As Paul said at the end of the last blog Varanasi is one of the oldest continuously inhabited places on earth. It is a sacred place to the Hindus being on the banks of Mother Ganga (the Ganges). Every year Hindus will do a pilgrimage here either bathing away their sins in the waters, floating offerings on the river or praying in the temples or at the daily evening ceremony on the Dasaswamedh Ghat. For Hindus, Varanasi is also the place to die as dying here breaks the cycle of birth and death. Varanasi is also therefore the place to be cremated and some of the Ghats are used specifically for this purpose. At the busiest times up to 300 cremations happen daily. At one of the cremation Ghats there is a building that is home to people without families who have moved here to die (a bit like Southport). Through donations they stay for free - free food, accommodation, medication and massages. Our first experience of the Ghats was on Thursday, we took a cycle rickshaw from our hotel deep in the town to the riverside. During the ride the wind rose and a sort of dust storm ensued - a precursor to a thunderstorm which cooled things down to 26 degrees - very pleasant! We took shelter from the rain with the locals on a wide stone staircase built into the Ghat walls. Before long Paul was being offered drugs not just once but several times more and more and more desperately by the same guy until he lost it and said "have you heard of the English phrase F.. off?" Thankfully and to my surprise the guy disappeared. As I have mentioned in a Nepal blog, one of the incarnations of Shiva is a bit partial to a bit of weed, so it is common for his followers to partake of the substance in Varanasi as it is legally sold for religious rituals. You therefore have a mix of happy hippy potheads, smoking Sadhus (holy men) and some more unsavoury desperate criminal types. Unlike some of the places we have visited so far, Varanasi has a slight threatening atmosphere. As we are staying in the city and have to travel to the Ghats we have to run the gauntlet every day. I was touched up by a young lad while I was on a cycle rickshaw - he just reached into the carriage as we passed. We also have experienced every trishaw scam going. Our hotel staff told us on the first morning of the dangers of the place - junkies extorting money from tourists who have unwittingly taken photos of the cremation ceremonies, touts, drug dealers and fare scams. Our trishaw journey costs locals 20Rps but we have never paid less than 40Rps which we don't mind. What we do mind is the frustrating game we have to play every day. Firstly make sure your driver knows where you are going (even if he says he knows, has looked at your hotel card, has seen the Lonely Planet map) he may just drive you to another part of town and leave you stranded. Make sure the price you agree on is for the two of you, not per person. Make sure you are not taken away from your intended destination to the driver's brother's silk shop/boat. Thankfully we have never given into them. Paul had been very excited about Varanasi as it appeared to be a visual extravaganza. The reality was a bit disappointing for him. The riverbank of the Ganges is lined with ancient stone steps and buildings; wires and electricity cables spoil the best photo ops. Also as these holy riverbanks are frequented by pilgrims and are home to goats and sacred cows, they are used as a toilet by all of the above. A cloud of wee seems to constantly hang in the air and you have to do a sort of Michael Flatley dance to dodge the poo. We explored the cremation Ghats too. Processions of mourners chanting and banging drums lead the body wrapped in gold cloth through the town to the riverbank. The Ghat is piled high with wood for the funeral pyres, the wood is carefully selected and weighed - there is a particular skill to getting the cremation temperature right. Each body needs around 250KGs to burn. The most expensive wood to use is sandalwood 8000Rps per KG. Often bodies are laid in rows on the banks until the pyre is ready. These occasions do not seem to be particularly sombre, dark or miserable. It brought to mind my friend Gail's project on death in school! On Friday evening we headed to the main Desaswamedh Ghat for the daily 7pm ceremony. Pilgrims and tourists gather to watch the Ganga Arti ceremony in honour of Mother Ganga set to music and played out by 7 men with a variety of props, peacock feather fans, conch shells, candleabra, flaming oil cans and tickling sticks? ... People also make candle-lit flower offerings that they float away on the river, this creates a beautiful, twinkling display in the darkness. I was amused at how many tourists were seemingly dragged into making offerings. I just politely refused and said I am not a Hindu, but some blokes were thrust upon with two offerings at a time, dragged to the water edge then asked to pay for the privilege - suckers!! The smoke from the rituals, the hazy auspicious full moon, the chanting and the twinkling offerings do transform the stinking Ghat into a magical place - if you squint your eyes and hold your nose. On Sunday we visited the 17th century Ramnagar fort on the opposite bank of the river...anyway enough about the toilet fort. Today was our last day in Varanasi getting up at 4:40 to get to the Ghats in time for the sunrise. As you will see from the photos this was a much better opportunity to capture more intimate shots of the rituals, ceremonies and cremations. Overnight train to Agra tonight .... yes it's the Taj Mahal next!!!