Varanasi Part II on Film

Hi Film Friends! After a hiatus of nearly four months, we’re back with the final Varanasi blogpost with all its soul and colours. Writing about travel during such an interesting and uncertain time in the world is such a weird experience. You write about all the sights, sounds, tastes and smells but yet you can only relive them through photographs and memories, uncertain when you’ll be able to experience them again. Anyway, without further ado, onto the actual post.

Due to all the beers and light partying the night before, we only woke up late into the morning at around 10am. Without anything planned, our day was pretty much open for us to explore the city. But first, we had to catch up with an old friend we made in Delhi. Jeong was in Varanasi and it was his last day in the city before heading for Nepal via bus. I heard from him afterwards that the bus journey was quite an adventure and he was standing for nearly 12 hours of the 15 hours long ride.

It was also Nicola’s last day with us and so we asked him to decide where we were going to have lunch. We ended up going to Pizzeria Vaatika Cafe, an Italian cafe by the banks of the River Ganga. Nicola was missing his Italian food. He joked that you really can’t take Italian food away from an Italian. Millie was incapacitated from her toothache and Brian stayed behind to look after her while Jaegen had some work to complete so they did not join us for lunch. Later that day, we heard that Millie actually visited a dentist in Varanasi to have a tooth extracted. What an experience that must have been.

Beautiful lookout post along the banks of the Ganga River.

Sadly the pizza and espresso did not live up to Nicola’s expectations and his craving went unmet. Nevertheless, it was a good meal surrounded by friends, laughter and stories at an open patio cafe by the Ganga River. Jeong brought some friends he met at his hostel and unfortunately, I forgot their names (Sorry!). They were really cool though. One of them even taught Japanese online despite being Chinese. After the meal, we parted ways and I said goodbye to my first friend in India.

Nicola looking disappointed at the end of the meal.

After lunch, we parted ways with Jeong’s entourage and decided to check out whatever temples Nicola wanted to as it was his last day in the city. To be honest, I did not do much research on Varanasi so I was more than happy for someone else to take the lead. We ended up exploring the southern part of the city where Anand Park and the Shri Durga Temple was.

The weather was not as hot as Delhi which made walking enjoyable. The late afternoon light was hitting perfectly too, casting soft shadows on the ancient walls. On the way to the next location, we passed by many locals dressed in colourful saris who were just strolling and enjoying the city. The vibe of Varanasi was completely opposite from that of Delhi. Everyone is more relaxed and more they’re not always in a rush.

One of the highlights of this little walk was Anand Park, an obscure little neighbourhood park complete with a lush plant nursery and elegant marble pavilion. The park was filled with locals hanging out. Playing music, singing and playing badminton. I’ve always be a big proponent of checking out local parks as it provides a nice insight into the lives of the locals.

The marble pavilion, the center piece of Anand Park.

A short walk from the park was the main attraction for the day, the Shri Durga Temple. Made in honour of Durga, the Hindu Goddess of War, the temple is painted red with ochre to match the colours of the goddess. The ochre gave the temple a very distinctive red that I have not seen anywhere else. The design of the temple was in the Northern Indian Nagara style, and the temple itself is made up of many small sikharas (A rising tower in Hindu temple architecture.) conjoined together. When entering the compound, we had to leave our footwear outside the temple and someone actually came to collect a fee for looking after our shoes. We were initially unsure if it was a scam but decided to pay up anyway in fear of disrespecting the customs. If anyone knows more about this, please comment below to let me know!

Anyway, when we entered the temple, a ritual was taking place and so Nicola, Tilly, Olivier and I just sat and observed the event as it unfurled infront of us. The constant chants of the priest and occasional chimes of the bells got us all in a trance and before we knew it, thirty minutes have passed and soon, the sun was beginning to set. We had to make our way back to the hostel as Nicola had a bus to catch.

The walk back to the hostel was equally as interesting. In stark contrast from a few hours ago, where the sun was high in the sky and beating down on us, was a cool evening breeze and the landscape reflected that. The ghats were all of a sudden transformed into social spaces where cricket games and baths were taking place. Some aunties were also doing laundry several feet away. It was an interesting sight to behold.

The golden hour light was also hitting perfectly, demanding a portrait session take place. From the first instance I met Nicola, I felt that he dressed really uniquely and I really enjoyed his vibe. Guys, I have to confess, this was where my bucket hat obsession started from. After we arrived at the hostel, Nicola took no time in picking up his bags promptly left after some farewells, chasing after his bus.

