"Kashi Banaras Benares Varanasi" a Varanasi Travel Page by l_joo

Varanasian foods
Introduced by a tourist stood here eating what I ate in photo told me this is the best in Varanasi, I ate one and later I bought 7 more. The food is like curry puff eaten with green salty spicy sauce, cost 1Rs each only. The location of this stall is Shivala Ghat, opposite Sunshine hotel. Really, this is the best in Varanasi because I tasted it. A few step walk is the 'Chai' stall, also stood many peoples drinking endlessly, go show your finger One Please after eaten the best of Varanasi. I came here on 9th February 2005. Temperature in February is around 15 Celcius, very comfortable feeling. My transportation was second class sleeper by train some 20 hours total cost 293Rs per ticket from New Delhi. Condition of train was good, many security personnels and ticket checkings. Dinner on train cost 30Rs for Thali while many food sellers come every 10 minutes. This place was originally good for photography but nowadays digital cameras degraded photo values, I alone took 500+ for fun.

Send Photo to a Friend

Drink Gangga water
In the morning five thirty or six, walk to the riverside, nearby the river you can see many peoples approaching you asking 'boat 50 ruppees'. Okay reply, you will be arranged an one or two hour boat ride. Some women head-carrying a basket full of flowers, they wanted to sell you the praying flowers in bowl made of leaves cost 20Rs each, avoid them if you don't want to spend the money. I didn't travel with Lonely Planet guide book, had to pay 80Rs for 4 bowls. While on the boat, you can drink the Gangga river water as shown in picture, it taste holy and your sin gone, but don't do it, that was my mineral water. I spent 7 days here but 3 days on the bed for food poisoning probably eaten the chicken masala the first night arrived. I had to ask help from the hotel to arrange me a doctor for unstoppable diarrhea and vomit plus fever. Medicines cost me 120Rs while 400Rs for doctor.

Send Photo to a Friend

What to do here
I came here without any guidebook, actually I don't need because we already have the best website. I came and wander around looking at things completely different from where I live. I try to see how peoples lived tradition by tradition for 3000 years unchanged here. Hindu culture is something that can really last long enough, long enough to make you want to stand here to watch its beauty. What I did here was walking along the ghats some 2 hours taking many photos and saying many 'No Thanks' to peoples offering their services to you. Kids would follow you by pulling your shirt or touch your legs for one ruppee or two. Some chase you for taking their photos, some just stare at you because you look different. The most strange was a guy offered a woman to me as wife. Saw also some foreign tourists tried to dress like sadhu, they probably stayed here for years. Many tourists bath here, very common activity.