Hey Reader!

What’s the most spiritual experience you’ve ever had on your travels?
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Mine occurred when I was travelling around India - Varanasi to be precise. It is a memory I won’t soon forget.
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I had spent a night watching an amazing fire ceremony on the banks of the river Ganges that happens every night.
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The ceremony ended around ten o’clock and I was making my way back to my hostel when I was approached by a young teenager who asked if I wanted a tour of the burning gat.
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I told him repeatedly that I wouldn’t give him any money; my wallet was firmly closed to strangers after previous travel scams. The boy reassured me he didn’t want my money and the tour was for free, so I agreed and off we walked for about ten minutes up the river to the burning gat.
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I had no idea what a ‘burning gat’ was exactly, but I was about to find out very quickly.
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Thousands of elderly and ill people from all over the world make the pilgrimage to the river Ganges to have their bodies washed in the river and their souls’ cleansed once they have passed away. In the meantime they wait and live out their dying days in care homes next to the river.
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The boy explained all of this to me as he pulled me down by the riverside alongside bonfires of burning bodies – the stench of rotting flesh was something else!
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He kept on talking to me as behind him I saw a group of men emerging out of the water, carrying a stretcher. They walked right past the boy and dropped the stretcher - which had a dead body on it - right next to my feet 😳.
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To say that I was shell shocked would be an understatement!

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The boy then took me nearer to a care home and showed me the flame that was used to burn all the dead bodies. He said the burning ashes surrounding the flame were the ashes of the God Shiva, who was born at the river Ganges.
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He then took some of the ashes and used them to rub a mark on my forehead, and made a prayer for me and for my nearest and dearest. It had already been an intense experience up to that point, but the prayer really humbled me in a way I wasn’t expecting.
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That, along with the burning fires and dead bodies surrounding me and the overpowering smells was something that has stayed etched in my memory ever since.
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Of course the kid asked for a tip after that, and I reluctantly gave him some rupees for his time.
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A spiritual experience whether you’re travelling or not is a transformative process that leaves you forever changed, never to be the same again. And that for me is what travel is all about; experiencing new sights, smells and cultures that enrich our lives.
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Although I could have done without seeing burning dead bodies to be honest with you! 😅
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What kind of spiritual experience have you encountered on your travels? Hit the reply button and let me know - I’d love to hear your story!
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Thanks for reading and have a great day,
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Mark

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Check out my latest blog posts on my site:

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