first day in vanarasi

hey its maddy,

we arrived in varanasi this morning and since we have gotten all unpaked and settled into the tiwari lodge. i liked dehli a lot, because of how crowded it was and how much was going on, but i alsoreally like varanasi because of how peaceful it is. After breakfast today half of th group walked the two blocks down the street to the ganges river. words cannot really describe the ganges, and pictures can't really either. the water buffalo, boats and people bathing in the river seemed so peaceful compared to the insanity of dehli. after sitting on the steps leading down to the river we all returned to the hotel for classical indian dance classes. our teacher was a really good dancer and made all of us look really really bad. we were all sweaty and exhausted by the time that the dance classes were over and so when we went downstairs to find a little girl with henna waiting for us it was really exciting. everyone got henna, and they are all so intricate. half of the group decided to go on a walk down the ganges to see the funeral pyres (allison and i cannot remember the technical name right now). when we got to the pyres we could see smoke billowing up from piles of wood and dead bodies near the river. we sat and watched the funerals for awhile before we headed back to dinner. i am being eaten alive by mosquitoes, so i have to go until tomorrow.

xoxox

maddy