Varanasi

Ayer al medio dia llegamos a Varanasi, despues de 12 horas de tren mas 2 horas de retraso esperando en el tren parado, conseguimos llegar a nuestro destino, si os preguntais que tal el tren hay dos opiniones distintas, Bea lo paso mas o menos bien, pudo dormir, y yo ufff creo que fue uno de mis peores viajes... me levante a las 3 de la maniana y ya no me volvi a dormir. Una vez en la estacion y tras darnos cuenta que los turistas aqui son muy bordes y pasan totalmente de hablar con nadie incluidas nosotras pudimos comprar nuestros billetes de tren para nuestro proximo destino Patna, o lo que es lo mismo la meca del budismo, pero todo eso os lo contaremos una vez lleguemos alli. Despues de nuestro, cada vez mas facil, momento para comprar los billetes de tren pudimos coger un tuktuk a el que habiamos elegido nuestro hotel, llamado Alka. Conseguimos la habitacion, buena, y despues de cenar ya que no habiamos comido nada desde la cena anterior, a las 8 de la noche, cogimos un pequenio bote que iba por el rio a un Ghat donde realizaban un ritual. Fue una pasada aunque nos costo un poco adaptarnos a la idea de que ibamos navegando por el rio mas contaminado del mundo, pudimos disfrutar de este increible expectaculo y despues vino lo mejor, nos llevaron, tambien por bote, a los crematorios, impresionante! porque estando alli vimos como bajaban varios cadaveres tapados con sabanas a mojarnos, o limpiarlos, con las aguas del rio sagrado antes de la incinerizacion. Fue super intenso, una experiencia dificil de olvidar pero que no me la perderia. Luego uno de los chiquitos del barco, Lalit de 14 anitos, nos llevo a un festivar de Hare Krishna donde pudismo disfrutar parte de los rezos de los seguidos, una especie de comunion donde varios ninios recibieron unos regalos. Mientras estabamos alli el Monzon hizo su aparicion y empezo ha llover como pocas veces habia visto, y sabiendo que las infraestructuras de la India no es que sean las mejores empezo a calarse las carpas donde estaba el festival, toda una odisea. Pero bueno salimos de alli sanas y salvas aunque un poco mojadas. Alli nos encontramos con los franceses que habian compartido el barco con nosotras esa misma tarde y compartimos un tuktuk para volver al hotel, si si, los 5 turistas, y los dos ninitos guias mas el tuktuk... y cuando veais las fotos del tuktuk ya vereis la locura que fue. A la maniana siguiente, osea hoy, nos hemos despertado a las 9 y algo y hemos ido a desayunar, en la puerta del hotel nos hemos encontrado al ninio guia con que habiamos quedado una hora despues y nos lo hemos llevado e invitado a desayunar. Despues de no disfrutar demasiado de un desayuno poco sabroso, o te lo ponen muy picante o totalmente soso, nos hemos ido a ver a un tal Baba que se suponia nos iba a contar nuestro karma, futuro y lectura de astros... ufff menudo timo pero bueno nos hemos salido de alli en cuanto hemos tenido oportunidad, despues nos hemos ido a ver el Templo Dorado donde para entrar nos han cacheado dos veces, porque por lo visto han intentado poner bombas varias veces y una de las veces lo han conseguido pudiendo los terroristas roban varios kilos de oro, la experiencia ha sido un poco turistica, ya sabes ve para alla coge eso, haz lo otro y paga, pero bueno no ha estado mal. Despues hemos ido al templo de Nepal de 2000 anios de antiguedad, eso si que ha sido chulo, era bien pequenito pero estabamos solitas. Despues de eso hemos ido a la tienda del tio del ninio guia, si ya se nos hemos dejado liar!, donde hemos comprado algunos pantalones y panuelos, aunque la verdad que nos ha costado un poco decidirnos, despues nos hemos ido a comer! si aunque parezca que hemos comido muy seguido hemos desayunado a las 10 y hemos comido a las 17, lo hemos hecho con el ninio guia y su hermano en un sitio indio total y la comida estaba buena, no demasiado picante. Despues hemos vuelto para el hotel porque estabamos cansadas y queriamos descansar para ver de nuevo el expectaculo de ayer pero con una perspectiva diferente. No se si al final lo haremos jejejeje.

Maniana toca madrugon, hemos quedado a las 5:15 para coger un barco que nos va a llevar por el rio donde veremos todos los Ghats y luego subiremos al crematorio donde nos explicaran el procedimiento de las incinerizaciones. Ya os contaremos!!!

Yesterday at noon we arrived in Varanasi, after a 12 hours train plus 2 hour delay waiting at the stopped train at least we got to our destination. If you are wondering how was the train, there are two different opinions, Bea was more or less ok and she was able to sleep, and me... ufff it was one of my worst trips ... I woke up at 3 of the morning and I couldnt go back to sleep anymore. Once we were at the station and after realizing that tourists in here are very edges and wont talk to anyone including us, we bought our train tickets to our next destination Patna, or which is the the Mecca of Buddhism, but all of that we'll tell you once we get there. After our, increasingly easier, time to buy train tickets we took a tuktuk to the hotel we had chosen, named Alka. We got a room, a good room, and after having dinner because we hadnt eaten since the previous dinner at 8 pm, we took a small boat to the river went to a Ghat where it was a ceremony performing. It was really cool but it took us a bit to adapt to the idea that we were sailing in the most polluted river in the world, we could enjoy this amazing show and then it came the best, we were taken, also by boat, to the crematory, awesome! we were there we saw several bodies covered with sheets to get wet, or clean, in the waters of the sacred river before incinerizacion, the same water everyone is having baths everyday. It was really intense, an experience hard to forget but that I wouldnt have missed. Then one of the little guies of the boat, Lalit 14 years old, took us to a Hare Krishna festival where we could enjoy some of the prayers, a sort of ritual where several childrens received some gifts. While we were there the Monzon made his appearance and it started to rain, and knowing that the infrastructure in India are not the best, it began to flood the tents where the festival was holded.Well we left there safe and sound although a bit wet. There we met with the French guys who had shared the boat with us that afternoon and we shared a tuktuk back to the hotel, yes, the five tourists and two little turist guies in the tuktuk ... and when you see the photos of a tuktuk you will see the madness that it was. The following morning,today, we woke up at 9, we went to have some breakfast and at the hotel door we found the little guide with which we had to meeat in one hour, so we took him with us and invited him a breakfast. After not enjoying too much a no so much tasty breakfast, you'll get very spicy food or totally tasteless food, we went to see someone that supposed to be a Baba so he could tell us the future... ufff we runned away from there as soon as we could, then we went to see the Golden Temple where we have to get frisked twice, because apparently they tried to bomb several times this place and one time some terrorists had managed to steal several kilos of gold, experience that it was a little tourist, do that and pray now pay, but hey not bad. Then we went to the temple of Nepal, 2000 years old, that was cool we were by ourselves.After that we went to the uncle of the our little guie shop, yes we let him took us there! There we bought some pants and scarfs, but the truth being told it took us a bit decide, after we went to eat! if it may seem that we eat too often we ate our breakfast at 10 and we ate our lunch at 17, we went with Lalit and his brother in a pure Indian restaurant where the food was good, not too spicy. After we returned to the hotel because we were tired and wanted to rest so we could see the yesterday,s show but from a different perspective. We dont know if we will go at the end jejejeje.
Tomorrow its time to wake up very early at 5:15 to catch a boat that will take us down the river where we will see all the Ghats and then climb to the crematory where they will explain to us the procedure of the ritual. We will tell you everything!