Assi Ghat is the southernmost Ghat in Varanasi and also the southern limit of city. Actually, I think Assi Ghat is just behind me. This photo looks north along the Ghats and the river Ganges.

Assi is a quieter part of town with an interesting bookshops (Harmony) a pizzeria called Vaatika that serves some delicious pizza and apple pie and ice cream and also has a wonderful view. There is also a shop and cafe with real espresso style coffee called Open Hand. It is a great escape form the noise and heat and also has some fine goods and food.

What to say about the holiest city in India that hasn’t been said a zillion times before? Well, it was a real and unfettered experience for me! It was a good experience and one that I will repeat soon. I never felt any spiritual stuff while I was there — God didn’t tap me on the shoulder. Maybe I was too busy ducking beggars and street merchants and side-stepping these huge black water-buffalo. I liked Varanasi because it is everything good and everything horrid all in one place. Fortunately, all the horrid stuff the Indians do to each other. So wondering around seemed very safe to me.

Along the river Ganga — when you’ve been there you too can call it the Ganga, most everyone else calls it the river Ganges. Anyway, walking along the Ganga was the most interesting part of Varanasi for me. I went back and back and walked different parts of it. I found the people and the sights and the smells enthralling. And now, when I look at my pics from those walks my heart tugs me to buy a ticket and return immediately. It’s madness. I’m sure it’s the beginnings of madness.

India has its tourist places and just like any other tourist destination they are full of conmen and people wanting to sell you something. It’s just more full-on down by the ghats than any other place I’ve ever visited. It gets tiring constantly being hassled and having to be on your guard against feigned friendship gestures and offers of help that are no more than someone trying to part you from some of your western wealth.

In all this the beggars and street merchants are honest. There is no doubt what they want, but the people who start talking to you, offering you help and advice so often in a friendly, hail-fellow, well-met kind of way, these are the worst kind of merchants. Not that they are really bad – they just want to make a living, feed the kids and lie down in a dry bed to sleep at night — just like everyone else. The trouble with this form of touting is that it causes people like me to start to shut down to advances from anyone — which is sad.

Yesterday as I walked along the Varanasi Ghats I was barraged with these sorts of advances. The worst was a guy who approached me and seemed like he just wanted to talk, to be friendly but as we said goodbye and shook hands, he started massaging my hand and then wanted money for his efforts. “Ten rupies, just ten…” But then he wanted more and I got angry with him gave him his RS10/- and told him to ping off.

There are so many people who approach you and want to tell you about a sight or a temple and then want money. All of them feigning friendship, talking, walking and then comes the sell.

Don’t get me wrong. The numbers of this kind of business people are small. Most Indians are not like that. But the few that are spoil it for the rest because, like me, a lot of tourists just close down and walk away.

It’s no wonder to me why a lot of Indian people complain that the average western tourist is rude and arrogant. They’ve probably just come back from having an unwanted hand massage at Varanasi’s main Ghat.