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Travel

The Colours Of Varanasi

written by Brenna Holeman April 25, 2011
IMG_3556 IMG_3737 IMG_3775 IMG_3851 IMG_3864 IMG_3866 IMG_3893 IMG_3917 IMG_3926 IMG_3947 IMG_3956
Varanasi, India
In Pai, Thailand, it is raining. Raining so hard that each task of the day requires much planning, requires much rain gear, requires much justification for going out of your bungalow at all. Two nights ago, the rains were so strong that the river completely overflowed, its force so strong that it took all the bamboo bridges that connect the town with my bungalow with it; what used to be an easy two-minute journey home is now a half-hour adventure filled with a very untrustworthy suspension bridge, climbing fences, and mud, mud, mud.
These gloomy days, although they are still filled with fun and mischief, can’t help but remind me of the vibrancy of Varanasi, the city of a thousand colours. Each day I spent in Varanasi was like an explosion of the senses: eyes that took in every hue under the sun, ears that took in religious songs and chai-wallahs and tuk tuks racing through the streets, a nose that took in the smell of cow dung and street food and bodies burning on the ghats. It was a dirty, frenetic city, and yet I loved its energy, its radiance, its obnoxiousness. And so these days, when all I am surrounded by are sad gray clouds and muddy brown puddles and black ominous skies, I think of Varanasi’s yellow rickshaws, its purple saris, its pink sunrises, its orange sadhus’ robes, its blue boats, its colours, its life.
AsiaColoursIndia
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Brenna Holeman

Brenna Holeman has travelled to over 100 countries in the past 13 years, many of them solo. She's a big fan of whisky and window seats.

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5 comments

Christine April 25, 2011 - 1:47 pm

Wow so beautiful!!

Hope the rain stops soon, be safe.

Reply
Alexandra April 25, 2011 - 5:10 pm

Your pictures are stunning. I have been to Varanasi and fell in love with its beauty, culture, and its people. India is such an amazing place. I am jealous of your travels!
xo, Alexandra
http://moneuphorie.blogspot.com/

Reply
Garby April 25, 2011 - 11:41 pm

Very beautiful! I’m currently making plans to be in Goa just after Christmas. On one hand, it seems silly to travel that far for only a week, but then I see photos such as these and I realize I need to take any travel opportunity that comes my way!

Reply
This Battered Suitcase April 26, 2011 - 11:02 am

Thank you very much, everyone! I was really overwhelmed by Varanasi – overwhelemed in the best way possible.

Lisa – I didn’t get to Goa so I would love to eventually see your photos/hear your impression of the place! Sounds like an awesome holiday…

Reply
Sohmer Gautam February 11, 2016 - 7:54 am

Loved stumbling across your page through Pinterest. I am an American living in Varanasi, running a hotel. It was great to see our city through your eyes. Thanks.

Reply

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About Me

About Me

Hi, I'm Brenna

My name is Brenna Holeman and I drink a lot of whisky. No, wait. That’s not how I want to start. After travelling to more than 100 countries over the past 15 years, many of them solo, I tend to write about travel a lot, but I write about other things, too: getting dumped, buying way too much jewellery, and yeah, OK, whisky (none of those things are related, I swear). You’ll find a mix of advice, opinion pieces, and stories on this blog, but either way, I hope to make you want to read more. For more about me and what you'll find on This Battered Suitcase, click here .

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