Varanasi, India

One of many Brahmins in Varanasi

From the Taj we traveled east to Varanasi, the holiest of India's seven sacred cities, which would place it high in the running for holiest worldwide. Varanasi (or Benares) is India's oldest city, and if you want to ascribe to it any more superlatives we'd probably say it's the dirtiest, most labyrinthine, and pretty much the most fascinating city we've visited. Hindus come from all over India to bathe in the sacred waters of the Ganges river, to get married, and to die. To get hitched in Varanasi makes the marriage blessed, while dying here enables one to skip a few levels of Samsara (the Hindu reincarnation cycle) and jump directly to enlightenment. As a result, during any short walk to a temple or while sipping chai in a roadside shop you're likely to see at least one wedding or funeral procession of excited Hindus running through the narrow streets.

Scenes of everyday life are as likely to be played out in India's streets as they are in its homes. This makes for some interesting sights and fun interactions with local kids, adults, and animals during any stroll through the city.

Cremation is an important part of the Hindu faith. Women aren't included in the ceremony as Hindus believe that they bring too much grief to the ceremony. The bodies are burned on large pyres at a riverside ghat where the fire is said to have been burning continuously for three thousand years, and the ashes are then thrown into the Ganges. Thousands of bodies are burned each day, which creates a mild but inescapable scent throughout the city.

Wood for cremations is relatively expensive, and Brahmins that explain the ritual ask tourists to donate. Unfortunately some dishonest locals will pressure tourists to pay and lie about the price of wood, which creates an awkward mix of somber reverence and petty hassling.

After a disorienting and sweaty walk through the narrow, maze-like streets, we took a breather in a rooftop restaurant. We wondered why it was enclosed by wire until this fierce beast showed up.

Kids flying kites

Varanasi's notoriously aggressive touts will lie through their teeth to try to get you to a bogus astrologer, their "brother's" pashmina shop or a shoddy yoga centre. At dinner one night we met a man who was eager to show us pashminas and silks at "Goldie Hawn's favorite shop" in Varanasi. The man knew a ton about her (including her cottage in Muskoka!) and insisted that she was one of his best friends, so we decided to check it out. Upon arrival, there were in fact photos of Goldie, but she was posing with a different man whom we'd never seen. When questioned, the man replied, "oh that's my twin brother."

Goldie did in fact visit the shop, but we're pretty sure they drugged her to get her there.

We visited a local ashram one night to see a tabla and sitar performance. Here's a video of the guys rocking out like its 1499.

Streetside silks

Cows are holy in India, so you often find them roaming the streets aimlessly. Usually not a problem (just watch out for the cow pies) but it can be a bit tricky in Varanasi where streets are sometimes less than a meter wide.

We missed out on the famous erotic temples in Khajuraho, but were able to see something similar at one of the Hindu temples we visited in Varanasi.

Our fashion sense has suffered quite a bit over the last few months of travel.

Hot coal ironing

Lassi is a common yogurt-based drink in India. We heard about the famous Blue Lassi Shop in the Old Town, and sure enough it served the best lassi in India. Here's the mixed fruit variety - incredibly delicious.

The cycle rickshaw drivers have a pretty brutal job. At times we felt guilty about getting a ride, but with so much poverty and unemployment in India, many are proud to provide a service where they earn their money honestly, regardless of how tough the task.

A hearty old Indian man

A glimpse of the insanity of the roads in Varanasi

Our friend Sunny. We met him through an Austrian couple who he knew, and he helped us navigate the sights of Varanasi. He was an incredibly honest and generous man who refused payment for his time. On the last day we were to walk around with him his father passed away and we didn't see him again, but we are still in touch.

Indian street kids

A Hindu God depiction at the Rama temple. Ashley often found the God faces looked like a Kindergarten arts and crafts project.

This is Narasimha, an avatar of Vishnu with a blowout that would make Pauly D jealous. Quit stalkin' my life bro.

The Ganges is considered holy water, and many people come to cleanse and bathe themselves in the morning. They must be cleansing their souls, because the water is filthy. We heard a rumor of a foreign tourist who decided to join the locals in the water and wound up in the hospital.

This early morning street sweeper is undoubtedly a member of the lowest (untouchable) caste. Even though the caste system is officially obsolete in India, its centuries-old traditions are still going strong, especially in rural villages. The system dictates every part of a Hindu's life, including what jobs he can hold, whom he can marry, and often where he can live and spend time. Lower castes are appreciated for providing services that are essential to society, but you still wouldn't find a member of the upper castes doing certain jobs like cleaning the street or making leather.

We met a mother and daughter who were traveling through India as well and joined them for a day of sights with their guide, Cristo (a Brahmin - the highest caste).

Unfortunately our visit to Varanasi was timed too soon after the monsoon season and as a result many of the ghats were flooded. The clean-up process was just getting started.

Many of the temples were still partially submerged.

Cow jousting

You can find the rest of our photos from Varanasi in the Flickr album.

Delhi & Agra, India

The Hall of Private Audiences at Red Fort, Old Delhi

We have arrived in India! Without a doubt the most challenging, diverse, frustrating and spectacular country of our travels thus far, India leaves you breathless (literally holding your breath at times). Many have called the country an assault on the senses and a place of extremes. Both beauty and filth meet your eye at every turn, while the scent of sizzling samosas mixes with cow dung. Car horns are encouraged here to warn oncoming vehicles of the typically erratic driving, balanced by the sing-song calls of street vendors and chanting of Brahmins. The tastes and flavors of the cuisine vary by region and never disappoint (unless you catch yourself with a few rogue chilies in your mouth). And though service couldn't be more ass-backwards, the people are welcoming, intensely spiritual, fun-loving and really, really happy to see you. It truly is an experience like nothing else - love it or hate it, India will leave you a changed person.

