Ganesha (PowerUp 100%)

Some people save their shower for a Sunday. Some animals too. The elephant on the photos below I met in Varanasi, India, at a car wash. This city - actually one of the worlds's oldest, is bursting with history, culture, lifestyle, religion and there is plenty going on in the food scene, so make sure it is on your itinerary.

Camera: Samsung ST60 Lens: Samsung 4.9-19.6mm f/3.2-5.9 ISO: 80
Shutter Speed: 1/200 Aperture: f/5.1

How not to love such a cute giant animal and enjoy every moment of this random encounter? The elephant was being thoroughly cleaned here, at the car wash and then prepared for a wedding.

Camera: Samsung ST60 Lens: Samsung 4.9-19.6mm f/3.2-5.9 ISO: 80
Shutter Speed: 1/400 Aperture: f/3.4

Varanasi is just over an hour internal flight from Delhi and totally worth visiting. Especially if you want to figure out what India is all about and experience more than just the so called Golden Triangle which features Delhi, Jaipur and Agra where all the first time tourists are taken. Make sure you arrange your ground transport (100 euro more for a week gets you a private car and a driver at your disposal compared to yourself joining an organised group coach tour). This way you can enjoy the surroundings and make the most of your time here. Plenty of temples await you at Varanasi including Vishwanath, Tulsi Manas and Bharat Mata. Then, saving the best for last, visit Sarnath one of the three holiest sites for Buddhists.

The ever popular river Ganges flows through Varanasi and is a sacred sight where people perform different types of rituals believed to rid themselves of sins after a bath here.

A Buddhist monk called a Bhikkhu praying at the Sarnath.
Camera: Samsung ST60 Lens: Samsung 4.9-19.6mm f/3.2-5.9 ISO: 125
Shutter Speed: 1/100 Aperture: f/5.1

Day 11 of 14 Days Diving by @bambuka.
This has been posted as a "50/50" but I commit myself to transfer SBD to SP to Power Up 100% based on the program's rules.