Varanasi

Its been a while since i last updated this, so il give you a breif run down of my last 2 weeks i guess. I think i gave you a little insight into what rishikesh was all about, and since then i took a train from there and ended up in Varanasi. For people that don't know, Varanasi is to the Hindu's what the Vatacan is to the Catholics, or Mecca to the Muslims....Its a place where pilgrams make a treck to, to bathe in the Ganges river (which happens to be one of the most polluted bodies of fresh water in the world, completely toxic) and "wash" (again don't know how washing in polluted water works) away there sins. Most pilgrams goals, is to die in Varanasi, thus having there souls cleansed by the ganges river and allowing the circle of Karma and reancarnation to be stopped and being able to go to heaven peacfully...All in all its a very intense place in the world to be. The whole city really focus's around the ghats (google it if you don't know) where the bathing and the burning of the bodys take places. The "burning Ghats" are the places where the bodys of the Hindu's who are "lucky" enough to die in Varanasi (and be able to pay the crazy amount of money for wood and other fee's) are creamated. Its probably one of the few places in the world that will forever be impritinted in my memory for the rest of my life...Suffice to say that few places actually make all five of your senses work in overdrive at once. Its really a place thats to hard, and would take way to fucking long to explain properly to anyone.. i didnt really take any photos becuase its a very holy place and i could have had the shit kicked out of me if i did. You just have to respect a place like that, and what it means to the people who beleive in what it represents. I could describe it for hours to anyone that would (and will) listen to me go on about it and if you really want to find out a little more than what i told you, Wikipedia it.
Ok since then, i was in serious need of a holiday from indian travel....its been a long trip to do by yourself and i really needed some beach time. So i took a train to Dehli (which was 8 hours late, dont ask me how a train can be that late, because from what i can comprehend train tracks dont really have anything that can be fucked up on them) and from Dehli i caught a very cheap, and totally empty flight to Goa (the tourist industry is getting killed here thanks to those attacks in mumbai and the bad economy) and am know on a beach. I caught a ride from the airport with a group of young people who work for the British embassy in Afghanastan and were on a week long holiday and on a seriuos mission to get as drunk as possible in the van on the way to beach. I don't think night clubs and alchohol are really a huge part of life in Kabul...anywase they got me fucking wasted (im not sure if i mentioned this but i had'nt had a drink since the 5th of november) and wow the took me out and i was destroyed. Ya a wicked story but thats all thats suitable for blog material. Now im in Agonda beach which is about 12 k north of the place i was last hanging out in goa and the place is deserted.. theres only about a 5th of the people here that there is supposed to be at this time. Ive got a beach hut for like 7 bucks a night and ya life is really good at the moment. Theres a really cool mix of people hanging out on the beach (as well as serious lack of Euro or Israeli trance heads, which is nice becuase you can drink a beer without feeling like your going to have a seizure from the horrible music) and some great bars as well.
This will probably be the last time i update this thing, becuase il be home in 5 days so i hope whoever read this enjoyed it and il see you at christmas time. If cam reads this or glen hansen (or hansen actually) tell them that we should go to the mountains the day after i get back..i fly in on the 18th at 5 15 pm so i hope that someone is there to pick me up...mcfalls.
love steven