Varanasi, India

It has been unbearably hot here, to the point where we are absolutely drained all the time. We got up early to see the sunrise over the Ganges on our second day and we have explored a little bit of the surrounding area. There are ghats all along the edge of the Ganges. These are sort of similar to piers, with concrete platforms at the water's edge and usually a beautiful stone building of some kind right behind them. Most of the ghats are used for swimming and bathing in the river but a couple are for cremation. Varanasi is the most sacred place in India, and the Ganges is a very sacred river, so bathing here brings good karma. Being cremated here and having your ashes dumped in the river is as good as it gets for the Hindus. I had intended to at least wade, if not swim, in the Ganges myself, but the horror stories about the diseases, parasites, dead animals, half-burned corpses and human waste in the water have been a strong deterrent. I think I'll pass on the good karma and go with the good health option.

While India has not been as frightening as I expected, I am very glad that my stay here will be relatively short, and I strongly suspect that I won't return. I understand that there is a very strong spiritual element here, but it's really hard to find among the thieves, liars and scam artists. Nobody here is out to help you and you can't trust anyone. It's really not a very nice way to have to travel, and you find yourself in a constant state of frustration or anger or intolerance. As Wayne put it, India brings out the worst in you. Apart from the people, there are the added frustrations of constantly walking through cow dung and garbage, getting run over by pedestrians, vehicles and cows as well as the constant offers of drugs, the pervasive stench and oppressive heat. All of this would be tolerable, I think, if I could find some way to warm up to the people.

As for Wayne, we're getting along well. We are both a little disenchanted with India, and we both like our drink, so I think it will be a couple of weeks of socializing our way to Delhi with a small amount of sight-seeing along the way. At least that's the way it's been going so far. We moved hotels to one where the air conditioning works, and which allows us to drink on the premises. Alcohol is hard to come by here but most places will offer it to you under the table. This is literal: you have to hide your beer bottle under the table as it's illegal for most places to serve it.

Last night I wanted a change from our hotel fare and was hoping to drink something other than beer so we went across town to a restaurant recommended in our guide book. The rickshaw driver had no idea where he was going, so we got a bit of a tour of the city. Our dinner was excellent but took several hours to come out of the kitchen during which time we had several cocktails. When we finally got our meal, they hurried us through it and then kicked us out because they were closing. The rickshaw ride home was no better and we were dropped off very far from our hotel. It took well over an hour to find our way home through the dizzying maze of alleyways in the middle of the night. On the rare occasion that we passed a person, we were warned that we shouldn't be out at this late hour. Fortunately we finally found our way home safely at about 1:30 and had to wake someone up to let us into the hotel. We were again chastised for being out in the street so late. I can't tell you what a comfort it is to have Wayne with me. I don't think I would be leaving my room at all if I were here alone - I just don't feel comfortable here. The good news is that when we're in the street together, he is the one who is always hassled and I am left largely alone.

We had good intentions to get out and about today, but it has been pouring rain all morning. I think it has just stopped so maybe we'll get out this afternoon. The rain seems to have broken the heat to some degree so we may be able to walk for a while without feeling the need to rest so often. I can't wait to walk around out there, now that we can add rainwater and mud to the garbage, filth and cow crap in the street. Should be lovely :-).