Varanasi to Chandigarh UPDATED

We left Varanasi this morning.  We have found that Indian airlines - well Indigo - will board early and leave before the announced departure time if traffic-control permit. After lunch in Delhi, we drove to Chandigarh - five hours.

This drive was largely along a highway and I was so surprised to see no cattle, no deer, no cars or anything coming in the opposite direction, and most bike riders with a helmet.  You could have been in China or a highway in Australia - except for the occasional wildly painted truck!  This is cattle transport.

Our driver explained that cattle and sheep were kept in paddocks away from the road - a good idea for man and beast.

It looked like a normal highway

We are in our hotel tonight - "tired but happy".  Chandigarh is a planned city, created by Nehru after independence, and supposed to be one of the wealthiest in India.  I gather one reason is the high number of public-servants and pensioners here.  It is the capital of two different states. Our driver told us that horns and flashing lights on high beam were not permitted.   

What on earth is India coming to?!

Bits and pieces - last day in Varanasi

I could post pics of temples.  We saw two - they were interesting.  But these are probably more interesting.

You have to take your shoes off before entering a temple.  This creates employment.

They have bells too.  KM was doing Plain Hunt on 1.

Perhaps not so pointless now in Modhi's India. Hopefully.

This tree was at the entrance to the Temple.  Our guide said it was a kadam tree, but Google isn't so sure. It was certainly a foilage and spread I didn't recognise.

Panacea Institute.  There is a hospital of this name - their medicines would surely be cheap.  There is also an electronics company. 

Chai stall on the main road.

The fan kept the fire going.

Dessert in memory of Barnaby - Beetroot(er) Halwa

After our final tour of Varanasi, our guide showed us how to get to Aman Restaurant for lunch.  Another enjoyable lunch and I tried a dessert called halwa.  It comes in many forms, but this was made of beet.  It was delicious, although rich.  I was convinced it had flour in it, but it all comes from the grated beet.  I will try it when I get home.

Other lunch food.
Chicken tikka smashed and something else done to it

Fish curry in curry leaves and two kinds of naan.  KM's has chilli oil on it, mine was plain.

Varanasi - Cruise, Capital, Cattle and Cuisine!

Last night was a sunset cruise on the Ganges.  This morning was a sunrise cruise.  Not much to see looking east, but the early morning sun on the ghats was lovely.

This is an an ashram, seen in the morning light.

People also had their early morning cleansing dip in the Ganges.  Including one "foreigner".   But not me.  Infection control training sessions have left too many inhibitions!

Then we drove to Sarnath.  Here we saw this:
 
This is the Lion Capital of Sarnath - the decoration on top of a pillar.  In 1950 it was adopted as the official symbol of India, and is on the front of their passports.  I had always thought it was a lovely design  - so I was surprised to see that the designing was done over two and a half thousand years ago, during the time of Emperor Ashoka in 250BC!  The real thing was beautiful too.  Security was very tight to see this, so this pic is from Google.

Unlike Calcutta, there are cows/buffaloes in Varanasi.

But those of us who grew up in the country will recognise this! It keeps the cows away from the hotel, just as it stopped them going into another paddock. 

Food in India continues to delight.   This was lunch today - good old tandoori chicken and bhuna lamb - and Kin Mun had fish - but they were lovely. Being away from the ghats, we could eat meat.

We find we are eating a substantial lunch and miniscule dinner at night.  I hope my tummy doesn't rebel just yet.
And breakfast this morning had a nice surprise too! Although I also had some oat porridge and toast. And India can certainly do yoghurt.

Varanasi - Modhi heartland. UPDATED

Our guide is very happy with PM Modhi.

We had commented to him that Varanasi did not seem as littered as parts of India we had seen previously.  He told us that since Modhi's election, there has been a strident attack on rubbish in Uttar Pradesh, and in other parts of India..  People were to have 4 "sweepings" a day and there would be collection twice a day - and it was being carried out and people now were looking to this as the "new normal".

There were even rubbish tins.

And people collecting the "sweepings".

And larger collection bins.

We saw the larger collection centre.

Modhi has also built public toilets.  We saw these - and the larger ones have an attendant.  In fact I used one at Sarnath.  It was a basic squat toilet, but kept clean and hosed down.  No paper, but certainly better than squatting in the street.  No doubt there is much more for Modhi to do, but you have to begin somewhere. Our guide certainly approved.

Ganga Aarti - bells in India.

Last night we went for an evening cruise along the Ganges - or Ganga.  It was indeed peaceful, and had its own beauty.  India is like that - beautiful, but don't look too closely. Come to think of it, that is true of most things, just the juxapositions are different.

 Manikarnika Ghat, the largest cremation ghat, at night.

Then we were taken to the Ganga Aarti.  It is an evening ceremony, daily, at Dashashwamedh Ghat.  It is, as I understand it, a celebration of Lord Shiva and of life.  Every part of it is symbolic.  Some pics below.  It can be also be seen on You Tube here.
They also use bells - the set of two rung by strings as well as handbells.

These are some pics of the audience.  This ceremony was not just for tourists.  Many in the large audience were Hindu pilgrims to Varanasi who were able to join in the well-known (to them) ritual.

 Bells & Smells meets Happy-Clappies!

In Varanasi

We had lunch in our hotel - or haveli.  A small guest house type hotel owned by the King of Nepal.

When we wanted to have lunch, we realised the whole hotel was vegetarian!  This was our lunch - very nice though. There is a salad, a drink, and dessert is he one in the middle.

We went for a wander along the ghats - the steps that lead down to the Ganges.  We hadn't gone far when I looked up and saw this

This was the wood used for cremation.  Then a very kind attendant explained it all to us.  Of course we made a donation - to help a family some where pay for their wood.  Because Varanasi does not have many forests - not now anyway - wood has to be brought in.  I read that there is an art in assessing just how much wood is needed for a cremation, which takes three hours. These are pics that I took discreetly.

As so often in India, things are free-wheeling, to our eyes anyway.  The cows wander down among the fires to eat the flowers that were removed from the corpses.

Calcutta to Varanasi

Anything is chaotic when you don't know the system - and Calcutta airport was chaotic.  I will spare you the details, but we eventually caught our plane and arrived in Varanasi.
  
Driving to our hotel, I saw the India that was more familiar to me.  More space, dusty, dry, cows and buffalo on the road. There was activity, albeit labour intensive (jobs and growth?) going on.  It was a reminder of just how congested Calcutta was.

Some scenes on the way.

We weren't sure just who was on the wrong side of the road - us or them!  But the drivers sorted it out and we did arrive in one piece. The person who met us said in India you need three things when you drive - good horn, good brakes and good luck.

Very patient drivers

Mishti Doi - and other food - so far!

West Bengal is known for its sweets, and thanks to Ashok, we know about Mishti Doi.  So I was delighted to find it on the buffet at breakfast!  Now I know what to aim for - I think.  Delicious, and sweet.  Flavours reminiscent of condensed milk, but more complex and without the sticky texture.

But I suspect the offering at our lunch today was closer to the real thing.  Just beautiful.  Lovely sweet and tart flavours, set in an earthenware pot.  We declined the accompanying betel leaf!  I bought the cookbook.

Lunch was at Kewpies Restaurant.  The guide wasn't keen, but we persisted.  Here she is checking it out for us.  I could see why - it is like eating in someones house. 

But we enjoyed the Bengali food, choosing the variety of a thali. This was just the beginning.

Empty bowls!

There is a plenty of street food.  Here are two chai stalls.

Back to our hotel.
How to serve watermelon!