Women praying at the ghats of Varanasi during Dev Deewapali (See it at joaoalmeida.photoshelter.com/gallery-i…) #india #varanasi

In this day I wasn’t even planning to leave my hotel, I arrived at Varanasi after a long train ride, one of those epic train rides in India. I would have plenty of time in Varanasi, so I thought in giving my tired body some good rest. But the funny hotel owner (I can only remember a Portuguese word to describe him: patusco) asked me after the check-in if was going to see the festival, because it was so pretty outside. he was talking about the Dev Deewapali, which I arrived on its 5th and final day. I was aware of it, was somehow trying to avoid it but I really knew I would end up going there. And it indeed was pretty outside, having the ghats of Varanasi decorated with hundreds of thousands of burning dyias (small clay oil lamps) is one of those images that will never fade away from my mind.