Our India adventure got off to a great start when we were upgraded to Business Class on Cathay Pacific from Bangkok to Delhi. Hello copious amounts of champagne, fine French wine and a never-ending barrage of snacks and meals! As poor travelers, we refused to say no to any food or beverage, stuffing ourselves to the point of discomfort.


Welcome to Delhi! Trying to navigate the strangling mass of people in the dusty, noisy, heat of the city is too much to take at times. Even in the shade of a rickshaw getting through traffic can be tough, especially when a holy cow decides to cross the street since no one would dare shoo it along.


On our first day in Delhi, a very gracious friend who lives there leant us his driver for the day to get the most of our sight-seeing without collapsing from heat stroke (thanks Tegh!). Our first stop was to the stunning sandstone Red Fort to pay homage to the height of the Mughal empire in Old Delhi. The Mughals expanded throughout almost all of India from the 16th to the 19th centuries, spreading Muslim religion, culture, and architecture across the subcontinent.


Like we said, the people are really, really happy to see you. This was the first of MANY similar encounters with Indian tourists. "One snap please?"


Ashley had to get used to being the center of attention.


The Red Fort was built in 1648 by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan, the same man behind the Taj Mahal.


Even these guys weren't too cool to pose for a photo with the White girl.


The Lotus Temple is a Bahai house of worship built in 1986 by a Canadian! The philosophy of the Bahai religion is based on universal tolerance, and people of all religious backgrounds are welcome to come and pray or meditate silently.


Thanks to a crisis of confidence in the economy, the Indian Rupee hit its weakest point in history the week we arrived at 70.36 rupees per USD. Woo hoo! We celebrated with some luxurious high tea at The Imperial - Delhi's finest hotel.


The spread


Fountain at The Imperial with a painting of the Red Fort in the background.


Humayun's Tomb is probably Delhi's most stunning site and it's where the Obamas visited on their trip.


The late afternoon light was nice for photos.


The tomb was the first Persian style building in Delhi, and the combination of white marble and red sandstone shows the merging of the two cultures


The relentless Delhi sun finally on its way out.


The Hazrat Nizamuddin is a sacred Muslim shrine where hordes (picture what you consider hordes and double that) of devotees come. Our book described it as "a most extraordinary pleasure to experience." We would describe it as descending into one of Dante's rings of hell. Pretty much all the stuff we've heard about India that is overwhelming and uncomfortable was in that one place. We were greeted by a long line of beggars inflicted with all sorts of jarring physical ailments. The laneway into the singing area was long, narrow and crowded with people pushing and shoving and yelling at us to take off our shoes. When we came to the final shoe removal point, we reluctantly obliged. We've visited countless mosques and temples where shoes are off - but this place was filthy with too many mystery puddles. Then we almost accidentally stepped on some people who were convulsing on the ground with their eyes rolled back in their heads. At first we thought they were more poor sick beggars, but when they bounded onto their feet and started to do intense somersaults - literally slamming their bodies into the marble ground - we realized we were witnessing some sort of extreme religious ritual.


We could still hear the singing despite the crush of bodies packed into the tight space, but unfortunately the monotone droning failed to redeem the experience. To top it off, Ashley had her first "accidental bump into" when a beady-eyed man took advantage of the crowded chaos and shoved his groin against her. We made a bee line to the exit.


While the Hazrat Nizamuddin experience was a nightmare, some crowds in India are much more festive. We arrived at our hotel one night to find a massive parade on our street. We asked a local what the parade was for and he just shrugged his shoulders. With 330 million Hindu gods, there's always an excuse to have a parade.

A video from the parade

Nice stache dude.


Sighhhhh… the Taj Mahal - the most beautiful building we've ever seen. It was commissioned by Emperor Shah Jahan after the passing of his beloved wife Mumtaz Mahal during the birth of their 14th child. It has been called "a teardrop on the cheek of eternity."


We hired a guide who doubled as our photographer.


It is said that some 20,000 workers were commissioned over 20 years to complete it. Food and resources were diverted from surrounding areas to support the effort, resulting in many deprived communities.


Shah Jahan was meticulous in his design and execution of the Taj. The entire white marble building is perfectly symmetrical on all four sides. Even the Arabic script and floral designs seen here mirror each other. Optical illusions are used to enhance the symmetry - for example the script grows larger as it climbs along the side of the gate so that the distant writing appears to be the same size as what's close up.


After Ashley was asked to take individual portraits with each member of this family (yes, seriously), we took one big family shot which is likely now hanging in their living room. When we finally finished, the mother sweetly looked into Ashley's eyes and said, "I will never forget you."


When a young Korean couple asked us to take a few photos of them with their fancy Canon SLR, Joe went so far as to lay on the ground to capture some nicely composed shots. When we asked them to return the favor, this is what we got.


Mosque next to the Taj - of course to keep the symmetry, there is an identical one on the other side that they use as a guesthouse for very special visitors.

We grabbed dinner at a nearby rooftop restaurant. Not a bad view.

As usual you can find the rest of our Delhi & Agra photos on Flickr.