Religious city Varanasi, India

I had been digesting (litterally and figuratively) experiences from India back on the island of Ko Chang in Thailand for almost the past two weeks. It was so nice to return to familiar faces and feel like I belonged somewhere for a while and of course, when you're away from any place you see the same environment just a little different. Overall, India was amazing and yes, many describe the streets as madness, but I would also add that it's a functional madness; somehow, the traffic flows, people get to the other side of the street (ok, so we're running for our lives a lot of the time), everyone litters, and there are several people cleaning up and making small change (I'm not saying it's wrong or right, this is just how I saw it). It was interesting returning to Thailand and having something to compare it to. I thought of how it will be to return home and see how I'll see my home environment, my family and friends...

Below are a few more pictures of India, mostly of Varanasi, considered a holy ancient city for Hindus and Jains. The city was built along the Ganges River (pronounced Ganga) which plays a vital role for the residents. People bathe in the river, wash clothes in the river, bathe their animals in the river, and also cremate bodies here, too. There are several ghats along the river (like piers to a beach) where religious ceremonies are practiced nightly and there are also the cremation ("burning") ghats where thousands of bodies a year are burned. Some people are opposed of watching but there are many Hindu families and observers around. Private life is so public and death is seen as just another part of life; after all, this is just one life passing and another one is reborn.

Varanasi

What's next? I have a flight for Cairo, Egypt tonight and I hope to be there for a few weeks (I still don't have an outgoing flight). After Egypt (and maybe Israel? I just met a nice couple who live close to the border with Egypt, not on the Red Sea side) I'll be headed for Rio de Janeiro, Brasil!