirts, as they continued to land on us.  I ran up the nearby steps that led to my hotel, in the pitch darkness as all lights were off, tripping and falling several times as I was also trying to get the bugs off of me.  Down below, my 2 friends were stuck, unable to open their eyes, still trying to fight off the swarm.  Eventually they found the staircase as well and ran up it.  We got to the hotel door, which was locked, as the curfew was 11pm and we were now 15 min. late.  Still trying to get the bugs out of our hair, we banged on the door and eventually it opened. Once we got inside and peered in a mirror, we began picking the bugs off of us and out of each others hair, laughing about the experience.  It was biblical in nature, like the plague of locusts suddenly fell to earth!
Once in my room, I was still fighting off the grasshoppers (which average an inch in length here), having to kill them before I could safely go to sleep.  I left the carnage behind for the 2 chameleons that were occupying my room, and sure enough, by morning, they had cleaned house and had a feast on my killings.
I scrubbed myself in the cold shower before being able to fall asleep.
The next morning, I met up with the others again.  We all headed to the train station to make further travel arrangements, and I bought my plane ticket to Kathmandu for the next day.  My other option was a 24 hour bus/train combo across the border of india, but I certainly decided that I had had enough of those.
The last thing I wanted to experience in Varanassi was the sunset ceremony at the main ghat. [PHOTO_ID_L=dscf4399.jpg]   I watched as I once again saw the same rituals performed that I had previously witnessed in Haridwar and Rishikesh, then headed off to sleep.
My last day in India began the following morning.  I was so anxious to leave, and was sooo hot in my unairconditioned hotel room, that the thought of an airconditioned airport sounded heavenly.  I was up at the crack of dawn, being unable to sleep due to the heat, and decided to get packing and head out.  I hired a rigshaw for the hour ride to the airport. My flight was scheduled to depart around noon...I arrived around 8:30am.  To my dismay,  the airport was closed!  They wouldn't let me in until one hour before the flight! So after all my efforts to get there early, I was stuck outside in the heat anyhow until around 10am, when the doors finally opened.
I had breakfast in the tiny airports cafeteria, endured a VERY long security check and boarding process (which I must say is way more reassuring and safety consciencious than those in america), and by 12:30, I was watching India get further and further away from my window on the plane.