Day 143 (Mon 27 Nov) - Varanasi

Pulled into Varanasi about 8am.

Decided to walk to the Shivam hotel as it did not look too far from the station. Got a bit lost (the Lonely Planet maps are not very helpful) but managed to stumble across it eventually.

Our room is fairly basic but clean. Dumped our bags and went downstairs for some brekky. Feeling really tired so went back to our room for a sleep.

Got up in the afternoon and went round to the nearby tourist office. Absolutely useless.

On the way back to the hotel we met a cycle rickshaw driver called Bilhari who insisted on being our personal guide and transport rolled into one. Seemed like a nice chap so we engaged his services whilst in Varanasi. He will pick us up t'row morning for a trip on the Ganges.

Walked round the streets buying a few items that we needed. First impressions are that Varanasi seems to be another dusty and poor town.

We went for an excellent dinner at the El Parador restaurant. A trifle pricey but good.

Weather was quite bright and warm during the day but soon cooled off in the evening.

Turned in quite early as we have a very early start in the morning.