Part 2 - Alleys, cows and dirt

Varanasi is dirty, actually India in general is dirty. Like really, really dirty. I don't think I can tell you how dirty it is. But I found Varanasi tough because of the small streets. In order to get to our hotel (which was right on the Ganges) you had to walk through these narrow and winding alleys. When I first entered them, I nearly passed out - it was hot (remember +36 plus humidity), there were flies EVERYWHERE, the smell was overwhelming and it felt like I was never going to get out of that maze. I have never felt claustrophobic until that point. It was a huge challenge for me. And then I realized that in order to get to most places, you have to use those alley's and that was just the way it was. Ugh, I struggled, but it did get better after time.

People would walk around in bare feet and there are "urinals" on the side of buildings, so as you walked past, you could hear, see and smell guys peeing. Like I said, it was HARD. Throw garbage, cows, cow poop, and heat into the mix and my gag reflex was going full time. I know I make it sound really bad (because it really was haha), but it was also something that will stay with me forever and gives Varanasi it's charm.

One day on our way to this yoga studio our guide led us through probably the worst alley in the whole city. That was the first time that I was so so close to saying "that's it, I'm done, Nope, not going down there" haha. I turned the corner and down the alley was about 3 cows, loads and loads of garbage and cow poop. I nearly died. I had to give myself a pep talk before I could move. One thing I should mention is that width of the alley is small - one cow and one person and it's tight. So you can see why I would freak out. We dubbed that famous alley as cow alley and I told our guide that I am never going that route again ahah. I think in a 20 meter span we passed 7 cows. On a side note about the cows - people let their cows roam free in the city to eat. They keep their cows in their house - not right inside their house, but I guess in what you could call a "garage". The cows graze on vegetation if they can find it, but I think mostly garbage. It is so bizarre - coming from Canada where cows graze in fields and are kept in barns, I had a hard time processing it. And when officials comes to the city, the police will go around and round up all the cows and take them away so that the officials won't see them. Sort of like a cow catcher. haha then the owner has to go and free them from the pound. Funny.

Love Melissa and Arnold