Varanasi: Stories of mystical land and meeting new people.

It is said that Varanasi (Kashi) is not only an important place for religious pilgrims in India but also amplifies the energies carried by anyone who even visits and believes in energies.

The place is full of secrets and magical co-incidences giving its tourists exactly what they're looking for.

One of the most important aspect of travel has to be interacting with locals and other tourists to understand the place you're travelling to in its true sense. Sharing individual experienced from different people there not only adds to your own understanding of the place but also opens a larger horizon for you to connect with fellow travelers from around the world.

A few things to remember while connecting with strangers-

1.Be approachable yet careful with how you start the conversation.Let your curiosity to converse lead this conversation and not any other intentions.

2.Share minimal information about your personal details and more about the common interests, that is experiences of the same place you're travelling to.

3.Get to know them by their basic details like name, nationality, reasons to travel, other travel experiences and future travel plans.

4.Interact only as much as you're comfortable doing, as sometimes you connect and sometimes you don't with local or international travelers. And that's okay.

5. Don't try too hard. Understand the response.

6.Local people tend to tell you a lot of stories and local facts about the place so make sure you're polite and accepting what the place has to offer.

7.Avoid criticizing anything and be open to local systems.

8.Avoid discussing personal and political matters whatsoever.

If you carefully interact with local people and international travelers your experience over all will be much more fulfilling and you never know, you might end up making friends too.

On my trip to Varanasi, me and my friends met many local cafe owners who told us so much about the city and its history, Local musicians who taught us basics of their local music instruments. The small tea vendors told us their experience with their business, travelers from around world who had moved to the city for 2 years and more shared their personal journey to make such a bug change in their life.

Street performers from around the world who we met at a cafe, shared their reasons to travel to this mystical place and how they make a living out of travel.

And so much more...

Connecting with new people during your travel is by far one of the most enriching experience of my travels.