varanasi is one of the holiest cities in hinduism, and where i am right now. to die in varanasi means that you are automatically released from the cycle of life and death. in fact, on my way to my guesthouse i walked by someone being cremated over an open fire on a ghat. death and cremation is an everyday kinda thing in varanasi and despite the taboo of photography the event appears to have little more significance than shopkeepers sweeping off their front steps.

i wonder if all life that dies in varanasi gets released from the cycle of reincarnation. if that’s the case then i’m fairly certain they’ll be some mosquitos which are never coming back tonight.

i’ve only been here an hour so far but i’ve had quite a chuckle when i was sitting on my dorm bed looking out the window directly onto the ganges thinking about the cremation i had just seen when suddenly a dance version of the theme from brazil came roaring from the building next door.

ps. so, it turns out that the music was in preparation for varanasi’s biggest festival of the year. the ghats are filled with people dancing. there are candles everywhere and of course … fireworks. little kids are seeing how long they can hold them in their hands before they throw them in the air. hrm. dozens of boats are floating up and down the ganges the moon is full and the smoke from the fireworks is giving this play a very surreal feel. i have the feeling of disorientation without actually being disoriented. it’s a bit like the scene in apocalypse now when they’re blowing up the bridge. goofy.