I did not get much sleep last night because flies were everywhere in my room. Thus, I did not mind waking up at 5am for an early morning boat ride on the Ganges River. Varanasi is the most sacred Hindu city, and people travel here from all over the world to bath in the river on ghats (concrete steps leading into the river). It is quite a show in the morning as the women wash their brightly colored saris while naked men dunk themselves in the water.

To give an idea of the scale on which this bathing occurs, roughly 60,000 people go to the river each morning on only a 7km stretch. This says nothing about the health risks of the river. The septic water is completely devoid of oxygen, and the water has 1.5 million faecal coliform bacteria per 100mL of water (safe bathing water should be under 500)... I was obviously careful stepping into the boat because I felt like I could see disease in my reflection.

Another highlight of the boat ride was seeing funeral ghats being used to burn the dead. The bodies are first doused in the Ganges River (cleansing act), and then carried under a cloaked stretcher to the funeral pyres. Before anything begins, the wood is weighed (different types of wood cost different amounts) and a price is fixed. I suppose it is important not to pay too much for the wood, but it would be awful if not enough wood was purchased...

After the boat ride, I walked more of the old city. Varanasi was a worthwhile place to visit because it was not hard to feel the sacred nature of the streets and people. While there is a definite eerie feel at night because of the crime, there is an equally eerie feel during the morning because of all the devout Hindu worshipping in the streets.

I caught my train for Mumbai at around noon, and locked my luggage on my bunk with me. I spoke with two girls who had their bags stolen in the middle of the night, and they were in a real bind because of it. It seems like every country I visit has had an entrance fee that has nothing to do with money. In India, it is readily apparent that one must sacrifice all guarantees of well-being.