This town is not a conventional tourist escape for night lovers. For one thing, alcohol is banned in the old city. Thus, one can put aside dreams of exotic cocktails at a fine restaurant. Though there are several five star hotels and economy hotels that offter good cuisine, the best of Varanasi lies in its deep tangles of alleyways, in its people, in its mysteries that come out at night. At night Varanasi is transformed. First of all, it is noticeably more silent. Echos of voices can be heard from alleyways and a distant honk of a car blasts. However, in the evening, things are more sedate. As one walks through the narrow streets, one can see through tiny windows families kneeling to dinner, old sages smoking pipes, tea heating on carcoals. The clinking of plates and glasses emanate from the doors of homes. The holiness and spirituality of the city pervades into the night regardless. Ceremonies in this holy city go until late in the night, as people stream to the Ghats to chant mantras and burn incense. Along the river side, bazaars light up the alleys with silks and clothes, bracelets and dyes. Women organize their goods and smile in the flickering light. Spices can be smelled around the corner. Stray dogs tear at abandoned garbage in the gutters. Older men chat in huddles at the street side, faint laughter drifting off down into the riverbed. If one is lucky, one may even see fire-jugglers, creating patterns of glowing flowers in the sky.