Up at 4.30 to get ready to meet Badu the Rickshaw driver and head to the Ghats for sunrise. It took about 30mins to cross Varanasi to the Ghats. Rickshaws can't get all the way to the rivers edge and so Babu parked and we then walked for 5 minutes to get to the river. I really was not sure what to expect. It is difficult to describe.... (especially when languages are not your forte). 
The water line of the river is quite low at this time of year and there are about hundred or more steps down to the waters edge from the town itself. The first thing we saw was a group of lads playing a game of Cricket and behind them about 10m a burning funeral pier. It was very incongruous.
We did the normal tourist thing and took a boat ride up and down the river and watched the sunrise. We paid 500RS. According to the guide book it should have only been 150RS each for the boat ride but according to the touts this is only for 1 hour and the ride that they gave us was 2 hours and also it is more expensive in the quiet season. It is rubbish but it was early in the morning and neither of us could be bothered bartering.
The man rowing the boat tried to act as our guide and each time we passed a ghat he would tell us its name - rather superfluous as the name was also written on the walls of the buildings. 
One of the best things to see was the sunken temple on the side of the water. There are many boats that come and try and sell rubbish. We needed milk so tried to buy some from them.... but they were only selling tat.
We got Babu to drive us back to the Hotel and Johnnie went off to get his FRO at midday. I went for a massage for 1 hour or so. Loved listening to ipod and chilling. I had a nap in the afternoon and then a swim in the pool but I could not swim for long as I had to hurry to met Babu at 5 to go and see the ghats at sunset and the ceremony. 
The evening boat ride was only 300RS as we were more in the mood for bartering. The different rowing man said exactly the same as this morning - which involved telling us the name of each Ghat - which was visible from the boat to read anyway. We just nattered. There were loads of crazy Hindus in the other boats (not just tourists).
It was lovely to watch the sunset but the ceremony was actually very boring and we left mid way through. Did not get back to the hotel until about 8ish and it was 9 before we had showered and decided which restaurant in the Hotel to dine in. We went with Chinese. 
We had a lovely meal and I enjoyed putting on some proper clothes and getting all dressed up and everything! We had originally planned just to spend today in Varanasi and then head to Kathmandu tomorrow but we decided that we were still both very tired from sight seeing and not getting enough sleep so we decided to have a chilled day tomorrow and arrange a car for the next day to go to Kathmandu.
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