Redhead Roamer

Tales of a Year Lost in Transition

  • Home
  • Adventures
    • Africa
      • Botswana
      • Morocco
      • South Africa
      • Zambia
      • Zimbabwe
    • Asia
      • Cambodia
      • China
      • India
      • Indonesia
      • Japan
      • Malaysia
      • Myanmar
      • Philippines
      • Singapore
      • Sri Lanka
      • Thailand
      • Vietnam
    • Europe
      • Austria
      • Belgium
      • Bosnia and Herzegovina
      • Croatia
      • Czech Republic
      • England
      • Estonia
      • Finland
      • France
      • Georgia
      • Germany
      • Hungary
      • Italy
      • Latvia
      • Lithuania
      • Macedonia
      • Montenegro
      • Netherlands
      • Poland
      • Romania
      • Russia
      • Slovakia
      • Spain
      • Switzerland
      • Turkey
    • Middle East
      • Israel
      • Jordan
      • Turkey
    • North America
      • Costa Rica
      • Cuba
      • Mexico
    • Oceania
      • Australia
      • New Zealand
    • South America
      • Argentina
      • Chile
      • Peru
      • Uruguay
  • Tips and Tricks
    • Miles and Points
    • Budgets
    • Reviews
  • Photo Gallery
  • About
  • Contact

An Illuminating Trip to India

February 2, 2016 By Lauren 4 Comments

In full honesty, India was the country I was most nervous about visiting on our one-year RTW trip. I wasn’t sure how I’d react to the crowds, pollution, dirt, and otherwise general chaos that I feared would engulf me as soon as I stepped off the plane. After reading in my guide book that between 30% and 70% of tourists experience stomach issues when visiting to India, I was also prepared to be tethered to our hotel room for half the trip.

But thankfully, and in contract to Sri Lanka, my low expectations served me very well, and I ended our week in India mostly pleasantly surprised. Yes, we only had a week in India, a country of 1.3 billion people with over thirty world heritage sights. But, in the little time we had, we wanted to make sure we saw the Real India and not just parachute in to see the headline sights. And so that is how we found ourselves in Varanasi—one of the most “in your face” cities in the country—for three nights.

Welcome to India! Our car battled people, cows, scooters, rickshaws, and trucks from all directions for space on the road
We got out when our car could go no further, but thankfully a porter from our guesthouse carried our bags
But we still had to weave our way through this sea of people
The trek was worth it for the view of the Ganga from our guesthouse
We’ve seen people carry astounding weights on their heads on our trip
The flower market was a happening place to be, filled with devotees buying offerings for one of the city’s countless temples
Devotees pick out specific flowers for each distinct god
Chess is played continually throughout the day, with players coming and going between their work shifts
Kite flying is a competitive sport in Varanasi as local children aim to cut the lines of their peers and capture their fallen prize

Varanasi is the most sacred city in India, and Hindus believe that only in Varanasi one can die and be released from the reincarnation cycle. As a result, many Hindus come to Varanasi towards the end of their lives, and ritual cremation is big deal in the city. Over 200 bodies a day are cremated at the burning ghats—or steps leading down to the water—in Varanasi.

The heartbeat of this sacred city is the Ganga (or, as we know it, the Ganges, which the British colonialists renamed after deeming Ganga too hard to pronounce… for whatever reason). Most devout residents go for a dip in the Ganga every morning. They also wash their clothes in the river. And bathe their buffalo. And also dump the ashes of their loved ones. After one look at the filmy mess of the river, my completely unprofessional opinion is that the residents of Varanasi have the strongest immune systems in the world.

Let’s get the not-so-great stuff out of the way first. I won’t lie to you… the streets are pretty disgusting. You are constantly on guard against stepping in animal feces, coming too close to lounging cows or stray dogs, and being trampled by members of a funeral procession carrying their deceased on a stretcher. If you walk along the river, you will most likely see and smell a dead body burning. India—and Varanasi especially—is not for the faint of heart.

Cows are a common road hazard in India
We found them all over the city and especially down by the Ganga
Which means there are plenty of these little dung patties around, which poorer locals dry and use for fuel
Locals and pilgrims going for a dip in the Ganga
Everything from laundry to a game of cricket can be found along the ghats
Photography isn’t allowed of the burning ghat, but here’s a look at a fraction of the wood required to keep it going

You’d think all of this would conspire to make India many times worse than our experience in Morocco… but it really wasn’t. Our good experience in India was mostly thanks to the friendly, happy people we met here. People who wore bright, beautiful clothes. People who cooked delicious food. People who helped us when we were lost and waved hello to us when we passed. People who approached us with a smile and asked us to take a picture with them. People who were honored that we wanted to learn about their culture and eager to teach us.

One such person was the leader of our free walking tour, Anchal, who quit her day job to start an innovative tour company along with her husband. Over the course of a few hours, Anchal helped us peel back the gritty layer of Varanasi to see the city at its core. She helped us understand how things that initially seemed odd made sense once you knew the context… like why do devotees bring wild, thorny flowers as offerings to Shiva temples and why are there so many darn cows everywhere? [Answers: because Shiva is a detached god who looks on all beautiful and non-beautiful things equally, and the cows actually belong to families that don’t have any room to keep them so they wander the streets during the day and return home at night]. She even took us to the best lassi shop in Varanasi.

