Dec. 27 Varanasi to Jaipur

After weeks of trying to get train tickets, I ended up with Sleeper Class tickets on a train that goes north through Agra then west to Jaipur.  I have a 12 hour layover there, then back on another train to Udaipur - a 2-day journey and my first in Sleeper Class (read cattle car); another adventure, no doubt!

To begin with, the window does not close well and the cold air blows on your head all night - I nearly froze!  Although I bought a blanket and small pillow for the journey, I had to get my down jacket out and double the blanket on my legs.  As I was getting my jacket, I saw a medium size rat run across our shoes from one compartment the next; hopefully he will stay on the floor.  There are also no curtains to close on the 6-person compartment, so a man brought a blanket in, put it on the floor and proceeded to lay down to sleep.  Since not all the luggage under the bottom bunk was locked, I ran him off. 

Of course, we arrived in Jaipur an hour late.  Oh yes, it was an adventure!

Dec. 25 Varanasi - Christmas Day

Per our arrangement, Galina woke me at 6 am to walk the ghats and see the sadhus who come very early to bathe in the Ganges.  The sun had not yet risen when we arrived at the ghats and there was less fog today allowing a better view of the town.  After negotiations with a boat captain, we climbed aboard and made our way south toward Marnikarnika Ghat.

What an unforgettable way to spend Christmas morning; watching the sun rise on the city of Varanasi from the Ganges River!

The burning ghats were not as busy this morning, but as the boat captain rowed past, he told us they use 150-200 kilos of wood to cremate one body.  The wood is weighed so that they may charge the family the correct amount for the cremation.

Galina is leaving for the south this evening to escape the cold and damp here.  Between the candles and smoke from the evening fires, my lungs and sinuses are full of black soot.  I have acquired a cough and black is coming up from my lungs.  I must say, I will be glad to get to a warmer climate myself as it is so cold in the night and mornings that you can see your breath.

Dec. 24 Varanasi & Sarnath

Christmas Eve!  Today Galina and I walked the ghats in the morning and visited Sarnath in the afternoon.  As we sat on the steps, two men were feeding the pidgeons some type of yellow dough, rolled into strings and pinched off into pellets that they tossed to the large flock of birds present.

Huge Stupa

Sarnath is the town where Buddha gave his first teaching after enlightenment. Tour buses lined the road as we approached the entrance to the monastery ruins.  Beside the ruins, is an extremely large stupa, the top half being built by the Mughals.  People had taken their white ceremonial scarves and flung them up onto the stupa for good luck giving it a special look and feel.  The grounds were manicured lawns where groups of monks chanted and tourists sat in meditation at this holy place.

 

All the major Buddhist countries have also built temples there including, Thailand, China, & Burma.  The Thai temple compound includes a garden and reflecting pool opposite a stunning 100 ft. tall, very impressive statue of the Buddha.  There is also a large museum that we did not have time to visit...maybe next time.

To help celebrate the holiday, I bought green and red candles for my room.

Dec. 22 Varanasi

Dying Silk Thread

Weaving a Silk Wedding Sari

Today Galina and I took a tour of the silk fabric-making district in the Muslim section of the city.  There we saw the dyeing process of the thread, men working in dark buildings

with little light to see as they passed the shuttlecock from side to side in the hand looms, and the hand beading process as they made wedding saris..fascinating!  Then it was on to the showroom where they unfurled the shawls, scarves, saris, bedspreads, pillow covers, and more on the padded floor where we sat enthralled at the beauty.  Varanasi silk is famous and the variety was unending as they brought out more and more products for purchase.

Puja Ceremony

At 5pm, we embarked on a boat on the river with a couple from Israel for a 2 hour tour.  There were 2 pujas happening along the river at the other ghats that were quite elaborate.  Lights were blazing, men were beating drums, music played, and tourists observed as 5 Hindu monks performed lengthy rituals with ghee lamps and incense.  As our captain rowed down river, we passed several boathouses along the well-labeled ghats with a painted sign designating the name of each one.  Dogs, cows, goats and monkey roamed the steps as boys played some form of cricket using sticks and a rock rather than a ball.

Manikarnika Ghat during Cremations

Smoke rose from the pyres at Manikarnika Ghat as the bodies of the recent dead were cremated - the wealthy closest to the river and the poor further up the steps.  The body is first shrouded in a metallic fabric, carried on a bamboo stretcher through the streets, dunked in the river for one last blessing, then set atop the pyre.  The metallic fabric is removed leaving another layer of cloth covering the body with the face exposed.  A layer of herbs and flowers are scattered over the body and special wood is used to mask the smell.  After a priest walks 5 times around, chanting, the fire is lit and burns very hot to complete the cremation process.  Interestingly enough, I saw no one mourning. A cow wandered past the fires, discarded fabric and bamboo stretchers.  Piles of firewood were stacked high against the surrounding buildings, which were blackened from the smoke.  Seeing all this wood made me realize why the train was constantly stopping and loading wood that the locals scavenged and brought in from the surrounding countryside.

Dec. 21 Varanasi

Varanasi

I came in from Khajuraho on a train that was supposed to arrive at 10:30 am, but got to Varanasi at 3:30 pm due to the fog.  I met Galina, from Canada on the train and she decided to come to my hotel with me as she had no reservations.  As Saleem, my driver in Agra, promised he arranged for the P & G on the Ganges Guesthouse to pick me up at the station and transport me to the guesthouse.  I was so glad, as it's streets are very convoluted.  It is located about a block off Jain Ghat through a winding passageway that is so narrow it is hard to navigate even on a scooter.  It is also a short walk from the main street in this part of town where plenty of fresh fruit, vegetables, and chai are sold.

