Sincerely, Agnes: Varanasi, India: Ganges River and Sarnath

Monday, October 24 - Tuesday, October 25

I slept on the top bunk on the train ride to Varanasi. Every now and then I'd wake up to the sound of a man yelling, "Chai, chai!"

The bunks were covered by curtains. The bathroom didn't have a toilet. Women have to squat and pee through a hole in the ground.

We arrived in Varanasi around 10:30am and tried to drive to the Ganges River but traffic came to a standstill from all the people shopping for Diwali. Most people around us were on motorcycles, bicycles and on foot and tried maneuvering through whatever opening they could find. One cow walked past our car. We decided to get out of the car and walk to the river.

The area in front of the river.

So skinny.

The Ganges is considered one of the most holiest places for Hindus, who believe that bathing in the river absolves them of all sins.

The river has many ghats, or steps leading down to the water.

People bathing in the river.

Manikarnika Ghat, where the dead are cremated and their ashes are placed in the river. Cremations take place 24 hours a day and about 400 are performed daily. Hindus believe that being burned at the river provides instant liberation from the cycle of reincarnation. A local Tibetan woman who took us around said that when she was younger, her mom told her that every person should see a cremation at least once in his/her life in order to see the complete cycle of life, that every beginning has an ending.

Local women aren't allowed at this ghat. From our boat, we could see orange cloth covering the bodies, several fires burning the bodies and men in the river mixing the ashes with the river (I later found out that they're probably searching for jewelry). I watched men place a body on top of wooden logs but we left before they started the fire.