Varanasi is one of the oldest living cities on earth and holy to millions. We left the train station at Varanasi and the streets were chockers with people, cows, dogs rickshaws and taxi's. It was total chaos on the road, there were people everywhere and I was trying to dodge the cow **** and negotiate with the rickshaw walla. It is great. This is the real India. I love this place. There is a big Shiva festival on today so every freak, lunatic and nutbag in India is here. Really, I cant explain how weird some of these nutbags really are. It seems fashionable for the Europreans to look like ferrals. Middle aged women in dredlocks dont look cool!!! The guys try to look a bit like a sadhu, that doesn't work either. Last night I saw a middle aged white woman dancing some freaky dance in front of the Ganges, musta been having a 'spiritual experience'. I took a walk along the Ghats last night just to get the feel of the place. The Boatmen are relentless. They are all over the place trying to get you in their boat for a cruise. At one point I counted 80 boats on the river in front of me and I guess there was about the same amount behind me. Im probably going to go tomorrow. My first night here I was sitting on the steps of one of the Ghats and having fun. Sitting isnt always a good thing cos you are a sitting duck. If your walking you can keep walking and ignore them. Anyway Im sitting and chatting with everyone and a sadhu came over wanting baksheesh (donation). I told him to get lost cos he had not done anything for me. Well he said he would allign my chakra's for 50rp. Jeez what a deal. When we got down to it he gave me a toe ring that would allign my chakra's cos he had blessed it. I negotiated a deal with him for 20rp for 4 rings (all blessed) so I can do the same for the kids when I get home. That will be great, we will all have our chakra's in allignment.He blessed them with a special chant, JUST FOR ME, and some idol he had with him. Jeez I slept well that night. It is amazing how well you sleep when your chakra's are in allignment. If I'd have known how easy this is I would have done this years ago. It also helps to have a hot shower and soft bed in a 1000rp/night room. My hotel is just above the burning Ghat. If I am walking along the ghats I have to walk right past it. I have been as close as about 8-10 ft away from the burning bodies. The ghats work 24 hr per day and they take about 3 hr to burn a body. The family wrap the body in cloth then in gold cloth. They bring the body in on a stretcher and dip it in the Ganga, then on the fire pit and stack wood on top. The family then go round 5 times and then light the fire. From the distance I have to be to get past you can SEE EVERYTHING. I did see everything. Anything you think you might be able to see you can. I went for a walk again the next morning and this is a very different city to the others I have been to so far. The ghats are alive with people. Freaks and nutbags everywhere but still outnumbered by boatmen. I met a youg kid named Ali who is a real hustler. I sat talking to him for a while, interupted by the boatmen. Then another sadhu came up for baksheesh. We went through the same story as last night but he explained he didnt need an idol or any of that malarky. He had anklet that would allign my chakra's. Isabel, the Belgian girl I was with, was ******* herself at me takin the **** out of this sadhu. Anyway in the end I got 5 anklets, all washed in the Ganga and blessed JUST for me, for 20rp. One way or the other the kids and I will all have our chakra's in allignment. Our chakra's have been messy for too long. I went back to the hotel and changed rooms. My new room is a bit smaller, well its like a cupboard, but only 200rp/ night. That was the only job for the day so I thought I would go for a walk. The area imediatly up from the ghats is a labrynth of small alleyways, some have shops some are houses and some have ornate temples in them. I dont wory about getting lost cos when Im ready I get a rikshaw to take me to a landmark so I can walk from there. While walking around everyone was watching the cricket. It is a great time to be in India cos they won and they are good sports when it comes to winning. I watched the last two overs with a bunch of Indians and they were all taking the ****. I ended up getting totally lost and was near the Benaras University which was good to look around but most people take a cab to get here. It was a hell of a long way. I was knackered by the time I got back but still checked out the 'puja' on the ghats as I was walking back. They have a ceremony on the river every morning and night. Im sure its not to double their income, there would be some religious significance for morning AND night. I might go to Sarnath today. I have booked some train tickets and tried to book hotels for the next few days. I will send details when they are confirmed.