Hotel recomendation for Varanasi
Dec 8th, 2009, 04:51 PM
#21
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Also arriving 2/11 from Bangkok, departing 2/14 for Kathmandu. Would be great if we could hook up. Are you willing to chat off line? If so, please provide your e-mail address or we can touch base here.
Dec 8th, 2009, 04:58 PM
#22
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Dec 9th, 2009, 01:20 AM
#23
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There's a prepaid taxi booth at the airport which I think cost 700rp, however when you come out of the airport turn left you'll find another prepaid taxi stand which charges 500rp we were staying at the Ganges view guesthouse, next door to the Palace on the river, the taxis drop you off in a car park right across from the Palace and an attendant at the car park will ask for 30rp even if you only stop to offload the luggage. Assi ghat is one of the few places that the taxis arrive right at the hotels from the airport.
Our taxi driver proposed a deal for the next day where he would pick us up, take us for the boat trip at dawn then, take us back to the hotel for breakfast, pick us up again and show us around Varanasi for the rest of the day, we took him up on his offer which was 500rp but said for this price he would have to take us to Sarnath on the 2nd day then drop us off at the train station for our night train to agra, he agreed and it worked out great for us.
By the way as I said we were staying at the Ganges view but the Palace on the river looked very nice from the outside our taxi driver told us it was only about a year old.
Our taxi driver proposed a deal for the next day where he would pick us up, take us for the boat trip at dawn then, take us back to the hotel for breakfast, pick us up again and show us around Varanasi for the rest of the day, we took him up on his offer which was 500rp but said for this price he would have to take us to Sarnath on the 2nd day then drop us off at the train station for our night train to agra, he agreed and it worked out great for us.
By the way as I said we were staying at the Ganges view but the Palace on the river looked very nice from the outside our taxi driver told us it was only about a year old.
Dec 9th, 2009, 03:01 AM
#25
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Craig meet Deb - Deb meet Craig. What a great piece of timing.
Actually, all you really need for Varanasi is eyes and feet - but I guess you're not going to believe me. I understand your time constraint. 'Handler' is a good word. It all depends on your need to understand, as well as your comfort levels. Really, the ghats and their multiple attachments are what you're there for - they are simple.
Simple - in that it's impossible to get lost, as you'll see. Luckily Rashmi is right in the middle of everything. Go left or go right. Basically, that's it. By the time you've got there you'll have worked out how to get back to where the car dropped you and the slave carried your bags on his head - there are cycle rickshaw guys in that area to zoom around with.
Cross that kinda square and you're in backpacker central. You may discover that you are not the first tourists to visit Varanasi. lol lol lol.
Or go right when you emerge on the street and you'll discover many shops and secret alleys. That's where you'll get lost. Of course, if you go with a 'guide' you'll be hustled through HIS shops, HIS web, HIS commission network. You know the rest - but you won't get lost.
You may discover that you are not the first tourists to visit Varanasi in there, too. lol.
See what you think when you get there - you'll see it at a glance - if you feel you need a handler someone will LEAP to your assistance. Just make sure to agree on a price first.
Actually, all you really need for Varanasi is eyes and feet - but I guess you're not going to believe me. I understand your time constraint. 'Handler' is a good word. It all depends on your need to understand, as well as your comfort levels. Really, the ghats and their multiple attachments are what you're there for - they are simple.
Simple - in that it's impossible to get lost, as you'll see. Luckily Rashmi is right in the middle of everything. Go left or go right. Basically, that's it. By the time you've got there you'll have worked out how to get back to where the car dropped you and the slave carried your bags on his head - there are cycle rickshaw guys in that area to zoom around with.
Cross that kinda square and you're in backpacker central. You may discover that you are not the first tourists to visit Varanasi. lol lol lol.
Or go right when you emerge on the street and you'll discover many shops and secret alleys. That's where you'll get lost. Of course, if you go with a 'guide' you'll be hustled through HIS shops, HIS web, HIS commission network. You know the rest - but you won't get lost.
You may discover that you are not the first tourists to visit Varanasi in there, too. lol.
See what you think when you get there - you'll see it at a glance - if you feel you need a handler someone will LEAP to your assistance. Just make sure to agree on a price first.
Dec 9th, 2009, 04:16 AM
#26
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Dogster, I believe you in that all we need for Varanasi is eyes and feet, that is if our brains are functioning properly - which they won't be when we arrive. Since Varanasi is our first destination on this trip (after an overnight in Bangkok) I expect we will be kinda jet-lagged (and disoriented) and therefore open to having a handler for a while. The real trick may be how we get rid of him when he is no longer needed...
Dec 9th, 2009, 05:26 AM
#27
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Yup, that makes a whole lotta sense to me. Of course a guide won't give a rat's A about your jetlag, no matter what you say - he'll just plough you thru regardless. So, actually, you're adding another layer of stress - not losing one. lol, lol, lol. I dunno.
A very nice thing to do on your first evening, when you'll be at your most confused, is aarti on the ghats. Just sit and listen, NOT up in the tourist enclave, watch the crowds, move a bit - then when the jet-lag strikes - your hotel is an easy walk away.
Rashmi is not just a hotel - it has a very interesting network that extends pretty well everywhere their guests might want to go. If it's within view of the hotel they know everything you do, as I discovered on multiple occasions. Fascinating. Quite invisible, unless you know about it.
A very nice thing to do on your first evening, when you'll be at your most confused, is aarti on the ghats. Just sit and listen, NOT up in the tourist enclave, watch the crowds, move a bit - then when the jet-lag strikes - your hotel is an easy walk away.
Rashmi is not just a hotel - it has a very interesting network that extends pretty well everywhere their guests might want to go. If it's within view of the hotel they know everything you do, as I discovered on multiple occasions. Fascinating. Quite invisible, unless you know about it.
Dec 18th, 2009, 03:00 PM
#28
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I would not stay at Rashmi ever again. There are other places with the same great location. They are smug, patronising, cheating bastards. We are still dealing with our credit card company and them.
However, we had a fantastic time in Varanasi. Get an auto rickshaw to Garden Restaurant - it's well known. A great place with or without kids. Fantastic food and cold beer. We had a great afternoon there.
However, we had a fantastic time in Varanasi. Get an auto rickshaw to Garden Restaurant - it's well known. A great place with or without kids. Fantastic food and cold beer. We had a great afternoon there.
