Fireworks in Varanasi
Just to give you some idea of how cute Luang Prabang is, they have cake stalls on the main street every evening. If I ever go home, I think I might take the idea with me and make a fortune selling baked goods to the drunken masses. Anywhere where was i?
Oh yes, Varanasi. Pretty much summed up the whole India experience. Every aspect of human life goes on at the ghats down by the ganges – thousands of people eating, drinking, washing, socialising, all in scummy water with god knows what floating in it. We took part in a candle lighting ceremony where we lit many little candles in dishes with flower petals and floated them down the river and attended the evening puja (prayer ceremony), where the number of boats of people watching was as much a spectacle as the ceremony itself.
At dawn we took another boat ride to watch the day begin and thousands of people washing in the river. Exploring the back streets behind the ghats is quite scary as it’s such a maze of tiny alley ways and you’re never quite sure where you’re going to end up. We visited the burning ghats where a constant stream of bodies to be cremated is passing through 24 hours a day and got trapped by a man who told us to give money to the dying old women or we’d have bad karma.
We were lucky enough to be in Varanasi for Divali which I suppose is the Hindu version of chrismas but is more like Bonfire night, Indian style. The fireworks had already started when we arrived and hadn’t quite finished when we left. On the actual night of divali we may as well have been in a war zone as explosions sounded around us and smoke filled the air from the moment the sky became dark to well after I fell asleep. On the tuk tuk ride back from the restaurant we had dinner in, I was convinced we were going to die as we had several really near misses (nearer than the usual – i think maybe our drivers had been indulging in some seasonal good cheer while we were eating dinner) and fireworks whizzed past our ears and blew up on the road beneath us. Everyone was very much in good spirits, shouting “Happpy Divali!” and giving us Indian sweets. Back at the hotel V had bought us our very own firework display and we sat drinking and hiding behind our hands as he disobeyed all the rules of firework safety and nearly blew himself up several times, all whilst giggling hysterically.
So a fitting end to my final night in India as the next day we would cross the border into Nepal. India suprised me as I didn’t expect to like it but something about the dust and chaos made an impression on me and I’ll definitely be back. I was sad to be leaving as we made our final trip towards the border.
