Varanasi has got be (at least to my westernised way of thinking) the strangest place in the world.

Within a 2 minute walk from our guesthouse were a pile of burning corpses. Some done to a crisp, others with thier flesh just starting to sizzle, all being watched rather somberly by freshly shaven ehaded male family members. Apparently it takes 3 hours to fully burn a human corpse, and rather a pricely sum if the family opts for some of the extremeley expensive sandalwood piled up for sale all around the burning ghats. An anatomy degree means i have seen my fair share of dead people, but Kate's wide-eyed horror spoke for us both when the Dalit man (the 'untouchables' in Hindu culture; the only ones permitetd to handle the dead bodies) beckoned us closer and pointed out the exposed searing skull on the top of one particularly roaring pile.

A token piece of the chargrilled remains is then placed into India's holiest river - the Ganga. The burnt remains are also joined in the river by those bodies who cannot be burnt; pregnant women, children, lepers, and those kileld by snakebite. Then add literally tonnes of raw sewage every day and the river might appear to be rather an unwelcome place for a dip you might think? Not so, as the river is so Holy to Hindus, every day thousands take the plunge to wash, swim and (shudder) drink from the Ganga. Its no wonder water-borne diseases are so prevalent in India.

I may have cast a bad impression, but this is simply due to just how alien a world Varanasi and its religious practises are to my western mind. In truth, despite the unearthly smell it is an incredibly beautiful city, particularly at sunset and sunrise when the ghats really come to life. A view from our little wooden rowing boat gave us sights of washing, cricket playing, tooth brushing, puja aarti (a religious ceremony with fire wielding holy men), burning corpses, goats, monkeys, cows, millions of people dressed in orange holding sticks wrapped in what looked like christmas tinsel, and smattering of bewildered looking white people.

Truly a crazy, yet fascinating place.