EMAIL FR KATE 24 DEC

This is an email from kate to her mum Hey mom

Just got to an internet cafe as the power cut finished. Don't worry about me mom, im sure im really just over reacting. I seem to be the only person here that isn't in love with this city. Its growing on me more and more though it is pretty amazing. We took a boat ride at sunset yesterday and watched this huge celebration the "PUJA"...a prayer ceremony which lasts an hour with about 2 thousand people watching on the ghats (steps) of the ganges and from boats and it happens EVERY DAY! Today we walked for about 3 miles allong the ghats which last 4miles and got a fisherman to take us to the ceremony which happens everyday at 6pm. It was a little row boat and i asked if i could row so i was rowing down the ganges for 10 mins..chris had a go and he was terrible! I guess i remembered from when we had our rowboat. But thats probably the highlight so far...rowing down the ganges!! The streets are amazing too. about half a mile from the river is the old city which no cars only tiny little allyways full of preists, cows and little chai shops, they're really cool to wander round and i feel so happy in them so the only problem is that were on the south end of the ganges where the burning ghat is.

So our hotel is about 50ft away from this area on the ghats with about 15-20 bonfires going burning a body on each. and were on the main street from the town square where the body is ofloaded from a car, put on a bamboo stretcher and carried by about 6 men chanting and a precession of the family members chanting behind. So every 2 minutes you here the chanting going by which to everyone is really peaceful and happy. (Im getting used to it now) but yesterday it was scaring the living daylights out of me, everytime i would hear the chanting i would just freek out cas i knew there was a dead person coming straight at me!! And the thing is all the westerners love it! all the hotels and tourist area is at the burning ghat becuase thats what people have come here to see. I really couldnt think of anything worse than sitting on steps watching a corpse burn for an hour or so and then the remains thrown in the river!! But im coming to terms with it know and the fact that its not such a bad thing becuase the hindus believe in reincarnation etc. But death in my eyes has always been this awful thing, and yeah i guess no one in the family except tommy has died and ive only been to a couple funerals in my life so i think that has a lot to do with it do.

So yesterday began awfully...i woke up hearing trumpets and there was a big parade with loads of people. went out to see what was happening and the body went by and usually theyre covered in a cloth but this guy was really important so his head was uncovered and i nearly fainted i was so shocked to see the head of a dead man!!! Its the most shocking thing i'd ever seen so i just couldnt contain the tears and then whenever i saw a corpse i just wanted to cry uncontrolably!! It was so embarrasing!! i know i was just being irrational but i've never been faced with death ever in my life and it was pretty hard to handle. So chris had a really hard time understanding and just put it down to culture shock and saying its a great thing to be so shocked and it's the reason why you travel etc. So i guess if you look at it like that he's right. Im having an easier time as i spent the whole day away from the burning ghat area, back here now and seeing the dead just being carried past the window every few mins and getting a little more used to it. Chris thinks i have to get over this fear of death sometime and i shouldnt run away from it. The fact that he loves everything about varanasi and thinks people who act like this shouldnt come to India doesnt help!! But i guess most people would agree and im sure if you were hear you would love it too.

Well i speak tomorrow but thats basically an update so far. Merry Christmas. lots of love xxxxxxx