Final chapter: Varanasi

3rd – 7th February

It turns out that 30 hours spent on a train is not as bad as it sounds. Luckily we picked the sleeper class which meant we sat with some interesting locals. Apart from writing this blog, reading and drinking cup after cup of chai, we both spent most of the journey lying in our bunks, in and out of sleep. On the train, we met a guy who was also stopping at Varanasi. In fact he helped us pick our ‘on-board meal’ and although spicy (sorry Malene), it was bearable. At Varanasi station, everything seemed quite normal. It was busy, hot and there was a spattering of tourists, most of which were either lost or being ripped off by local taxi drivers. We hoped we wouldn’t fall for their mistakes. Following our new friend through the station, we darted up and over stairs, over beggars legs and out of the exit before most of the touts even saw us. Outside the station, we headed for the government rickshaw parking area. Here, we were guaranteed we wouldn’t pay extra just because we were tourists, and whilst that felt promising, it still cost us more than we originally thought.

Heading out into the busy streets we quickly got a good idea of the city. Sat in our rickshaw, we could see just how dirty this place was. In fact, I couldn’t see anything that looked clean, and I challenge anyone visiting Varanasi to try and prove me wrong. The first thing we saw were the cows, but what was more noticeable was what they left behind. Literally cow shit everywhere! When it came to walking through the incredibly narrow streets, it was like a mine-field: some pats old, but most were fresh.

At our hotel, we checked in and then climbed 5 stories until we reached the rooftop restaurant. It was a beautiful day and the view was amazing. We could see the Ganges river to one side and sprawling city on the other. Our hotel offered free boat trips both in the evening and in the mornings and without hesitation we quickly booked one for that evening. Finding these boat trips for free was definitely a bonus. In fact, it was probably the first ‘free’ activity we had come across in India.

Our walk to the ghat where our boat was docked was our first experience of walking through the tiny, clustered streets. We were staying in the old part of the city, which was very different to the area where the station was. The streets here were barely wide enough for people to pass each other, so when a motorbike came past, we really had to be on our toes. Even more of a challenge came when passing cow or buffalo, as Malene found when one almost impaled her with its giant horn. At the water’s edge, we scrambled over moored boats and eventually sat down, eager to set off and see the city. Shortly after rowing out we came to the Manikarnika Ghat – the main burning Ghat. Here it was forbidden to take photos in order to respect the grieving families who were cremating loved ones. This was the most auspicious place in the whole world for Hindus to be cremated as it offers them Moksha: liberation from the cycle of birth and death. Dead bodies are carried through the old city on beds made from bamboo and wrapped in colourful cloth. It is a continuos train of people and as they chant to their Gods, it all becomes very surreal. The bodies are then doused with holy water from the Ganges before the burning begins. The fire used for this ceremony is kept alight 24 hours a day and the wood used is carefully stacked in the surrounding area. Each body requires a different amount of wood in order to fully burn the body (depending on the size of the person) and it is a very precise science. Depending on the wealth of the family, different varieties of wood are available, with sandlewood as the most expensive.

Our boat ride continued down river where we could really see the importance of the water. It was the centre of the people’s day to day lives. From bathing to washing cloths to brushing teeth, the importance of the river quickly became apparent. That evening, we spent time watching the burning ghat from an overlooking balcony and really felt the spiritual aura and atmosphere that it all created.

The next morning, we did it all again. Taking our boat this time with the sun rising behind us. It was as if the city hadn’t slept and even at 7am it was still extremely lively. This time there were more boats on the river. Boats ‘manned’ by young boys came up alongside us and like little floating shops, offering us drinks, crisps and little flower lanterns that we could use as an offering to the river. Back on terra firma, it was amazing to simply walk along the river. Groups of children playing cricket and badminton on the waters edge were great fun to stop and watch, especially when the had to wade into the water for their lost ball. Cows of course wandered everywhere and watching tourists skip between cow excrement was just as funny. I think on average, I managed to step in cow crap around 2 to 3 times a day – much to Malene’s amusement!

On our first evening out, we were treated to live traditional Indian music. With one guy on a giant sitar and his friend on a tabla (twin drums) we lost ourselves in hauntingly beautiful music. Of course, a large slice of chocolate cake really helped! This was at a place called the German Bakery (no links with Germany!) and we found ourselves here throughout our stay in Varanasi. Nice little restaurants aside, the street food here is also excellent. We especially liked the potato and bean patties, freshly cooked in front of you and was another great way to sit and stare at wondering tourists and locals alike.

With the streets full of colour and music, it was easy to get lost in the labyrinth of the old city. We loved Varanasi for so many reasons, but most of all because it felt like ‘India’ for us. Evenings were spent watching the ganga aarti – a river worshiping ceremony and surrounding ourselves in the liveliness of the place made us feel warm and spiritual – a lot coming from me; someone who has very few religious beliefs.

We spent one day at a local, charity-run school that offered help for both children and their parents. Again with ties to the German Bakery, we brought clothes made by the women from this organisation. At the school, we met the founder and 2 volunteers who were there for a couple of weeks teaching the young children. It was a very humble place and in someway, totally reminded us of our time at school in the Punjab. It was strange because although I miss the children tremendously, I hadn’t missed the teaching so much…until now. Watching the children go through their ABC’s and learning to count reminded us of all the memories and frustrations, and love we felt when we ‘taught’. I think we both decided at that moment, that our teaching days were not over.

Varanasi is a place to get lost, literally and spiritually. You need to look past the dirt and grime, but at the same time, embrace it. Spending longer here than our normal couple of days was a great decision as it gave us a freedom of wondering, watching the pilgrims and laughing at fellow tourists. Although we weren’t brave enough to swim in the Ganges (for fear of disturbing a dead body or swallowing the polluted water), we did dip our feet in, even if it was to wash off something we had earlier stepped in.

