Death in Varanasi..!!

This old man was just laying in the road and as you can see covered with flys.. Looks like he just died in his sleep. A lot of Hindu's come to die in Varanasi because they believe that they will escape (Samara) the cycle of birth and rebirth and therefore (Return to the Source) God.



If this isn't enough to put most people of eating chicken I don't know what else to say.

Just another day...!!!

Hi...!!

A protest against rising prices & record inflation in India.

The harsh realities, when it's in your face it give a completely different perspective on eating meet.

These chickens legs are tied together so they can't escape.

This put me of eating meat altogether. Though not completely a vegi, I haven't eaten meat for months. In India it's easier than in the UK to not eat meat.

A day in Varanasi.

The sky's opened and the rain poured down.

The Grandfather of the tea shop you see behind him.

My local tea stall. Which also do a mean Samosa.

View from the roof.

A view from my hotel in the late evening overlooking the Ganga.

Flooding in Varanasi.

A casualty of the floods in Varanasi..

Working in the hotel where I'm staying. They start at 8am and finish about 7pm.

Again another record, how much can you get on your head..??
When I think that I've seen it all, another record comes along.

One night's difference.

These are the photos taken a day after the ones below. What a difference a day makes.!


This was the view from my Hotel a couple of days ago. But when I woke up this morning the water was up so high that the steps are no longer visible and you can't walk down the riverside any more.

All the grass and the steps in this photo have disappeared and now nearly up to the top the steps. If this can happen in one night, it will be interesting to see what happens in the near future..

Speech Impediment...!!

Why I wondered was it that so many people in Varanasi were either deaf or dumb or perhaps both? People greeted you with a nod accompanied with some sort of sign language or with a gargle from a pained expression. It wasn't till later that I begin to realize the reason for this peculiarity... PAN, this was the answer.
PAN for people like me that have never heard of it and don't know what it is, is a mixture of beetle nut, tobacco & calcium. It sold in a leaf for about 6 rupees and is put in the mouth and left. This is then transformed into a mouth full of red saliva which in turn is then kept in the mouth and then spat out, but the longer left in the mouth the better. When people talk to you, if they talk to you because sign language is preferable. They tilt their head back and speak from an open mouth which is holding the red spit. So it sounds like they are speaking to you from under water... !! Makes communication very difficult especially if you are not aware of what it is that is making the person disabled in the speach department.

Hair cut Indian Style.

Hair cut Indian style, this poster was in the barbers when I had my hair cut. Apparently its from the 20's or 30's. Thought that it was kinda cool..

Me with the short hair look.

Around the Ghats.

I watched as the boatmen bailed out water as quick as their hands could move, it did not inspire confidence in the sea worthiness and as for the over loading....??

Removals the Indian way, it's the only way in the small Ghats!

This looks like hard work and the temperature is 45 c.

When I arrived in Varanasi, I’d heard so much about the place from TV and from other travelers, my expectations were pretty high. Although not disappointed, there were some things that I wasn’t ready for, such as the walk down the Ghats - which to anyone who’s not familiar with the place are – small lanes that line the River Ganges. It’s possible when the river is not too high to walk the length of these Ghats following the river. But be warned it must qualify as the world’s longest urinal and the smell is enough to bring the cremated bodies back to life.

Don’t let this stop you from enjoying your daily swim in the river and as most people that do swim in the river do drink it. The Indian stomach is made of cast iron. Not forgetting the washing of clothes, buffalo and dead bodies that are rotting at the bottom of the river.