Varanasi is an amazing place. There are many ghats along the Ganga and tiny lanes head downwards to the river. The markets and traffic are on the main streets but the maze of lanes and small streets all lead you to the Ganga. People come there to wash themselves and to wash clothes as well. Our guide told us that international visitors have been known to be taking a boat ride and are astounded when they see their own washing laid out to dry along the steps. We took another boat trip in the early morning. It has been foggy every morning so we didn’t take the sunrise trip. We looked but didn’t see our clothes draped on the steps!

We wandered around the many small lanes and streets looking at all the street stalls and, of course, being followed to buy postcards, bracelets, tiny stamps with coloured pigments to decorate your skin and so on. The fruit and vegetable stalls always look inviting. We have been avoiding salads and only eating cooked food.

In one of the lanes, there was a man making clay statues for a music festival. These were drying and then would be decoratively painted.

We have noticed across India that many of the goats have been dressed in shirts. This one was very well dressed in a polo shirt and then a second layer, maybe for extra warmth.

We went back again last night but not by boat. On the banks we found a good spot and sat and watched and listened to the wonderful calming chanting and singing while the priests went through the rituals of ceremony. Afterwards we found the Blue Lassi cafe and had banana lassi. Then a quick rickshaw ride back to our driver. Today we fly to Delhi.