Thread by @jpdanner

Kicking off day 2 of Varanasi adventures!

#TravelDanners

So we've been wandering around with our guide, Pintu, and he is either explaining things or hustling us around which leaves no time for tweeting.
So you lot just get to enjoy my recap now that we're back at the hotel. 😁
#TravelDanners

And we're off!
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We found some monkeys at the first temple we visited.
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Pintu decided to feed them.
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Which went well for a while, until one monkey bit his hand rather than take the food.
"It bites me because I laugh at it" said Pintu while laughing uproariously.
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We wandered into the fish market (that was packing up for the day).

What the heck are those fish?

"They're not for eating, they're for praying" Pintu informed me.

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I'm not sure about the state of the chickens, though.

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Checking out the Ganges by day.
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Pintu explaining the reasons why people bathe in the Ganges.
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Pintu is very good at politely pointing out good spots for pictures.
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On the move!
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Taking a picture of @lucybols taking a picture.
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The detail on these temples is incredible.
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The Ganges again, but from a lower level.
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See those measurements on the building?
Thats where the Ganges gets up to when it's running high! 😳
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The Ganges.
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This tree is growing through this house!

And the other tree has grown through (and fused with) that temple!

Apparently these trees are sacred and cannot be cut.

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Apparently this is one of the oldest temples in Varanasi.
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Look at how that tree has just engulfed everything!
Apparently this well is especially sacred. You don't drink from it or bathe. You just look at your reflection and if it's clear you've got a long life. If it's not clear you'll die soon... 😬
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What the hell is all this rubble? Some kind of disaster area?

Nope - they're building a smart city here. Knocked down all the houses and just left the temples.

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Look at that incredible detail!
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Checking out an Ashram - basically a school/housing for monks.
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All of this wood is for the cremation fires at the Burning Ghat.
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You have to buy 200-300 kgs of wood for the pyre and maybe a kg of sandalwood sawdust to make things smell nice.

It all adds up quick!
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We spent quite a while at the Burning Ghat watching cremations & listening to Pintu tell us about the process (it's quite involved). But we obviously took no photos out of respect for the people & families there.
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It was very intense (the emotions and the smoke and the heat from the fires) but it all seemed very tastefully done. The bodies were lovingly wrapped and carried in on bamboo stretches with streamers of bright/shiny cloth.
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Apparently this is the sinking temple (Ratneshwar Mahadev Temple).
Apparently a son made it for his mother & tried to tell her that it was in payment for everything she'd ever done for him so they were even. The gods disagreed and made the temple sink. 😯
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Playing chicken with a cow.
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Beautiful art of a horrifying subject.
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Now its @lucybols's present # 9: lassi from a (very good) roadside shop!
Lucy got a banana pomegranate lassi & I got a banana chocolate coconut lassi.
Amazeballs.
#TravelDanners #Lucy30for30

The lassies come in these awesome disposable clay bowls. Once you're done you just throw them away and they decompose.

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And this led immediately into @lucybols's present # 10: enjoying some legit Indian street food.

First up was a samosa!
#TravelDanners #Lucy30for30

Turns out it's a wee bit spicy. 🥵
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Next up was one of the potato fritter things.

I just love all the condiments that get added to everything!

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Did somebody steal pages from a calculus book for the samosa wrappers?! 🤔
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Some beautiful lighting.
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I was TRYING to pose in front of this tiny door (apparently tiny doors are a thing here) and lightly touched it at which point it all basically fell apart.

Here I am sheepishly trying to pull them back together.

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Getting a glance at Shiva shrine 3 stories underground...
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Pipes. Pipes everywhere.
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Hanging out in alleyways, why not?
@lucybols
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Hey that's a cool doorway!
But...
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What if we stuck a @lucybols beside it?
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That worked well!
What about a @jpdanner?
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Now THIS is more my size!
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Disturbing the kids alleyway cricket game.
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I can't even.
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A very thoughtful lion.
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Hey, that's a very detailed temple carving... WAIT. Is that a child?!
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Absolutely stunning detail.
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Beautiful colours.
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Looking over the Ganges from a palace.
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Poor wonky bull!
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Dogs of Varanasi.
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Next up is present # 11 for @lucybols: taking a boat across the Ganges to watch the sunset.
#TravelDanners #Lucy30for30

View from the sandbar island looking back over the shore.

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Headed back to Varanasi.
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Did we just somehow get a tour of Shri Kashi Vishwanath Temple from a Temple priest and get blessings from Shiva?

Yes. Yes we did and it was @lucybols's present # 12!

Sadly no photos of the temple - they're very strict.

#TravelDanners #Lucy30for30

I was just as surprised as everyone else.

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Then it was time for dinner at Shree Cafe where I ordered WAY too much food...
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As we ended the night, @lucybols made friends with a family making coloured pigment for Holi who marked both of us with their own blend of bright pink.

Then we stumbled home exhausted, full, and happy.

#TravelDanners