varanasi at 3am: a mess of markets and midnight mangoes

i woke up at 3am because the sound of a distant tabla kept waking me up. not the rhythmic kind, more like a guy practicing on a broken kit while trying to sell mangoes. i wandered into a market near the ghats and got lost in a maze of spices and people shouting in languages i couldn’t understand. someone told me that the best way to find the real varanasi is to ask a local, but i only asked a guy with a banana who just gave me a weird look and walked away.

i don’t know why i took so many pictures. maybe it was the heat. the temperature was 19.15, which is like that weird in-between weather where you’re not sure if you should wear a jacket or just let the sun hit your skin. i just checked and it’s 19.15°C, which is like that perfect weather for getting lost in a market. hope you like that kind of thing.

i heard that the street food here is the best, but only if you’re willing to eat something that smells like regret.

i passed a guy selling vanilla ice cream in a plastic bag. he said it was ‘imported from the north’ and i thought that was a lie. i bought one anyway. it was okay. not great. but i ate it anyway.

someone told me that the best time to visit is at night, but i heard that the locals say it’s just a bunch of noise and bad decisions.

i asked a woman near a temple if she knew where to find good tea. she pointed me to a corner where a guy was making chai in a big pot. the smell was strong, like burnt bark and hope. i took a sip and immediately regretted it. but i also felt like i had lived a little.

i heard that the neighbors here are all either monks or people who pretend to be monks. don’t trust anyone with a saffron robe.

i tried to take a photo of the ghats but the light was too harsh. i ended up using the camera of a random tourist. it was a terrible photo, but it had the right amount of chaos.

i heard that the city is full of secrets. some people say there’s a hidden underground club beneath the river. others say it’s just a myth. i tried to find it but all i found was a guy selling fake gold bracelets.

if you get bored, there are these old cities just a short drive away. i didn’t go because i was too tired. but maybe next time.

[i heard that the reviews on tripadvisor are all fake. i checked and it’s true. but i also heard that yelp is better. not sure if that’s true either.]

this place is messy. like my thoughts. like the way the market smells. like the way i feel after drinking that terrible chai. if you like that kind of thing, come here. but don’t expect it to be pretty.

[i saw a meme about varanasi online. it was a picture of a monkey holding a mango. i laughed. monkeys are great. they should be in every travel photo.]

You might also be interested in:

• https://votoris.com/post/studying-in-cacuaco-top-universities-and-student-life-and-a-healthy-dose-of-chaos
• https://votoris.com/post/pros-and-cons-of-living-in-kisangani-an-unbiased-guide
• https://votoris.com/post/the-frozen-lake-soundcheck-that-never-ended
• https://votoris.com/post/barnaul-business-blues-permits-rent-and-tax-ghosts
• https://votoris.com/post/fitness-and-wellness-the-best-gyms-and-yoga-studios-in-kumamoto-3