My Solo Varanasi Stories: A Souvenir of the Unexpected

A pen with a heart
Mar 6
2 min read

Solo traveling is amazing and, at times, scary too. One should be prepared to handle both emotions.

Behind this smile, I am processing fear and anxiety triggered by something that happened just a few minutes ago.

This is the story from my solo traveling in Varanasi in November 2024.

I was walking to the temple on an empty street, carrying almost three boxes of offerings for God. As I walked, I was suddenly attacked by a monkey that started pulling my saree—it wasn’t even interested in the boxes. It just sat on the pallu of my saree, as if asking me to come with him. I shouted loudly in fear, but he kept tugging at my pallu, insisting I follow him.

Luckily, the owner of the shop where I had bought the offering boxes appeared. He scared the monkey away, but not before it left me with a torn saree as a souvenir of the moment.

By the time I reached the counter to buy a VIP darshan ticket, they were already sold out. I didn’t have time to process everything that had just happened—I simply kept walking behind the shop owner until we reached the main road. I collected all my belongings from his shop, and he suggested that I come back in the evening.

I continued walking toward the ghats, hoping to clear my mind. Once I reached the ghat, I decided to take a boat ride, but one thing led to another, and soon, I found myself sitting on the boat with a photographer. That’s how this unplanned photoshoot happened.

Behind this smile and these photos, I was still reliving that monkey moment, trying to process my emotions.

For someone who is camera-shy and not particularly into photoshoots, this was unexpected. But thanks to the photographer for being patient with me. He had many poses in mind, but I just wanted to keep it natural and true to my style.

Surely, this is a memorable moment and a story I’ll tell whenever someone asks me about my solo Varanasi trip.

Until the next story unfolds, keep chasing moments that turn into memories.