What a whirlwind of a first day! We feel like we're in the show The Amazing Race, but with a richness that only Varanasi can deliver. Zany rickshaw rides, cremation rituals, a couple of Kingfishers and wide eyes all around. We ended the day with river ceremonies on the Ganges. Now it's off to sleep for a handful of hours before an early morning yoga session in the garden and then a jaunt out to Sarnath, where Buddha taught his first lesson. --Diane