Varanasi thoughts

Varanasi is a far cry from Ganeshpuri. It's a city, so imagine the difference between off season Rehoboth Beach 20 years ago and downtown Wilmington. I've always been more of a small town girl myself, so it's easy to feel overwhelmed by the hustle and bustle of Varanasi. When I start to feel overwhelmed, I take a couple of deep breaths and settle into my body. I stand more firmly in my feet and take in the raw glory of the many forms of Shiva present in this holy city. I feel an upwelling of gratitude for this incredible journey I'm on. It is truly amazing.

The city is along the banks of the Ganges River and is a sacred and holy place. There are streets, with all kinds of traffic, from pedestrians, bikes, scooters, cars, trucks and busses. And there are alleys (for lack of a better term) that lead to the ghats. The alleys are lined with buildings that have shops on the first level. They are full of people, bikes, scooters, and tuktuks.

Narayan Sahani (pictured striding ahead above) is taking wonderful care of me here. Today (Friday) I am moving to Narayan's guest house. I've been staying at his brother's guesthouse for the last two days because Narayan's guesthouse had no water. At Mintu's guesthouse (Kedareswar Bed & Breakfast), breakfast is served on the rooftop, so I can watch the sun rising over the Ganges.

I've had incredible experiences so far, with many more to come! So very grateful 🙏💖🙏