Every couple of meters was a cricket game taking place.

Locals taking a dip and bath in the Ganga River to cleanse and cool off.

After waking up from a satisfying nap, I found my hostel room nearly empty except for one other traveler who just arrived. His name was Samuel and he was from Canada. I was getting quite hungry and decided to grab a bite before watching the Aarti from land to this time. I invited Samuel along and on the way we stopped by a road side lassi store. The store owner was really convincing and got us to buy a couple of lassis. I got a mango one and Samuel got one with marijuana. Yup. They sometimes add weed in their lassis. I took a sip of Samuel’s lassi but could barely make out any taste. I did get a slight headache after though, further elevated by the music and buzz of the Aarti.

We managed to get a couple of seats amongst the crowd and Brian and Millie was around too so we got them to sit with us. Everything was pretty much the same as the previous night except we could see more clearly what was going on (Choreographed movements by the priests waving their lit lamps in elegance and poise). I decided to turn in early partly due to the headache and my plans for our last morning in this beautiful city of spirituality.

Photos up till now were shot on the Contax T2 with Fuji C200. Developed and scanned by Photocity Lab in Bangkok, Thailand.

Around 5am the next day, I struggled to open my eyes, head still throbbing from the night before. But it was my last chance to explore the ghats in the morning I reasoned. Through sheer willpower, I got up, brushed my teeth and headed out the hostel doors.

Mornings in Varanasi are really cold. This was probably from a combination of the lack of sunlight and the city being situated next to a river. Although it was early in the morning, you can see the city slowly coming to life. Priests doing their morning prayers and devotees preparing for the morning Aarti and daily dip in the Ganga River. As I made my way towards the Dasaswamedh Ghat, I felt droplets of rain fall upon my skin. In a mere few seconds, the area was covered in a heavy downpour. I cursed my luck as it hadn’t rained the whole time I was there until now. Luckily, I found a shelter and camped out the rain. Another miracle, it was a passing shower and everything resumed as if nothing had happened.

As if out of nowhere, the whole ghat was suddenly transformed from a peaceful sanctuary to a bustle of worshippers anxious for their turn to take a dip into the Ganga River. Some groups even came complete with their own photographers to document the event, evidence to the importance of the whole ritual of bathing in the holy river to these worshippers.

The morning Aarti is really a feast for the senses with scenes unfurling at every turn. While walking around, I came across a group of men queuing up. They were coming out with their heads shaved at the end of it. I was quite curious as to why these men were seemingly queuing to get a hair cut and proceeded to ask one of them. He told me that Hindus will shave their heads as a promise to the gods if their prayers got answered.

Flurry of activity at the Dashashwamedh ghat.

Pretty soon, the sun came out from behind the clouds and so did the heat blaze. How I wished I could jump into the river and cool off. But the light that came along with the sun was beautifully golden and the buzz around the river just called for it to be photographed so I cleaned off the sweat upon my brows and continued clicking away.

This man remained in the same position for nearly an hour and a half. There is a photograph of him earlier in the day.

Out of film and exhausted, I returned to the hostel, pleased with my bounty of film. I packed my bags and had one last breakfast at my wonderful hostel before checking out. Jaegen had enough of the Indian train rides and decided to take a bus instead. So I was left alone in Varanasi until my train arrived.

With a few hours to spare, I asked Aashu, our helpful receptionist, what activities does he recommend doing around the hostel. His recommendations included a yoga session, a music lesson and a cooking session. I picked the music lesson and headed down to a music school nearby where I was given an option between the drums and a flute. I figured I could probably learn more in an hour on the drums than on the flute but boy was I wrong. Who knew that two tiny drums could produce such a myriad of different pitches and resonances? Well, not me. Playing the Tablas requires very nimble and versatile hands. Hitting different spots on the skin of the drums and the degree in which you cup your hands affects the timbre of the drums so much. Luckily, I had a good teacher who managed to teach me a few simple rhythm patterns.

Photos up till now were shot on the Contax T2 with Agfa Vista 40. Developed and scanned by Photocity Lab in Bangkok, Thailand.

After the drum lessons, I made my way to the train station with time to spare. While waiting for the train, I did a little self reflection and found myself longing to stay in this mystical city for a while longer. But with plans made for the rest of India, that longing has to wait for another time. Varanasi, I’ll be back for you one day. Till then, keep shooting film friends!