Today was such a good day... We had been on the evening boat ride down the Ganges yesterday at dusk and that was such an amazing experience. We had spent so long in dry and dusty cities that it was refreshing to see some water and to be near it. The Ganges are by no means the sort of water you would fancy taking a dip in but is an truly spiritual place to visit. We had floated along the river past cremations and various ceremonies and stopped up near the Dasaswarmedh ghat to watch Ganga Aarti (river worship ceremony) that happens every evening at dusk. There are five priests who stand under a multi coloured structures that are decorated with flowers and fairy lights and do various rituals involving incense, lights, fire and bells. It's an incredible thing to witness and so peaceful. On the shore there are hundreds of people watching and an equal number from the various boats. During the ceremony you can purchase small butter lamps that consist of a small foil dish (similar to that of a pie dish) and its filled with flowers and a butter oil tea light. You light the candle... Make a wish then place the offering in to the river. We both did it and it was truly lovely.

Today we were due to do an early morning boat ride so we could see the Ganges at dawn as it varies so much from the evening, however everyone was pretty tired from the train journey and late night so instead we rescheduled for tomorrow and had a free day today.

We woke up fairly early as we didn't want to waste the day and we walked down the road and found a cute little cafe called the bread of life and sat down. It offered free wifi which was pretty cool... and rare! it allowed us to send messages home and do some research on Varanasi and the things to see. The bakery is small and very sweet and offers a wide selection of baked goods and delicious meals. Steven ordered American pancakes with maple syrup and I had a poached egg with a spinach roll. The pancakes were incredible and after a few people sampled them, we all decided that would be our choice tomorrow. The poached egg wasn't so tasty as it was more a hard boiled egg but the spinach roll, was delicious... Especially as it was warm and the butter was soft.

After breakfast the girls went shopping with Finbar and the remaining guys chilled with the wifi. We had been told that Varanasi was the place for shopping and were all very excited about sampling the silks and pashminas. We went to a well reviewed shop called baba black sheep which wasn't far from hotel and offered fixed prices on various materials including silk. Angie had her heart set on a silk sari and thus our mission for the morning was to find her one. Baba had a stunning selection of materials and the sari fabric was beautiful. She initially tried a green sari on but we both fell in love with a bright purple pure silk sari which was the bargain price of two and a half thousand rupees (less than thirty pounds) and included a hand made top. The other girls were all looking at pashminas and various scarfs while Finbar was shopping for his girlfriend. I wasn't shopping as I knew Steven would kill me..., I had already bought my elephant and have a punjabi suit but everyone convinced me to invest in a beautiful pink silk and pashmina scarf which was fifteen hundred rupees. I wasn't so sure as it was a lot of money (about seventeen pounds) but then I remembered our bill at the last hotel. Steven had spent twelve hundred rupees on food and drink compared to my mere three hundred... So that swung it! Plus I could hide it for a few days then pretend I'd always had it.

After the sari shopping was complete a few of the group headed out of town on an optional trip to where Buddha gave his first Sermon. However me and Steven were keen to do some exploring by ourselves and really wanted to experience the Ganges in the day to witness what an effect it has on the community. We wandered down to the river via some small side streets and this was a nice change as no motorised cars and bikes are allowed, so your only challenge is to avoid the holy cakes (cow dung) and the various shop owners who want you to just look in their shop.... Have good price! We eventually waded through and found our selves on the ghats ( these are the stone steps that line the Ganges).

We walked down the length of the ghats, each one having a different function and therefore its own unique vibe. We passed the shivala ghat which is the one in which we caught the boat last night. We walked past various locals offering us boat trips and came to a smaller ghat where the Hindi people cremate their loved ones. It's a surreal experience and one that I can say I will probably never experience again, the family of the deceased build a fire out of wood and light it using the sun... no artificial ignition is used. They then bathe the body in the river before placing them in the fire to cremate them. The process is all done in open air and meters from the walkways of the ghats, it happens over three to four hours and only men are allowed at the cremation.

Hindus believe that Varanasi is a particularly special place to die as it enables moksha (liberation from the cycle of life and death) and it an extremely religious place for Hindus. Many pilgrims come here to wash away a lifetime of sin in the holy water of the Ganges. When we walked past the cremation they were just setting up a new pyre and shortly after on our walk back the process had began and the body was on the fire. It's quite a graphic thing to see and something we are very sheltered from at cremations back home, as our loved ones float behind a curtain but we found it more intriguing than scary.

As we progressed further down the ghats we came across the laundry ghats where tonnes of local laundry are washed vigorously against the rocks. It's quite a sight as there are vast amounts of saris and clothes drying in the sun... Thankfully the laundry at the hotel is not included in the ghats customers. All around the Ganges are cows wandering, dogs sunbathing and kids and adults alike trying to sell you a souvenir or a service such as massage... Plus the hundreds of boat owners who want to take you out. Steven made the mistake of shaking a guys hand who offered it to him then proceeded to massage said hand in exchange for rupees haha... Quite the master of getting the customer, it didn't work though and we walked on, further down we walked in the the river ...neither were brave enough for a full dunk but thought we should at least dip our toes and hopefully as a result our travels will be blessed.

Scattered up and down the river are some interesting characters and you can really appreciate the importance of the river to the local community. There are guys who sit in orange robes, covered head to toe in sandalwood ash and offer prayers, there are locals sunbathing and enjoying a chai and there were loads of newly weds. We saw so many brides and grooms... I asked if i could take a picture of one happy couple and they agreed although you wouldn't think they were newly weds when looking at the picture. For some reason in India people always have a serious face in photos... No smiling! I asked Abhi why later but he didn't have an answer.

Further down we came to the ceremonial area where we had witnessed the dusk ceremony last night.... This had loads of newly weds and loads more hagglers and touts. It was such an experience walking the down the various ghats and watching all the activity. It's amazing how important the river is to the Hindu community. You experience all aspects of life from babies playing in the water, to couples enjoying their wedding celebrations and finally the dead being cremated and swept in to the most sacred river in India.... It really is a magical place. We spent a good few hours here and I took hundreds of pictures, before we ventured back to the hotel where a nap was needed. Angie came back from the excursion and had bought me some beautiful prayer beads... Was such a lovely gesture, maybe the dip in the ganges was working! Really enjoying the spirituality here.

Later we went out for our final dinner in Varanasi and took rickshaws to a local restaurant... I don't think poor Abhi could face the autos rickshaws again. It was a lovely vegetarian restaurant and as always the food was delicious... I've really found my appetite the last few days.... Which I'm not sure Steven is appreciating lol. After dinner we headed back to the hotel for some rum and chat in Abhi's room before finally passing out at 1am... Early start tomorrow.