Arriving in Varanasi, we were thrust back into the masses, which only amplified the heat and humidity that made my shirt seem like a soaked rag after only two minutes. Eventually, we found our way to a taxi stand which was able to take us only half-way to our hotel because the streets of the old city are very narrow (more narrow than Venice), and we continued on through the labyrinth of streets slowly melting like the wicked witch in the Wizard of OZ until we found our hotel along the Ganges River. After arriving, we spent the hotter part of the day (and every day after) in the room because it was unbearable outside. However, sometimes the power would get overloaded and crash in the middle of the day, which would force us from the ensuing oven in our room to the heating torch outside.

Our favorite activity, though, was always venturing out along the Ghats (elaborate sets of steps that lead down to the Ganges River and are crowned with old, decaying palaces and temples) in the late afternoons. Walking along these Ghats actually took a great deal of skill in displaying multiple personalities because you would try to be kind to the food vendors, fleeting to the silk shop scouts, courteous to the children selling postcards, and invisible to the boat handlers. Though, one set of people at one of the holiest and active Ghats was particularly crafty. Now, Indians love to be interested in Westerners, and they always want to shake your hand as if saying, "See, I am like you. You can trust me!" and the ones that have exploited this tactic the most are the massage therapists (all old men) down by the water.

My brother was the first to get pulled by giving a handshake, which turned into a hand and arm massage and finally to a full body, while lying down on the dirty steps of the Ghat in the midst of anybody that wanted to see. On the other hand, Ian and I did not go for the hand shake but while watching Chris, we got lured into having a straight razor shave out in the open (we did have new, clean, sterile blades), which also turned into a full body massage by the guy acting as if he was clearing the final cream from your face and turning that into a head massage.

With strange things like this, we normally justify it by saying "Well, it's an experience," and that it was! First, I had never had a straight razor shave or a massage before, and, second, this is the closest I have come to knowing what it is like to be either a celebrity or a side show and the setting only added to the bizarre that already existed. While laying there, about twenty Indians crowded around to watch, giggle, and take our picture 100 times, and I was doing my best to concentrate on not laughing because I am ticklish on my back anyway. Then little kids still tried to sell me post cards, little girls came up to tickle my feet, some beggars came by asking for money, the boatmen still pursued us relentlessly, and the goats, cows, and monkeys all looked on in astonishment. This was all happening while we were watching people bathing, swimming, and praying in the Ganges and could smell sandalwood being burned from the cremation of bodies a short distance away. We also saw a body float to the surface in the middle of the Ganges because not all people are cremated. The pinnacle of the event, though, was laying there getting a massage while being sprayed with a fire hose by the sanitation department trying clean off the animal droppings and trash from the Ghat. So, the end result was a shave and a massage from the "President of Massage" with the "Happy Ending" of being sprayed with fecal matter!

I do not believe that I will attempt a shave or massage in public any time in the near future, but it definitely qualified as "an experience," and I will keep this as one of my most vivid memories of Varanasi. After spending several days here looking at beautiful silks and being bewildered by the religious practices as well as the people here, we decided to move on down the line to Agra, the home of the Taj Mahal. Till next time, cheers. There are two other blogs for Varanasi, you just click where the dates are at the top to read them.