Waiting for a train on the rooftop Restaurant in Varanasi

This morning I noticed that my forefinger had developed a spreading rash around a larger lump which had been growing for a couple of days - decided to find a pharmacy to get it checked out - Easier said than done - You need to look for a red cross and follow the signs, the one I eventually found was down a very narrow alley and ended up being an open counter behind two shops with a set of shelving filled with boxes of all kinds of medication… The pharmacist seemed to be sitting and waiting for clients filling his time in discussion with a friend. However as I approached and said “Nameste, can you help me?”, he replied in English “what is the problem?”. A quick look at my finger led to the diagnosis “Skin disease” and leaning back he produced a tube of cream which he said to apply twice a day for ten days… No prescription (even though the tube states to be prescribed) and a total cost of 37r (50p). Well, this was very quick and efficient and a darn site cheaper than the NHS! Having accomplished the mission for the day I decided to retire to a rooftop restaurant…

Once settled in at the rooftop restaurant of the hotel I sit back taking in the serene view and supping on a Coke I consider my stay here. The frenetic nature of the place needs to be taken in your stride if you are to make the most of your visit to this holy site. Be aware that if you take a boat ride you will see the burning Ghats, where bodies are cremated openly and that the alleys are a maze of narrow passages that are difficult to navigate and become very congested with people, motorcycles and cows.

The river is in spate after the monsoon rains and the high level of the water means that it is impossible to walk along the Ghats, making the narrow alleys even more congested than normal. The river however seems peaceful as it languidly passes by carrying the detritus eroded from upstream, tree branches are the most common site to be carried past. The water is brown with sediment, which will reward places downstream with fertile soils for their crops (Sorry Geographer showing through) but it has dropped a little over my two day visit and there is are small islands (Sand banks) starting to form within the river channel and the far bank is starting to show its sandy levee.

Small boats continue to ply their trade with visitors being ferried in motorised contraptions between the Ghats - the steady put-put-put of their underpowered engines straining against the current of the river. It is however a slow time for the boatmen as the river is soo high that fewer people are able to be at the Ghats… While rowing boats are not allowed into the channel as they would be swept downstream…

Taking a final look along the tranquil river frontage of Varanasi I find it hard to believe the madness that lies just behind the façade.