Sign in with Facebook"Kashi Banaras Benares Varanasi" Top 5 Page for this destination Varanasi by l_joo
Varanasi Travel Guide: 619 reviews and 1,429 photos
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.
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.
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.
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Street scene (aerial view)
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Here you can look at the road of Varanasi, this road is not the small ghat alleys, this one is the big main road. It was... more travel advice
Street scene
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Perhaps after looking at this street scene, I should keep silence on what happened on the street in my country. I think... more travel advice
Crematorium
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This is a goat eating the flowers that peoples put on the dead people, the moment they dumped into the river, the goat... more travel advice
Crematorium
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You can see my shadow on the cremation site, the sunlight was strong, good photo opportunity. There's a goat waiting... more travel advice
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Comments (19)
Thanks for the guide tips.Will be visiting the city in October-2011.
never stay in sunshine hotel..i didn't like the room. one thing that i didn't like most was that they took 600 rs in advance 4 2 days as i wanted to stay 4 2 days but due to some problem i left 1 day before but they didn't returned money..
Wow, nice adventure in Varanasi. Yeah, I had the worst food poison in Nepal. I can imagine what it is like for you.
Loved our stay at shiva ganges view on nov 2007 .. Its not at all expensive ……The rooms are big with balcony, clean, including the bathrooms. We experienced body and head massage …..Very nice and home made food …Delicious !!! I think its worth it !!
Thanks for your tips and pictures! Happy New Travels in 2008!
Unfortunately, you seem not to be able to catch the true spirit of Varanasi. Better luck next time. Greetings from India.
NOT GOOD. The stick for brushing the teeth ('Datun') is an Ayurvedic cure for clean teeth. To see the real Varanasi, stay with a family and not in a hotel.
Hi I-joo, You have an interesting page about Varanasi. I certainly could use many of your tips. My wife and I are going there this month.
The pic of you drinking the water cant be real can it? You obviously didnt have an LP because it explained that the Ganges is beyond polluted ie your illness. Hope you research more for your next trip. Jz
Superb pages and infos. Thanks