Varanasi

I arrived in Varanasi at around 2pm today after a twohour delay leaving Delhi airport due to heavy fog. The drive into Varanasi took over an hour through the chaotic traffic comprising mostly of motorbikes and rickshaws. It seems like the tonnage rule applies here, the biggest has right of way!!! I checked into my little hotel which is again adequate and centrally located. I took a wander down to the Ganges through a labyrinth of alleyways with school children calling out their greetings. Once down at the river the hectic atmosphere of the busy streets and alleys was replaced by a sense of calm. It's possible to walk stretches of the river just people watching and taking in the atmosphere. It is very beautiful but at the same time everything seems to be in advanced stages of decay. The alleys and streets leading down to the river bear witness to filth and squalor. Life just goes on with everything taking place on the streets that are a mixture of farmyard and heaving city. An assortment of domestic animals, goats, cows and sheep parked outside buildings and the constant tooting of car, motorbike, rickshaw, bicycle and horns.
Well, I'll see what the river has to offer at sunset. Hopefully a little reprieve from the street madness and time for a little reflection!!