Feeding Birds on the Ganges

Manikarnika Ghat

Banares, City of Light, at 3,000 yrs. old, has about 1.5 million inhabitants.  Its age is evident in the narrow winding streets and passageways and the very old buildings and temples.  What an incredible city it is with a totally different feel than anyplace I have visited here in India. 

In an effort to avoid rebirth, hundreds of old people come here to die.  The Ganges River is considered holy water and thousands of people bathe in it daily as well as the sadhus who live close to the river's edge.  The ghats (concrete steps running along and down into the water) run for 3 km. along the river from Asi Ghat on the south end, to Manikarnika Ghat, the burning ghat where about 200-300 cremations are carried out daily.

Dec. 19 Khajaraho

On my second day in Khajuraho, I went to visit the Western Group of temples, the best preserved and most elaborate of the temples located here.  They were built  between the 9th & 11th centuries by warrior kings of the Chandela dynasty, and only 25 remain of the original 85 built.  The carvings on these temples are representative of the famed Kama Sutra book of sexual positions.

The Western Group is located in a very well maintained park setting with benches, flowers, trees, and monkeys.  It takes some hours to see all the temples, both inside (with torch), and out.  As far as quality of sculpture and architecture, the only place I have been that is in this league is Angkor Wat outside Siem Reap, Cambodia.  

There was sculpture after sculpture of impressive dieties, sexual prowess, and languid ladies who lent a sensual air to these fabulous temples.  The photos contained here are but the tip of the iceberg - I have way too many to post here.  I am putting more on my Facebook page for those of you who are interested.
 

Tonight is my last night here and we are going out to eat!

Dec. 18 Khajuraho

Ashish & Yogendra

I am on my first CouchSurfing stay with a lovely Indian family of five.  They live in the town of Khajuraho, famous for its brilliant temples on which are carved the entire Kama Sutra.  That's right all those positions we wonder, "how the hell did they manage that?"  The family is lovely, typical, helpful, happy, and positive.  They have given me a bedroom which I was assured was mine without disturbance.  I settled in to rest before the days activities began and Yogendra climbed into the other side of the king-size bed and began working on his laptop.  We were both huddled in our respective comforters as the weather is now very cold and it is early morning.  He soon finished and fell asleep, being tired after an early morning as he came to the train station to pick me up...the train was an hour late.

Around noon we arose, changed and set off for lunch at a local restaurant.  After lunch it was off to the temples.  We managed to see  the East Group of temples before it started getting late and cold.  We were on motorcycles, so we headed back.  After a presentation of folkloric dance at the local venue, we came back to the house for a family evening.  Everyone was piled on the bed under blankets - chatting, studying for exams, and working on peeling garlic on a tray 1/2 full of cut up onions.

Dec. 17 Agra

Taj Mahal seen from Red Fort

Sandstone Mosque next to Taj

Both the Taj Mahal & the Red Fort were simply amazing!  I stood by the north west minaret looking up at the glory of sunrise on the white marble of the Taj, and remembered how I used to put up pictures of it on my wall as a kid, wanting to go see it someday, not knowing how I would ever get there.  And here I am many years later standing next to it - dreams DO come true if you just keep it in your mind long enough, you will find a way and the universe will work it out for you!  The mauseleum under the center dome was awe-inspiring with a 4" thick lattice of white translucent marble finely carved into vines and flowers, each inlaid with stones and mother of pearl - stunning!  No photos were allowed inside the mausoleum.

The afternoon was filled with the Red Fort and awesome it is!  The Royal quarters were all done in marble with inlaid semiprecious stones and magnificent.  The fort is huge with surrounding mote and wall with cut out niches for fighting.

Dec 16 Agra

Taj Mahal at Sunset

At 7:30 am, the sun is beginning to pierce the mist that shrouds the Taj Mahal.  It is impressive although the pollution is clouding it so bad you can't get a good photo.; the top dome is all that can be seen.  The view of the Taj is the best in town at the Shanti Lodge's rooftop cafe.

View from across the Yamuna River

Unfortunately I have arrived on a Thursday night and the Taj is closed on Friday!  Oh well, I will go across the river to get photos at sunset on those white marble domes.

My driver, Saleem, and I went to see some of the local sights, had lunch at the Green Cafe (lovely) and made our way across the river to get some good shots.  The view from the north bank was brilliant although the fog was still casting a veil on the white marble domes.  I just can't express how beautiful and regal it is!  Tomorrow I get to see inside!

Dec. 13 Pushkar

As I am having my morning cup of chai, I get my first sight of a kingfisher.  What a beautiful bird with brilliant blue wings and large bill - amazing!  I have sorely missed the camera I lost in Delhi.

The sun is rising over the mountains surrounding Pushkar and a heavy mist shrouds the buildings. The domes on the hotel in the distance shine gold rising through the fog.  It puts me in mind of a small Taj Mahal.

I got out to get chai at the neighboring bus stand - 8 rupees! - as a bus pulled in with 17-20 people on top.  I walked past a herd of cattle feeding; they remind me of large dogs in the streets, gentle for the most part and slow moving.  They are treated better in this holy city where the shrines almost outnumber the hotels.  They also have the only remaining Brahman Temple in India which is large and brightly painted.

My friend Nicola and I walked the ghats yesterday pushing past flocks of pidgeons, herds of cattle, and troops of monkeys.  While stepping carefully around cow poop, bird poop, and trying to avoid beggars, Nicola got close to a monkey who promptly grabbed her leg and wouldn't let go!  Too funny...not so much for her....