Varanasi
Varanasi is so called City of Light in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. Or like many like to say that it is India from your imagination. Being one of the most colorful and fascinating places on earth not to mention that it is also one of the world’s oldest continually inhabited cities dating back to the 11th century BCE. Even though most of the visitors agree Varanasi is magical, they also agree that it is not for everyone – especially not for the weak hearted. Regarded as the spiritual capital of India, the city attracts masses of Hindu pilgrims who bathe in Mother Ganga sacred waters to wash away their sins, perform funeral rituals by cremating their loved ones or simply to die here.
It is totally usual and at the same time intense that rituals of life and death take place in public no matter how intimate it might look. The old town which is more like a maze with narrow streets, mesmerizing sights, loud sounds and inseparable smells makes this city a unique place to stroll around. Varanasi holds somewhere around 2000 temples, including Kashi Vishwanath, also known as “The Golden Temple”, dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva. So, do not be disappointed if you miss any on your trip here.
From here you will take sights and experiences which will be hard to forget. The atmosphere while wandering through the Ghats or watching sunrise from a boat on the Ganges could be considered the highlight of the experiences we had. However, for most confronting the reality and seeing ritual of death can be considered a powerful experience as well. If you have a chance visit the nearby Sarnath town, use it as it does not require a lot of time (half day is enough), but definitely worth your while.
Helpful tips
Restaurants. After traveling through India, we gathered experience and tips from locals which we want to share with everyone who will be reading this. If you come to India for a short period of time it is good to know that here certain bacteria are in almost every food, water and even air which can put you to bed for couple days if you have too much of it. To adapt to it, your body needs time and small amounts of the bacteria.
First, it is better to avoid eating too much of street food as it contains quite a lot of bacteria even though it is so cheap. We do not say that you should not eat street food at all, just keep it small quantities at a time. If you cannot wait to try and eat all sorts of street food just try it little by little and not everything on one go.
Second, when choosing a place where to eat, pay attention to other travelers’ reviews of the place. It is very important how the people from abroad felt about the food rather than locals.
Third, if there are any doubts regarding the hygiene of the place, we encourage to eat vegetables and avoid meat dishes.
We are well aware that everyone is different, and you feel your body the best. So, do what you want to do and keep in mind that these recommendations worked for us, we did not get sick while in India even for a day.
Markets. Prices in grocery shops are the same as through whole India, prices are printed on the packages, thus, you never need to wonder whether someone is taking advantage of you.
We would advise against drinking tap water in whole India, especially if you come just for a short time (couple weeks) as your body needs time to adjust to certain bacteria which is everywhere and taking too much of it at the same time can put you bed for couple days. Even though in some sources you could find that water is safe to drink, or that filtered water is alright we suggest to double check with your host or locals before you do that. We did not risk it too much, especially in the beginning of the trip, however, we did drink quite a lot of filtered water which was kind of alright just had a bad taste in most places.
Transportation. To get to Varanasi you can use plane, train, bus, bike or car. As it is a large city it has great accessibility, on top of that you can use any other transport you feel like using.
In the city it is common to use public transportation such as buses, taxies or Tuk Tuk’s which are the fastest way to get around the city. Tuk Tuk’s are a quick and cheap option where you must bargain though. Most of the time we walked as it helped to get to know the city and see not only the touristic places and we recommend you do the same if you have a chance. In the train station they have a superb travelers lounge, better than most of the city’s accommodation options!
Best of luck planning your holidays in India!
Is there anything else you would like to visit while in India?
If you have anything in mind, please let us know and let’s discuss it.
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