The streets formed a maze, a web of confusion in Varanasi. My friend Julie and I had flown in from Delhi earlier that day and, after consulting my trusty Lonely Planet guidebook, were trying to find Ganga Fuji, a restaurant reputed for good food and live music. The map in my book made it seem easy enough: Just head to the main road, turn off to the right and, a few streets later, we would arrive.
No problem.
Of course, the book failed to mention that its maps had been forced to simplify a city of complex, tangled streets. We headed down the main thoroughfare, turned right and followed what we thought was the correct route. Wrong. After nearly an hour of searching we were lost, hungry and getting hopeless, so we decided to turn back. Fortunately, on our way back a young boy approached us and asked where we were going. We told him we had tried to find the Ganga Fuji but were lost. He offered to take us there and proceeded to lead us up and down the narrow, winding streets. Twenty minutes later, still walking, we again began to lose hope.
The boy was true to his word, though. Soon after, he led us directly under a sign for the restaurant, its entrance on the left. We never would have found this gem of a restaurant if we had stuck to the guidebook's inadequate maps. Grateful, I offered the boy a 50-rupee tip. He looked offended, handed the money back and replied, 'No money, just friends', and left.