This third generation master makes all the lassis himself (while also beckoning the long line of patrons to get out of the line of traffic)
The lassis I’ve had in Indian restaurants stateside have always been liquidy drinks, but these works of yogurt art were in a league all their own
We couldn’t get enough of masala, a spice-infused milky tea
Dosa Cafe dishes out authentic food in a tourist-friendly (i.e. very clean) atmosphere
Indian food rarely photographs well, but you’ll have to believe me that this was some of the best we’ve ever had

After a full day exploring the city with Anchal, Chris and I gained enough confidence to venture out again that night to see the sunset ceremony at the river. This nightly ritual was one of the coolest things we’ve seen on our trip. We were one of very few tourists among the crowds (most of the tourists were watching from the river on boats… even though the shore offered a much better vibe, in my opinion), and we became enveloped in a spectacle of color, celebration, and ceremony. Bells were rung, seven priests waved everything from incense to peacock plumes in unison, and devotees fanned the smoke of a passing camphor over their faces in meditation. Wanting to be part of the action, I bought a candle and let it float in the Ganga.

The evening ceremony starts every night at sunset when the Varanasi’s sky takes on a purple hue
A Hindu religious man passes around a camphor to devotees who ritually wave the smoke over their faces
The ceremony is a major event in Varanasi for both locals and tourists alike
Most of the spectators on the shore were actually tourists from other areas of India… who loved to get their photos taken with westerners
Being among the crowd for this ceremony and getting caught up in the music and color was an incredible experience
I even felt the need to contribute to the ambiance by purchasing an overpriced candle destined to float on the Ganga
Most non-Indian tourists watched the ceremony from hired boats, but we thought the vibe on shore was much better

We had such a wonderful experience at the sunset ceremony that we decided to wake up early and hire a boat to take us to the sunrise service. Floating along the Ganga River is the quintessential Varanasi experience. The service itself was a little more low key than the one the night prior, but the early morning wake up was worth it for the spectacular sunrise view alone.

We met our boat man at 5:20am the next morning and rowed south along the Ganga to the Assi Ghat
The sunrise ceremony is more low key than the evening and involves more chanting (led by these girls in the front) and audience participation
The priests were back again as well to greet the rising sun
Devotees concluded the ceremony by migrating down to the Ganga
The view along the Ganga in the morning was beautiful (note: the swastika is an important religious symbol for Hindus and has been used for thousands of years before the Nazis hijacked it)
We also had a chance to pass by the main burning ghat and take a photo since no cremations were taking place
Even on the water, you aren’t safe from a sales pitch
But I had to hand it to this enterprising kid who was rowing rapidly between boats on a homemade styrofoam construction
Even with the touts though, the sunrise was gorgeous
Sunrise on the Ganga

After experiencing Varanasi at sunrise, sunset, and the time in between, Chris and I felt like we’d at least gotten a glimpse of Real India. We hopped a quick flight to Agra and got ready to see the country’s most famous sight: the Taj Mahal. Circling back to expectations, it was hard not to have high ones for our visit to the Taj Mahal.

One of the Seven New Wonders of the World, the Taj is an architectural marvel and one of the most beautiful buildings in the world. It’s heralded as a monument to love since emperor Shah Jahan commissioned it in 1632 after the death of his wife Mumtaz Mahal. [Admittedly, she was one of three of his wives and died giving birth to their fourteenth child]. It was absolutely beautiful to behold in person… once you got a clear view of it through the crowds.

Follow the crowds (oh, and the big white building) and you won’t get lost
The prettiest picture I took of the Taj is at the top of this post, but this picture (with the photo line and the selfie stick) is more indicative of the experience
Another New World Wonder checked off the list
The colorful and intricate design of women’s saris was one of my favorite things about India
Going in for a closer look
Quieter corners of the grounds were the best for appreciating the Taj
Shoe covers are required as you enter the main part of the mausoleum (where no photos are allowed inside)
A close up of some of the designs on the outer walls
Amazingly, I scored my own niche at the front of the Taj
Indian families also journey from near and far to take in the beauty of the Taj together

Overshadowed by the Taj, the Agra Fort is also a very cool place to visit in the city. This red sandstone fort served as a palace as well as a defensive structure, and ironically, housed the Shah Jahan after his son deposed him. [Legend has it that at least he got a room in a tower with a view of the Taj].

We ignored the calls of the tuk tuk and camel drivers and decided to walk from the Taj to Agra Fort
With so much attention on the Taj, the Agra Fort was an unexpected surprise
And it was fun to explore on the inside as well

We couldn’t have visited India without seeing the Taj Mahal, but, in honesty, we actually preferred our time in Varanasi. This has been a common theme over the past eight months of travel for us to find authentic experiences over the more mass-produced ones much more special. I’m hopeful that our next destination of Burma—which has only open to tourists for the past five years—will feel similarly real.

Filed Under: Adventures Tagged With: Asia, India

Comments

  1. karrie says

    February 2, 2016 at 7:09 am

    Gorgeous photos, Lauren!

    Reply
  2. Molly Fleck says

    February 2, 2016 at 11:57 am

    Ooooh I can’t wait to hear about Burma! I’m dying to go!

    Reply
  3. Mrs. Migliore's 4th Grade Class says

    February 11, 2016 at 4:01 pm

    The Taj Mahal was beautiful. The colors of the ladies were very pretty. We loved the patterns on the wall. We liked the sunrise.

    Reply
    • Lauren says

      February 11, 2016 at 11:25 pm

      Thanks, class! I thought it was very beautiful, too.

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Copyright © 2025