Varanasi, quickly jumped to my number 1 stop in India. It was everything I had expected and more. The culture and vibrance was right there in front of us and we didn’t need to search it out. As our last stop in this great, diverse country, we couldn’t have asked for more. There is so much to see here, without needing to go into temples or shrines or other popular tourist spots. After our visit in Goa, we finally fell back in love with India. Just remember, try and keep one eye on where you step.

Apart from a quick stop in Delhi, Varanasi would be our final chapter of India. I think we felt all emotions possible during our trip here and although a little tiring at times, it’s certainly an experience that will change us forever. I hope you’ve enjoyed following us, but don’t stop yet! It’s about to get really interesting. Our adrenaline glands are about to take a battering as we travel up into Nepal, where we will get truly wild, high, wet, and sunburnt…again. We will search for rhinos, swim with elephants, jump from waterfalls and fly with eagles. I just hope I have the energy at the end of the day to write about it all.

But seriously…Varanasi…WOW!

Back to school

Now that we’ve brought you up to speed, I thought I would write a little about our life at school. Our day begins at the reasonable hour of 7:45am after what can be quite a challenging nights sleep. Too often at night, we seem to be battling a mixture of heat (although it’s getting noticeably cooler), a squeaking fan, barking dogs and the mosquitos that still seem to penetrate our net. But we are rewarded in the morning by a lovely omelette, cooked by the hospital canteen. It’s the only meal we have at the hospital in the week, but they do look after us. After applying what seems to be less and less sun-cream each day, Rajinder, a hospital worker dusts down and then fires up his trusty Kawasaki Caliber (125cc). Malene hops on first and I perch on the back and we set off. The mornings are starting to feel cooler and we have been told that we may need a jumper in the next couple of weeks – crazy!

At the orphanage, we tend to arrive after breakfast and just before school starts. The tables are rearranged and there is a frantic buzz as the children search for their bags and find their seats. The teachers (6 girls aged between 20-24) arrive shortly after us and each sit with their class to begin the day. There doesn’t appear to be a set routine when it comes to classes, just what feels right at the time. Malene and I have talked about making a school timetable which should help the children concentrate a little more. At the moment Malene is working with the nursery class, the largest (10 children) and arguably the most challenging! As with all the classes, there is a mixture of educational levels and ages, which can make it a challenge when deciding what and how to teach. As someone who has never done any teaching like this before, I find that my imagination is really being tested, but the sense of achievement when a class goes well continues to amaze me.

Whereas Malene has settled in with the small ones, I on the other hand flitter between the remaining 6 classes. One day, I’ll be focussing on the ABC’s with class 1 and the same afternoon I’ll be struggling with Shakespeare as class 10 prepare for their upcoming exams. To be honest, it’s all challenging (I have a feeling that I’ll be using that word a lot!) and quite daunting when I’m given a class at the last minute. But the children are a delight to be around and that makes this whole experience a joy. The classes that I have tried taking so far are English, computers, environmental science, drawing and maths – much to my dread!

The children (and teachers) have a small break at 11am. The children use this time to stretch their legs in the very limited space they have outside, whilst we have a cup of tea – Earl Grey that is! We then continue with the classes from half 11 and finish for lunch at 1pm. Lunch tends to be either the left overs from the previous dinner (with rice) or noodles and beans. To be honest, we both really like the food. Perhaps at times a little too spicy for Malene but we both like the vegetables they use and the freshness of it all. The cook at the school really works mini-miracles with what she has and we are both very grateful for her. At lunch, the children sit on 3 long faded red carpets and eat with either a spoon or the more traditional finger option. Needless to say, there is food everywhere by the time the children finish. Rice or yellow noodles cover the floor, but all is soon cleaned up and ready for the afternoon classes.

At the moment, the children don’t have much of a lunch break which I think could change. After a large meal consisting of mainly rice or noodles, the children have so much energy which can make them a bit of a handful when they come back to class. Probably what would be a better idea, would be to lengthen their break by half an hour and add that time to the time end of the day. Still, the end of school comes faster and faster each day at which point, chaos reins once again! All the children scramble around the large lockers containing a mixture of clothes. There’s no order, more of a first come, first served principal, as their school uniform is thrown to the ground and hands grab whatever garments they can. All the children share clothes with each other and they rarely make it through the rest of the day wearing just one outfit.

Games time! This is arguably the busiest and most demanding part of the day for Malene and I. They array of games is amazing, but I feel I should go into more detail at another time. This is when we get to bond most with the children. We go from being teachers to friends and people the children can confide in. I can’t wait to write about this part of the day, but you’ll have to wait till next week for that one.

6pm and a call echoes throughout the school that dinner is imminent. As the teachers leave after classes (2:45pm), it leaves Malene, Punam (a lovely friend who I will talk more of later) and myself to get the children in, make sure they wash their hands and sit the down at the table. We then have a little battle to see how quiet we can get everyone (30 children), but rarely seem to get more than a few minutes of peace…the ‘finger on the lips’ trick always seems to work quite well! After grace, everyone tucks in to rice, japati and a curry based mixture of vegetables, beans and potatoes. Every night is different, with one night a week being chicken – a treat for the children! Dinner marks the end of the day for us, with only the return motorbike trip left to do. Two boys, Balgit and Paramjit, take us back to the hospital and as we meander through the darkened streets and watch the stars, we get to reflect on the day. We both feel that there is potentially a lot we can do here at the orphanage, either on a teaching level or a personal level with some of the children. The only issue we will have is time; or rather the lack of it. We can’t believe a month has already passed, but at the same time feel very lucky and sure there will be many more stories to come.