Penguin Travels: 6 India

Day 7 – Varanasi and beyond

I got up just before 5.00 for the sunrise cruise. I tried not to wake Jude so just threw on yesterday’s clothes, put my contacts in and washed my face. Nine of us were ready at 5.30, plus Rafeeq, which was surprising as he said he would not be able to get up so early. Jay met us, but this time we travelled by taxi. Even at that time, there was quite a bit of traffic, but it cleared a bit once we had passed the main junction with the road to Nepal. We passed a goat in a rickshaw. It looked very funny with its hind legs hanging out of the back.

Me placing the lantern on the Ganges

We found our boat at the Dasashwamerdh Ghat and got on. People were everywhere, taking part in the morning rituals by the Holy River Ganges, both alone and in groups. In the midst of all these people, I spotted a kingfisher perched on a guy rope. There must have been good fishing for him to tolerate such disturbance. We were sold some lamps and I leaned over the side of the boat to place it on the river to make a wish. Sadly, it did not come true.

The boat headed upstream and we saw many palaces and temples on the banks. They were mostly faded opulence now. A very few had been restored and were now hotels, but most were well past their best. In a climate like India’s, it would take a lot of effort and cash to maintain buildings to standards expected in Europe. The heat and the wet are more intense and there are more creatures ready to move in and cause damage. Having said that, many of the buildings were ornate and some were painted in very bright colours. The red buildings looked particularly impressive. Jay pointed out a mark very high up on the side of one of the buildings which had been left by someone in a boat during the floods of 1978.

Two Swimmers in the Ganges

At the base of many of the Ghats, we saw crowds of people bathing in the Ganges and some washing clothes. Women were bathing as well as men, but all retained their modesty. I spotted the heads of two people actually swimming in the river, dodging the many boats.

There were lots of mynah birds flying in from their roosts. They lined themselves up on buildings and cables and flew onto boats to hunt for insects. As well as the mynahs, I saw black kites fishing and a lot more swifts. Some ladies were performing a private ritual with basil and a sparrow hopped right behind them. He was not shy at all.

By now the sun was above the horizon on the far bank, so I took some photos of the sunrise. At first the sky was a pale pink, which was reflected in the river. Later, it became a stronger orange colour. There was such a contrast between the two river banks. One was flat and empty; the other full of buildings and people as far as the eye could see.

Souvenir vendors approached our boat. Their boats were laden with all sorts of things, but I was not tempted. Jay was explaining the scenes on a set of postcards we could buy, when I spotted some mynah birds on the other boat showing an interest in the souvenirs – or perhaps some insects in the boat. Chris remarked that the souvenir sellers were like pirates in reverse.

Near to where the boat turned round, we saw a very pretty temple from southern India. Monks were outside performing a ceremony. We spotted some monkeys clambering on the roofs and terraces of buildings. There was quite a jump at one point, but they made it.

Our Oarsmen

The ride downstream was much faster and we took a path further from the bank to avoid collisions. We headed beyond our start point and already two cremations were in progress, but I did not look. Jay pointed out a palace which had two tigers on the railings of the terrace. They were the only tigers we saw on this visit.

The boat then headed back to where we embarked and we headed up the steps of the Ghat and then returned to the hotel for breakfast and a much needed shower. Jude was still in bed, but feeling a lot better.

Gold and Silver Silk Thread

Weaver at his Loom

At 10.00 we were taken by taxi to a silk factory. I think it belonged to a friend of Jay’s as he was most concerned that we did not miss it. The owner showed us the looms. One was a simple loom with one operator who made sari silks. The patterns for the silk are “programmed in” using punch cards, but even so, it takes over a week for one person to make about a metre of silk. About three metres a month! As you can imagine, this handmade silk is very expensive and used only for the most important saris. There was another loom which made decorative silk. Many different coloured silks were used to make pictured wall hangings. Apparently this is a dying art. Shanks of gold and silver threads hung from the looms.

Irreplaceable Wall Hanging

We were then taken into the shop where the owner displayed his pride and joy, which was not for sale. It was a very large wall hanging, comprising many squares which contained pictures of ladies wearing brightly coloured saris. I do not think it could have been made on the looms which we saw, but I might have been wrong. He did say that it was irreplaceable as the skill to make one so large had already been lost. Then he showed us some smaller wall hangings, duvet covers, scarves and saris. The most expensive piece was Rs25,000. I went to look at some scarves for presents and bought three. I think some people bought some more expensive items.

Friendly Doorman

Back at the hotel, Jude was now up and dressed. We stayed in the room while I caught up with my journal and Jude read. I watched the black kites flying behind the hotel. Then we finished packing and dumped our bags in Jill’s room which was left available to all the girls.

All but Sue and Mike went to the hotel restaurant where we had eaten the previous evening and we had a long leisurely lunch to while away the afternoon. Then we sat in our hotel foyer. I took some photos of the doorman, who had always been very friendly. He had a moustache to rival Dick Strawbridge’s and wore a long white shirt with a red waistband over white trousers and a white hat with a fan on the top and material hanging down the back. At long last it was time to go to the station. It was not the station we had arrived into and was very near to the hotel.

Ken - Too Big for the Side Bed

Our train was already in the platform but was still locked. When it opened, there was the usual mad rush to find our seats, which took a bit of searching. I was in one compartment with Ken and most of the others were next door. Mark was nearest to the loos and Bob and Mike were in a compartment slightly further down the carriage from us. There were seats for six people in each compartment. Later, these were made into beds. The upper bunk is lowered and the backs of the lower seats are pushed down to make six beds. The lower bed going crosswise was an interesting construction. Two people would sit facing each other and then the seat backs would be pushed forward to make one bed, filling the whole width and the other person would sleep above. Ken demonstrated the lower cross-bed for a photo. It was a good thing he was in one of the those beds as he was too big to fit. The reading lights were always on but they had a cover which could be moved to make it dark. This cover was made of metal and got quite hot.

Me with Red Mark - Reading Light Behind

Just after we got on the train, a holy man came up and blessed us, putting a red mark on our foreheads – for a tip. Rafeeq had bought us dinner. It was a cold curry. Bob and Mike ate theirs but I just ate the horrible green banana and drank my juice. Then I read a BBC History magazine, which I finished. People started to go to bed, especially Ken who had had two hours snoring time before 10pm. I made my bed up but then the Indian man in our compartment told me to pull the back of the seat forward, so I followed his advice and it was much more comfortable. Each passenger was issued with two clean sheets, a pillow with a clean pillow case and a blanket. After a few trips to the “Indian” toilet, I took my shoes off and snuggled down. I read a lot and slept a bit. We stopped at Lucknow just after midnight and lots of people got on, including three who took the remaining beds in our compartment. They brought a huge case which they put by the little table, so I had to extract my shoes so I could reach them. This also blocked in my rucksack, which was under the seat, and made it difficult for me just to sit on the seat in the morning. I slept surprisingly well and read a bit more and got up at 5.00. My contact lens case had leaked in the night so I put them in quickly and washed my face. There were no facilities for cleaning teeth.

I chatted to Bob quite a bit and then looked out of the window. I saw a lady riding across some fields on a camel. This was a different, drier part of India. The train was delayed and there were several long stops before we finally reached the station 45 minutes after arriving at the outskirts of Agra. There was a mad dash to get off the train and we got on a bus to take us to our hotel.

Animal Corner

The intrepid kingfisher - note the nearby feet