Dream Trip 2009

Great Travel Moment

I am in Varanasi India on a small boat on the Ganges River. The scene from my boat is very surreal. Dusk has receded and full darkness has arrived. The harsh floodlights are illuminating the area. The Priests along the river are chanting in a nightly ritual. The air is full of haze from the incense, the Priests candles, and the smoke from the nearby cremations that are taking place. The shores are lined with thousands of people who have come for different spiritual reasons to the banks of the river mixed in with throngs of tourists. I spotted this boy perched on the edge of his small boat. He is looking away from the bank. I wonder, why is he here? What is his life like? I will never know but I will also never forget my experience there. It was and still is like a dream.