The guards told us, "No, pictures!" We had made it to the Ganges River and were preparing to cross the bridge. The military seems particularly sensitive about bridges and does not allow photos. As we made our way across, I noted a haze covering the river. The smoke was from burning bodies. The Ganges is a site for cremations. People come from all over India with their deceased loved ones. To have your ashes scattered upon the Ganges sacred waters helps gurantee your chances of a better after life.

The process is simple. First a truck arrives with fire wood. This is laid out in a box pattern. Then plate-sized briquettes fashioned of cow poop and straw are piled over the wood. The shroud covered body often arrives in the back of a large truck. The size of the truck bed also allows mourners to squeeze in with the deceased. The shrouded body is then placed on the pyre where it is burned. Dan and I watched from a respectful distance as garlands of flowers, songs, shaving of heads, and holy men completed the ceremony. We were seated on a grassy field overlooking the river. Several skulls stared back at us. Some of the bodies don't burn completely. Where we were seated there was a scattering of human bones picked up by the dogs that roam the beach.  

Next, can we make it to the Nepalese borders as our problems mount?