Day 17 - Varanasi continued
Up before the crack of dawn and into cycle rickshaws again to head to the ghats. This morning, we got a glimpse into the life of a Hindu in Varanasi. Every morning before sunrise, they bathe in the holy waters and offer the water to Shiva. Our local guide explained that bathing in the Ganga before sunrise gives you all your vitamin C and vitamin D as well as 760 calories.
He also told the story of how peacocks get pregnant. The male dances for the female, shaking his feathers and puffing his chest, while she watches attentively from a distance. During his dance, the male notices his feet are dirty, he begins lifting them off the ground. At the apex of his dance, he sheds a single tear. If the female is wooed by his display, she drinks his tear and becomes pregnant.
I found his stories delightful but I also found it hard to keep a straight face as he kept adamantly repeating "These are facts based in science". Tee hee!
When our boat trip was over, we docked by the cremation ghat and walked through the temple district. There are no photos allowed and security was tight. There are many different temples and mosques and the populations don't always get along.
Nap time! I think everyone felt the crazy pace of the trip catch up with them. I felt like I was in a zombie walk on the way back to the hotel.
I was grateful for the rest but it wasn't nearly long enough. The zombie walk continued. Off we zipped in tuk tuks to Saranat, a key site in the formation of Buddhism. Saranat is where Buddha delivered his first sermon after achieving enlightenment; however, the name Saranat translates to deer park. There is an enclosure for a species of Indian deer. I didn't happen to see one, but the few who did said they were quite large and had impressive antlers. There is a large, leafy tree prominently featured in the park that was a sapling of the holy Bodhi tree. Buddha achieved enlightenment under the base of the Bhodi tree. A sapling from that tree was planted in Sri Lanka and a sapling from the descendant tree was planted at Saranat.
There were ruins of buddhist monasteries nearby and a stupa commemorating the site of Buddha's first sermon. Additionally, there was a museum which houses most of the relics from the ruins. In the museum, a creepy small man in a green shirt started following Claire and I around. Apparently, he had followed us all the way from the temple. I felt like yelling, "I am not an exhibit!" Instead, I just said "Dude, what?!" Creepy guy looked very frightened and promptly snuck away. Victory for Canada!
The zombie horde ambled back to our autos, stopping for pizza dinner on the way back. We held an impromptu party on the rooftop patio to celebrate the next day's 9:30 wake-up call. Fun fun!
He also told the story of how peacocks get pregnant. The male dances for the female, shaking his feathers and puffing his chest, while she watches attentively from a distance. During his dance, the male notices his feet are dirty, he begins lifting them off the ground. At the apex of his dance, he sheds a single tear. If the female is wooed by his display, she drinks his tear and becomes pregnant.
I found his stories delightful but I also found it hard to keep a straight face as he kept adamantly repeating "These are facts based in science". Tee hee!
When our boat trip was over, we docked by the cremation ghat and walked through the temple district. There are no photos allowed and security was tight. There are many different temples and mosques and the populations don't always get along.
Nap time! I think everyone felt the crazy pace of the trip catch up with them. I felt like I was in a zombie walk on the way back to the hotel.
I was grateful for the rest but it wasn't nearly long enough. The zombie walk continued. Off we zipped in tuk tuks to Saranat, a key site in the formation of Buddhism. Saranat is where Buddha delivered his first sermon after achieving enlightenment; however, the name Saranat translates to deer park. There is an enclosure for a species of Indian deer. I didn't happen to see one, but the few who did said they were quite large and had impressive antlers. There is a large, leafy tree prominently featured in the park that was a sapling of the holy Bodhi tree. Buddha achieved enlightenment under the base of the Bhodi tree. A sapling from that tree was planted in Sri Lanka and a sapling from the descendant tree was planted at Saranat.
There were ruins of buddhist monasteries nearby and a stupa commemorating the site of Buddha's first sermon. Additionally, there was a museum which houses most of the relics from the ruins. In the museum, a creepy small man in a green shirt started following Claire and I around. Apparently, he had followed us all the way from the temple. I felt like yelling, "I am not an exhibit!" Instead, I just said "Dude, what?!" Creepy guy looked very frightened and promptly snuck away. Victory for Canada!
The zombie horde ambled back to our autos, stopping for pizza dinner on the way back. We held an impromptu party on the rooftop patio to celebrate the next day's 9:30 wake-up call. Fun fun!
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