In Varanasi now, holy city of Shiva, city of the holy Ganges where holy (saddhu) people bath.
Holy this, holy that... our eyes only see dirt, we smell the worst smells, we sweat instantly just by blinking twice or so and are surrounded either by the poor or the annoying opportunist business people.
The city is amazing, both positive with all the beatiful rituals, shrines and temples, as negative with all the rest. So far, this has been our experience with almost everything: for every positive thing you can say it is negative too. All of India seems to be the worst or the best. Difficult to explain, it's the experience, one has to surrender to the country and its people. There's no other way.
Like what I wrote in my previous post about how open people are... My opinions on it changes every day. Every social concept seems so complex. In Hindu eyes, all are equal and one should treat the other like that. But then again, some are more equal than others. Also, the back side is that, since we're equal, you're just another like me, and therefore you shouldn't be treated better. But, since we're visitors, we deserve better treatment somehow. But it seems that this is only true when they can get money out of it, or better karma. But preferrably money.
Like this, with everything. Yesterday we passed by one of the burning ghats by boat. That's the place where the dead are burned. People come from all over India to die in Varanasi. Since this is a holy city, to die here means that you end the cycle of incarnations and you free your soul from it's karma. The cycle of suffering in real life ends and you go to 'heaven'. Now, those burning ghats are the holiest of the holiest in Hindu tradition. Meaning no photo's allowed etc. But then again, people sit there easily without taking notice of all the ceremony of burning of people.
At the same time you can see the deepest respect for the holiest as the complete lack of interest for it. Weird. Too much to understand really. I've done some reading on Hinduism, but still don't manage to comprehend fully. So that's why I now just try to enjoy when I'm addressed to as Sir and we watch the other tourists because them we understand better in their differnces to us. It's amazing how many spanish travellers we see. Spanish, Japanese and Israeli tourists are definitly the mayority (of the very few) travellers we meet.
We're changing our travelling route today, decided that we're going to Nepal for a week or so. Look up some cooler air, swap the hindu life for the buddhist.

Update soon. For Eva's impressions in Spanish: imontheroad.blogspot.com