Varanasi

I arrived in Varanasi mid day on March17. I learned it is better to get a prepaid taxi at the airport and let the people at the stand know where to go, rather then just get a cab of the street. The non prepaid cab drivers will not drive you to the desired destination or Hotel, rather tell you that this Hotel is not good and bring you to a Hotel or Guesthouse where they will make profit. for my first outing that afternoon i took a guide from the hotel. Together we took a Rickshaw and went to see a silk factory. Varanasi is famous for its beautiful silk fabrics! this was very interesting and the owner told me how they create the patterns, how long it takes to thread the loom and how many hours it takes to weave a bedspread. After this i took a Rickshaw to drop me of close to the Ghats. I walked through tiny little ally ways and finally found the Ganges where the Ghats are. It is so confusing to walk from the main street to the Ghats and it took me three days to not get lost anymore. There are about 80 Ghats are lined up along the Ganges river bank. Some where built in the early 1500 and others have been renovated in the 1900. Most houses and temples are high up on the riverbank and one can find Guesthouses with roof top Restaurants!
to be continued!