Varanasi

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Varanasi was a very exciting place to be. The entire city is built along the banks of the Ganges river, which by Hindus is regarded as a river of salvation and healing. Hindu pilgrims come here from all over India to bathe in the water. It is believed that dying here releases you from the cycle of reincarnation. There was activity at all hours surrounding the river. At night we could hear groups chanting at the water's edge, and during the day people bathed and made offerings.

The river banks of the Ganges is full of temples and ghats. Ghats are the steps that lead down to the water, but to Hindus they represent the place where they can gain access to the holy river. The stone steps seemed to emerge from under the water and lead to buildings that looked aged and auspicious.

Our first morning there, we took a boat ride at sunrise along the river. The experience was amazing. It was peaceful to watch the sun brighten the buildings as well as be a spectator to the rituals going on along the ghats. Some devotees would simply pray sitting on a step; some would descend the steps and sort of bob in the water; some would swim; some came to dip their body and receive healing. We saw many puja offerings (a religious offering made with an oil candle, flowers and a floating vessel), drifting along the river; they were beautiful.

The holy Ganges river, like everything else in India, is a complete paradox. We cannot talk about the river's beauty without also mentioning that scientists have declared the water septic. Along the city's 7km stretch of river, there are 30 sewers that feed into it. According to our Lonely Planet travel book, "no dissolved oxygen exists in the water. Samples from the river show the water has 1.5 million faecal coliform bacteria per 100 mL of water. In water that is safe for bathing this figure should be less than 500!" Let's just say, fish was not on our menu during our visit to Varanasi.