Not toooo badly hung over so met up with Matt US on time at 5:30am. From the ghats we negotiated a 1.5hr boat ride up and down the ganges where there are many ghats (waterfront buildings with steps to the river).
Now, before I go on, there is a section in the Lonely Planet for India that says that the Ganges is polluted. No sh*t. Well actually lots of it. The safe amount is apparently 500 faecal bacteria per 100ml. The number found in the Ganges is 1.5 million per 100ml.
So what did we see? Thousands of Indians bathing/swimming in the river, swallowing and spitting out the water, some Japanese tourists doing the same (I'm guessing they're now dead), many people washing their clothes (OK if they're brown I spose).
Apart from the huge untreated sewage problem there is also the little matter of the burial aspect of the Ganges. The Ganges is used to return the ashes of cremated Indians back to the Earth. We came off the boat onto the burning ghat to see where bodies were cremated, between layers of wood from the Banyan tree. We saw one being burnt where there was a foot that had fallen out. A quick poke by the chief dude got it back into the fire... The ashes were then collected and then shovelled in to the river. Nice.
The other problem is that pregnant women, children under 14, holy men and all animals can't be burnt because of religous laws so they are just thrown in whole with a stone tied to them. I've heard a few stories of what people have seen floating and it's not pretty. Not by a long shot.
Unbelievably, the girls saw a dolphin in the river. Must be realted to Blinky...
Most of the shops and attractions were closed at it was Diwali, so we decided to meet at the same bar again and maybe see some fireworks in the evening.
Met up (with Matts UK&US and the Aussies) and had a really average overpriced dinner. Then went for a walk to look at the fireworks. Turned out as soon as we got out of the hotel the fireworks came at us instead!!!! Some hilarious, funny, "nothing personal" kinda guy fired a firework at us. Not a banger, oh no, but a full on go up 100m in the air-type. We first heard the fizzle and then after some clumsy dodging it flashed (blue) past us and into a hedge. I swear it was less than a metre away from me. Great. Thanks guys. This set the scene for the rest of our walk. Reminded me of NYE in Paris with Geoff&Stalker but with NO police around and everyone doing what they wanted. Was very exciting but scary and yet cool at the same time. Said goodbye to Matt UK as he was off to Calcutta 2mrw. Enjoy, dude!
