Night train to varanasi

Which was quite insane. It passes through Bihar at night, which is pretty well known bandit country, so was full of folk wandering around with rifles and submachine guns...guards and security...some in uniform, some not...quite an odd start to the journey...

Mostly if I can I travel sleeper class here, about a third of the price of air con and with windows for night but just bars for the daytime. The views of the passing changing landscapes are quite amazing...and you tend to have large doses of time to view them...an adventure in themselves are Indian railways...

But twenty three hours later, an hour late, and after a wonderful dawn of mists and tones of light...punctuated only by my guts turning to water...we arrived in Varanasi and straight into the joyous chaos of the place...but of that more anon as I play catch up with last days....