All These Colors Tour: India Part 23
Saturday, October 6, 2012
Varanasi, India
I pretty much stayed around the Alka Hotel all day again to get some more much-needed rest, occasionally hanging out on the balcony that overlooks the Ganges from several stories up. It was captivating to watch locals engage in their daily lives, as ragtag boats dangerously full of Indians plied the vast, brown artery. A man with a thick beard sat in the fetid water and completely went to town lathering himself up into a soapy froth. Another man missing a lower left leg napped on a massive stairway nearby with his wooden replacement thrown haphazardly right behind him. Some barbers doled out shaves and haircuts, and as I watched them, I thought, “I bet they won’t clean up that disgusting mess when they’re done.” Sure enough, hours later, a bunch of scraps of hair and shaving cream littered the stairs and ledges after the responsible parties were long gone. I’m always dumbfounded by people who choose to sully their own living spaces. Later in the evening, while I was looking off the balcony, I saw a huge crowd waving around torches at some kind of festival about a half mile North and thought if it’s a nightly occurrence, I’ll have to check it out.
Roll over photos for captions.
Words and photos ©2012 Arcane Candy.
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