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Varanasi: The City of the Dead
 
VARANASI: THE CITY OF THE DEAD Submit a Tale here | More Tales
From Delhi to Varanassi *

So, we survived the 18 hour train journey in 110 degree heat squashed in with hundreds of other people.

It was a relatively peaceful trip except when the train had run over a cow that was on the tracks. This delayed our trip for three hours because they had to dismember the "holy" cow and probably do a religious ceremony for it as well!!

Our new Indian friend, Arwin, told us that the cow was apparently underneath the last train compartment (ours) and we could go outside to see it if we wanted. "NO Thanks!"

We reached Varanassi - the city where millions of people pilgrimage to die because if their body is thrown into the Ganges River, their soul goes to a higher spiritual level in the next life.

We found a really nice guesthouse overlooking the river with full view of the boats carrying the dead bodies.

Once, when leaving the room, Cees opened the door and right in front of him was a monkey staring at him devilishly. He yelled and ran back into the room. After calming down we went outside to get a picture of it. But on getting a little bit too close, the monkey jumped up and started chasing us with it' canines showing.
Well, instinctively I ran back into the room and (as Cees put it) tried slamming the door with Cees on the other side (monkey side).

Cees also forced his way back in and the hotel guys, hearing the screams (on my part), came and yelled at the monkey that was attacking us.

After the way was clear of any blood hungry monkeys, we took a stroll along the Ghats (stairs leading to the river with people washing in the holy water). Once in a while we caught a glimpse of an occasional dead cow or other indescribable bodily forms floating in the water right next to the people swimming!!

While trying to avoid all the people trying to sell us boat trips and massages (no ear cleaners), one man was able to steer us up the stairs of a holy temple that overlooked "THE" holy place where people were being cremated.

Apparently, this place was also a hospice for old people that where waiting to die. There were definitely a lot of old ladies and men lying around. The man proceeded to show us over to the balcony where there was at least 5 funerals going on with men beneath us (no women are allowed because apparently they cry too much causing the soul to have too difficult a time going to the next life) placing the wrapped bodies on the stacks of wood and burning them.

As Cees and I were watching a man poking at the foot of a body being burned, Cees looked up at the ONLY other Western traveler in that temple who had obviously also been herded up there and yelled: "Jesius Gofer Dammer!!! Peter!!!!"

Unbelievably, the guy, Peter, was a soccer (U.S.) / football (Deutsch) team mate of Cees' from Amsterdam and was standing right next to us also witnessing the burning!!!

They stood in front of each other in disbelief that of ALL PLACES that they could meet, it would be at the burning ghats of Varannassi!!!

I of course, with my alternative hippy spiritual beliefs (as Cees would say), claimed that it was not coincidence and of course had a deeper spiritual meaning behind it.
Anyway, since then the three of us have been hanging out together avoiding the aggressive monkeys that seem to be EVERWHERE here!! We are now planning to go together to the Nepal border.

* These stories are not fictional and are based entirely upon fact