An Evening of Cricket in Varanasi India

There are some experiences when you are traveling that are just forever etched in your mind.  Lindsay and I had one such experience while traveling in the incredible city of Varanasi, India.  Varanasi is a city built along the Ganges River and one of our favorite things to do when we were there was to simply walk along the river looking at all the old/unique buildings, temples, shops, etc.  On one particularly pretty evening we were walking along and noticed that there was a neighborhood cricket game being played in a small open area on the rivers edge in the middle of all the chaotic buildings and bustle.  It looked as if the whole neighborhood came out to play and watch and Lindsay and I couldn’t resist joining them.  We took a seat (on a railing) along with half the neighborhood and started to watch the game.  I didn’t know anything about Cricket and I was excited to learn…but even after watching the game I still feel very lost.  However, we learned enough to know when to cheer, boo, etc.  Lindsay and I were having a blast clapping, cheering and yelling along with the locals.  The scene was perfect; we were sitting in Varanasi India on a beautiful summer evening watching a game of cricket with the locals.  The sun was just starting to set over the Ganges and it was absolutely beautiful.  As much as Lindsay and I wanted to “blend-in” with the locals the truth was we stuck out like a sore thumb amongst them. :)  Everybody would occasionally stare or look in our direction but the kids watching the game were simply obsessed with us.  Throughout the entire game they were starring, laughing, pointing and doing their best to carry on a conversation with us.  They were actually adorable and reminded us of the kids in the popular movie “Slum Dog Millionaire.”  Things really got crazy when we pulled out our camera to get a picture of them and they began to clamor to pose for the best picture.  I will never forget that one of the little kids asked for money, in a very funny way, after we took his picture (he was clearly being cheeky with us).  We ended up snatching one of the best photos we have ever taken during all of our travels.  The picture shows  4 Indian boys climbing all over each other to get the best spot in the picture.  It truly was a magical experience and chilling in Varanasi with the locals watching a game of cricket is something we will never forget.