Free Day in VaranasiDawn on the GangesWe head to Assi Ghat at 5:15am for the dawn Aarti ceremony. Marlene and Jim decide to sleep in and have a relaxed day. The sunrise ceremony is very similar to the sunset Aarti we saw at Dasawamedh Ghat last night. A group of girls starts the ceremony with a chant-like song. Seven Brahmin priests on platforms then go through a series of …
Varanasi- India MagnifiedHello VaranasiIt’s 9am. People, vehicles and animals take up every square inch when we exit the train station in Varanasi after our overnight train trip from Agra. Beeping horns, revving engines, barking dogs and voices are nonstop. Welcome to Varanasi.Varanasi is the most spiritual place in India. It is has every aspect of India but magnified. Very intense.After loading our luggage and ourselves into three tuk tuks, …
The Taj Mahal at DawnOff to The Taj MahalWe are up at 4am and at 5:10, Garima wraps me in my sari for our special day – we are going to the Taj Mahal for sunrise.The girls in our group are all dressed up. Outfits and accessories were chosen days ago. Even the guys put some thought into their clothes, ie. less wrinkled shirts.Our minibus drops us off at …
White, Wet Sari Competition in AgraOff to AgraOn the way back from breakfast to our hotel suite in Abhaneri, I notice a peacock pecking at his reflection in the glass of Garima’s door. When I go closer, he hides behind a bush, popping his head out from time to time to see if I’ve left yet. I assume he wants to continue his romantic endeavors with his reflection in …