Spiritual cleaning: Ganges boat trip, temple visiting and other cleansings...
We have not come to Varanasi to cleanse our souls and take the path to the next life, but being here a bit of spiritual cleansing can be a good thing.
Today we started off with a 5am rowing boat ride along the Ganges to see the sunrise and watch people as they have their early morning bathe in this far from clean river. We even saw people brushing their teeth in it! After this hour long ride we ventured into the streets of the hold city and visited the Vishwanath Temple (Golden Temple) but not being hindu we weren't allowed in.
Then we went to Sarnath (10 Km northeast of Varanasi) where Buddha went to preach his message (see the recreation in the photo below) of the middle way to Nirvana after he achieved enlightenment at Bodhgaya (where we are heading next after Varanasi).
Here are several Buddhist Temples (Tibetan, Chinese, Thai, Burmese and Japanese) and it is a pleasant escape from overwhelming Varanasi. The archeological museum is a must, as it contains some extraordinary Buddha work , as well as the statue of the Lions from which the emblem of India were taken.
And to round up the cleansing process, Giles has got the dreaded 'Delhi Belly' as they say in English (para entendernos, como se te quedaria el estomago despues de comer una fabada asturiana en pleno Agosto). All those years of vindaloos and madras curries and after only six days in India he is officially ill!!
Now 24 hours later, and after one of the worst days and nights imaginabe, and with nurse Patricia (now titled Saint Patricia of Varanasi following in the footsteps of Saint Theresa of Calcutta) and a dozen toilet rolls at hand, Giles, half a stone later (2 kilos) is on the road to recovery. One thing is for sure, Giles can probably now fit into Patricias' clothes!! Okay, a bit of dreaming there. So its time for water with lemon juice for the next day or two and to avoid the sights and smells of streetlife which make ones stomach turn even in the best of health.
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