Today I went for a walk through the maze of alleys of old Varanasi and had breakfast at Café Minnano.
Then I went to the main street to see the street markets, where they sell a bit of everything, from fruit, vegetables, souvenirs, sweet and savoury snacks and a leaf with chewing tobacco. Around here there are still lots of travelling vendors selling milk, water, gas and I asked the gas man how much a gas cylinder cost, imagine that... 104 rupees, that’s €1, when in Portugal it’s over €30.
Next I went down to the riverbanks, where the rituals continue. I found out that one of the rituals I was watching, in which the men prepare a symbolic meal while the women stay watching, has to be done once a year in memory of the family members who have died to keep their souls at peace.
You can also see people bathing in the river, people getting haircuts, shaves, having their ears cleaned, brushing their teeth with sticks and even getting Ayurvedic massages, among them me, who ended up stretched out on a mat by the river having one.
I spent a quiet day wandering around the city and changed hotel to be closer to the bus station to go to Varanasi airport tomorrow morning, heading for Jaipur. I went to see where the bus stop was and find out the times and prices. Even after I had all the information I needed, the tuk tuk drivers were still following me saying there was no bus to the airport and that they’d take me there for 500 rupees when the bus fare is 50 rupees. That’s something common not only here, but in several countries where I’ve been, they always say there’s no bus.
As I have a stopover and a plane change in Delhi with only 1 h 20 min and to prevent any problem with the luggage, this time I’m going to put my travel backpack in the hold. As I’m carrying excess weight and have 2 flights to catch, better not to risk it and, to avoid problems, I bought a smaller backpack for €4 where I’ll put a change of clothes and the most important things. That way I won’t lose everything if the bigger backpack ever gets lost.
In the evening, before going back to the hostel, I went to dinner at the Chilli Tadka restaurant, where I had some noodles with vegetables.