One week in to our trip and we've already racked up more than 30 hours in delays on trains and planes… We're hoping this is not the beginning of a trend! Amazingly when we arrived in to Varanasi seven hours late, our pre-arranged pick up was still waiting for us which was a welcome surprise… until we started driving.

We should have guessed by the lack of wing mirrors that we were in for a bumpy ride. We're quite used to the mental driving in India now, but this was by far the worst yet. The old guy didn't seem to be aware of anything around him - including cars, bikes, cows, people. He wouldn't stop for anyone or anything and permanently had his horn blaring for the 20 minute journey into the city. He must have had a death wish, or was just plain stupid. Unbelievably, when we arrived near our guesthouse and were thrown out the car to walk the remainder of the journey through the narrow streets (alleyways), he held out his hand for a tip. A guy from the hotel who'd come to collect us asked us to give him some money if we were happy with his driving… We were just happy to be alive.

We were led through the biggest maze of streets in the old city to our guest house right on the river Ganges. The streets were so narrow that whenever we came across a cow, we had to usher it to one side and squeeze past - easier said then done when carrying a huge backpack as well. Suddenly the streets opened up to our guest house and we caught our first glimpse of the most holy river in India. It was quite special, and the fog was so thick we couldn't see the other side of the river which made it all the more atmospheric.

We received a warm welcome and were glad we'd paid just a few pounds more for a river view and balcony overlooking one of the smaller ghats - which are a collection of large steps all the way along the river bank, leading into the river. The Ghats are the main attraction in Varanasi - and people come from all over India to bathe in the holy waters. The poorer people and small guest houses also do their laundry in the Ganges, and at two of the Ghats cremations take place too. It is considered the most auspicious place to be cremated in India, and the ashes are poured into the river afterwards (We decided to change our minds about doing some laundry at this stop!)

We'd arrived just in time for a sunset rowing boat ride on the river. We were taken with three Australian girls to see the daily evening Ganga Arti ceremony - which is basically a bunch of priests giving thanks to the river. They play instruments and ring bells and what not. We also were encouraged to light candles for each of our families and give them as offerings to the river and request good luck for them. It does sound bonkers, but there is definitely a spirituality about the place as the Indians who come here have so much belief for the powers of the holy river.

We tried some Tandoori chicken for dinner which was delicious and went to bed early before a sun rise boat trip the following day. We both enjoyed this one so much more - the fog had lifted and the mood on the river was peaceful - plus we were the only people in the rowing boat. Again we lit two candles and watched them float along the river.

We spent the rest of the day walking the entire length of the Ghats. Walking through the cremation Ghat was interesting but hard to stomach. We'd already been told on our boat trip how bodies are carried to the Ghats by their families. They are then dipped into the river entirely, before being pulled out and placed onto wood which has been covered in things like sandalwood and flowers. They then must pay expensive Government fees before lighting the fire from an eternal flame. It usually takes three hours for the burning to complete and then the family are able to take a small amount of the ashes to scatter into the Ganges. Often children will later sift through the rest of the ashes looking for things that haven't burned, like jewellery, to sell in the market - we'd seen this happen earlier on our morning boat trip. Apparently it's also quite common to see parts of bodies floating along the river as some families cannot afford enough wood to burn them properly. Thankfully we only saw some bones.

The main burning Ghat is in use 24 hours a day, sometimes with three or more bodies burning at once. The whole Ghat is filled with thick black smoke, and when we walked through the ashes rained down on us. It's not something we will forget.

We then tried to find a temple that was in our guidebook but the streets are impossible to navigate. The buildings are so tall, and the streets are so narrow and winding, there was no clear way through. Lots of people were offering to help us, but we've realised now that those who do either direct you to their shop, or demand money for directions, so when Bret was asked if he needed help, he declined. But as he then turned a corner, he literally came face to face with a cow completely blocking his way. The look on his face was hilarious as he turned back at the guy to ask for help shooing the cow away.

Eventually we came to a building that might have been the temple, but it was surrounded by about 60 armed soldiers. We asked if we could go inside and after some consideration we were nodded through, but no one told the guards on the inside so as we walked through they all reached for their guns! Basically we cr***ed ourselves and walked back out!

We then realised that we were in fact in a muslim mosque which isn't usually visited by tourists, and so asked for directions for the Hindu temple… Probably not the wisest thing to do in a place where bad feeling is rife between religions - especially on Republic Day. Luckily the soldiers realised we were just dumb tourists and then gave us directions, but in the end we ended up paying a kid 20 rupees (25p) to take us to the right place. Annoyingly, once we finally got there, we found out they do not allow bags inside so we gave up on the idea altogether.

In the afternoon we went to a Muslim part of town, where silk clothing is produced and distributed to shops. There were no other tourists in the area, and Nat was made to cover her head as we were shown around the small factories where the men work on sari's and other silk items. It was really interesting and nice not to be pressured into buying anything for once.

The next day we wanted to chill out a bit. We took a tuk tuk over a temporary bridge to the other side of the river where there is an old fort. It wasn't that well maintained but it was nice to just walk around. We were pushed into a temple where some bloke insisted we needed to give 1000 rupees (about a tenner) to the Gods for good luck. It was absolute rubbish so we got up and walked out, which totally annoyed them but we're sick of getting ripped off now. It's really frustrating that these people are allowed into places like this where we pay to get in, but we're definitely getting more used to it now and just accepting it as part of the experience.

As we took a slow walk back along the Ganges we noticed how some of the goats that roam the streets have been dressed in old jumpers, cardigans and shirts. We're not sure if people are just being mean, or genuinely think the goats are cold, but it looks hilarious. Even though it's above 20 degrees, the Indians are always moaning how cold it is, and they are all wrapped up in hats and scarves, which is also quite funny.

We went for some food before catching another night train later to Agra, and Bret decided to brave the toilets at the restaurant. So far we've been managing to avoid toilets in public, but the place we were eating seemed nice enough so he followed the sign which led out of the building, into a dark, smelly alleyway outside where a cow was stood. He shuffled passed the cow, then passed a gang of rough-looking teenagers to a filthy toilet door. Inside there was one dim light with water pouring off the exposed cables and a hole in the ground. We'll now go back to keeping our legs crossed while we're out during the day!...