The river Ganges (Ganga) And Girl Power

Another early start today. It was meet in the lobby at 5.15 am to head to the River Ganges, or Ganga.Varanasi's name is derived from the confluence of two rivers that form its borders: the Varuna (still flowing in the north) and the Assi (a small stream in the south). As the land located between these two tributaries of the Ganges. The name Ganga is the original and sacred name of the Ganges as the river originates from the Gangotri Glacier in the Himalayas. Varanasi is one of the world’s oldest documented settlements. We arrived at the sun was just peaking over the horizon so a red and golden glow was in the sky. On the banks of the river there was a Hindu prayer daily ritual. It was a surreal experience.

We then boarded our little boat, donning life jackets to motor out to the middle of the river which gave us views of the sunrise to the east, and to the west the Ghats on the river banks where throngs of people were lining to board boards, or undressing to wash in the river.  The odd offering floated by.  We floated downstream as musicians on our boat played traditional music with the sitar and drums while singing.  It was very immersive and emotionally evocative.  I’m  not sure words will do any justice to this experience - definitely another bucket list tick!  

After returning to the hotel for a late breakfast we ventured out to the streets of Varanasi.  Intrepid, the company that my tour is organised through has a number of socially responsible activities.  Another in this tour was the patronage of the Sheroes Cafe for the victims of Acid attacks.  The one in Varanasi is called Holy City Tours.  The name derives from the fact that Varanasi is a pilgrimage town for Hindus -and the tours are conducted by e-rickshaws driven by female drivers.   These lovely ladies have been applied and been selected on various criteria - many the victims of domestic violence or finding themselves alone providing for themselves.  This is difficult in.the Indian culture as there is no social welfare system and therefore the Intrepid Foundation assists in training these women in business principles - how to deal with customers, how to drive etc in order to allow them flexible work arrangements to become self sufficient.  The tours was of various street food restaurants, with the women providing the transport between three different sites.  We enjoyed tomato and Palak paprika Chaat at one site, then potato samosas and a fruit sweet and then finally a lassi at the last stop.   The food was delicious, however what was really noticeable was the reactions from other drivers to the women drivers of our e-rickshaws.  One man who was a pillion passenger on a motorbike actually yelled into the drivers cabin and while Linda and I couldn’t understand his words, we certainly understood his sentiment.  These women are brave and courageous!  They are taking on cultural norms and learning to assert themselves gently.  

The end of the day seemed to appear so quickly…it had been jam packed with experience.  

We returned to the banks of the river Ganga where we observed maps Hindu prayers - chanting and call and response while there were a group of five men performing actions - I hesitate to call it a dance as it was more sombre - they moved in time and repeated their actions on all four sides - holding aloft various items - fire, a fan, bells and hand signals.  

We hopped on a boat - of which I was dubious from the outset.  It had broken boards and all the seats were wet - it was dark (there was no lighting on the river) and it appeared in rather poor condition.  When the driver started the motor - Sam and Davey became showered with water before the engine cut out.  we managed to motor out to the middle of the river and released some flower/candle offering to the river while making a wish.  I wished for peace and happiness for my family and I and the world at large.  I think others made similar wishes.   We watched our candles blow out or float away. 

Here is the headline - “AUSTRALIAN TOURISTS STRANDED ON THE GANGES RIVER!” Our motor would not restarted and we began drifting down river at a reasonable pace….there were no oars on board and we even spotted the propeller shaft which then did not inspire confidence.    After trying to steer to the bank, we eventually butted up again some docked boats and another boat was despatched to collect us - it was the boat we had had in the morning and while the  engine was noisy, it was much better maintained….we made a water transfer which bothered a coupl of our party as hey were a little less stable.  We made it to shore eventually, but it was not without a few heart pumping moments - I did NOT want to swim in the river despite being told the water was safe (!).  While the itinerary talked of ‘sunset cruise’  it would be a stretch to call it that…a motor out to the river centre and then a float!