Varanasi Sunrise & New Delhi

INDIA DAY 3:

Once again, our day started before 4am.  We headed back to the Ganges River in Varanasi for the sunrise religious gathering.   Less crowded this time, we boarded one of the wooden boats we saw the night before and headed down the Ganges River to view the spectacle from the water.  The sunrise represents the birth and beginning of life while the sunset honors the dead.  This very cyclical experience came together as we canoed down the river watching life ashore.  Many people bathed in the river, some washed clothes and others sat on the steps praying as the sun started to rise across the way.  Most significant of all, people tended to the burning ashes of their relatives at the sacred cremation sites.  These smoking bodies were carefully turned over again and again in the 24-hour cremation process before some of their ashes were saved and released into the Ganges River.  It was quite a spectacle to see people bathing right next to the cremation site and then others gathering water down the way.  It also seemed like a medical nightmare and breading ground for disease.

After watching the gorgeous sunrise we were dropped off at another location and walked through the back alleys.  I saw people showering, urinating in the street (very common), cooking and selling goods from small shops along the walkway.  Again, there were cows roaming down the pathway as well.  I actually picked up two scarves and a beautiful top along the way for under five dollars.  We made our way back to the hotel and stopped at a bead factory.  I bought several cool pieces of jewelry but knew that I could have purchased them on the street for a fifth of the price- factories get me every time! 

The second half of the day we flew to New Delhi and had a quick bus tour of the city before checking into our hotel and heading out on our own for some free time.  Mychaela, Margaret, Dane, Kyle and I headed to the local market (my favorite thing to do in every city).  It was crowded with ladies buying saris, families shopping, and people buying street food.  I found some great sandals!  We all also got hennas on our hands.  Many Indian women have their hands decoratively painted with temporary tattoos.  The design is incredibly intricate and takes skill to paint, but it looks amazing! Mine should last about 3 weeks.  After a long day we headed back for our group dinner at the hotel and rest before yet another long day to Agra tomorrow.