Counting our blessings in Varanasi

An account of our blessings in Varanasi:

• Number of flower garlands bought and worn and soon to be set adrift down the Ganges as a puja [respect] offering: 3. Price: Rs 7. 
• Number of sandlewood prayer bead strings bought: 2.
• Number of litres of effluent the city's sewer system can handle per day: 100,000,000. 
• Litres of effluent generated per day: 290,000,000. 
• Number of hours per day the energy-heavy sanitation system causes a town-wide blackout: 6. 
• Number of hours the sewer system therefore discharges untreated effluent directly into the river: 6. 
• Number of litres of effluent discharged per day just south of our hotel: 30,000,000.
• Number of bathing ghats [steps] built along the western bank of the Ganges: about 80.
• Distance from Assi Ghat, where our hotel is, to Manikarnika Ghat (the so-called burning ghat): 2 km. 
• Number of minutes taken to stroll this distance: 90. 
• Number of boat touts, hotel touts, flower sellers, rickshaw drivers, saddhus, children and 'students' to whom we politely but firmly said 'Ji naang hai, dhanyawad' [No, thank you] during this walk: 49. (I was of a mind to count, as we walked.) 
• Number of saddhus [wise men] that have shoved me because I refused to give them money: 1. 
• Number of saddhus to whom I've said 'Chalo!' [Go away!]: 1. 
• Number of regular folk to whom we've politely spoken who haven't ended up trying to sell us something: 1. An Indian family with very little English was most taken, last night, with Suey's bindi -- forehead mark to indicate marriage -- and my broken Hindi, 'Sundar putni!' [Beautiful wife!]
• Number of touts to whom I've sadly been rude: 2. One was after a small fight with Sue. I was frustrated, and much too curt with my 'No'. The other asked four times whether I'd like a rickshaw ride. My fourth 'No, thanks' was sharp. My bad. Patience and humour are good things.
• Number of Cosmopolitans ordered at the Taj Ganges (5-star) James Prinsep bar on our first night: 3. 
• Number of Johnny Walker and Drys: 2. It's more or less a dry city, but we were desperate for a drink. 
• Number of Kulfi-Wallah [Ice-cream Man] cones bought at the modern, western IP Mall: 2. We're having some odd, unexpected Varanasi experiences! 
• Number of pages in the Sunday India Times broadsheet marriage liftout: 8. 
• Per cent of ads seeking arranged marriages: looked like all of them. 
• Per cent of ads mentioning caste as a precondition: I'd say 75%. 
• Number of floating corpses in the river, spotted on our dawn boat ride: 1. 
• Number of tiny, paper kites being flown from rooftops last night as we watched the sunset over Varanasi: Hundreds. (The sweetest thing I've seen in India thus far.)

A land of contrasts! Next post Delhi, Wednesday, as we fly out. Then KL on the weekend. Then home!

Namaste. xoxox