Street Scenes

I'm not anywhere near eloquent enough to describe the streets and galis in Varanasi, but know what they're like is vital to begining to understand what life is like here. Toward that end, three shots to give you all a taste.

First, one of the main galis, just outside of the restaurant affiliated with the school we volunteered in. Some are narrowerer and darker, fewer are much bigger or brighter.

Next two are taken from the second floor over looking one of the main streets right down near the Ganga. It is almost entirely closed to all but foot traffic (save for the rickshaw willing to bribe a cop). The night the picture was taken was just and ordinary night, the days leading up to Diwali and Chhat Puja were MUCH more crowded.

Streets open to vehicular traffic carry about the same density as you see above, plus cows, dogs and pigs. And no traffic laws to speak of. Awesome.