Varanasi to Agra and Everything Else

construction workers

Our parents were thrown into the wild ride that is Varanasi. The moment you step on the main street you are struck by throngs of people who never seem to be going the direction you are, cars trying to squeeze by and honking at you, cows standing stubbornly in the middle of the road, the smell of all kinds of waste including but not limited to cow shit, human shit and pee, and garbage. That is not to mention the faint smell of burning bodies and the overwhelming smell of incense. Varanasi is an intense place and is said to have an intense energy due to it being the city of Shiva, god of destructive and creative energy. It is usually the city that people imagine when they think of India. Not the city itself but the energy and the appearance. It is also the holiest city for Hindus.

Quiet intersection in Varanasi

Where we hired our boat

A Ganga night boat ride was our first stop in Varanasi. We got a taxi with a wonderful taxi driver. He took us to the river and we hired a boat. (For way too much but when you show up with nicely dressed parents there is no way to bargain down.) The ride was nice, although I could have passed on parking the boat and watching them burn bodies. Known to cleanse the soul of a person, the river is the cremation site for Hindus. After that we stopped and watched Arti, a fire ritual for the god Shiva. When that was over it was late and everyone was tired from traveling so we went back to the hotel. Before we left our taxi driver we made sure to hire him for tomorrow.

Our amazing driver said "To drive in india you only need three things: a good horn, good brakes, and good luck." 

Mom making friends



Temples along the Ganga and main cremation site (giant fire in the middle)



Prayer candles that you light and float in the river

Wedding season in India

We woke up and got started on our big tour day. We started with the golden temple which non Hindu men are not allowed to enter and women need their passports. Unfortunately we did not have our passports so we ended up just getting to see it from the doorway. It was beautiful though and I wish we could have gone in. Then we went to an art/antiquities museum. It was very interesting and had lots of beautiful pieces dating back centuries. Then off to a Tibetan Buddhist temple with giant prayer wheels that we all spun. Next was a Japanese Buddhist temple with a lone drummer. After those temples we went to the place where Buddha is believed to have made his first speeches. By now everyone is exhausted and starving so we make our way to a restaurant that our taxi driver recommends. It ends up to being choice. Though it is not Indian it is really good food. Mainly because they serve cheese and if you have ever visited any Asian countries you know they don’t do cheese. We had fondue and a cheese platter and pizza and my mom had amazing pad thai. It was a great day even though driving in the city is like being in a high speed car chase or maybe a video game where your objective is not to hit anything and the people, cars, and cows want you to lose.

Mom spinning the prayer wheel (she is screaming in the picture)

Dad spinning the prayer wheel

lone drummer

Where Buddha made his first speeches

The next day was a travel day. We were going by train to Agra (Taj Mahal). Okay, so before I say anything about this train ride I should mention that, as you heard in Christina’s post “54 hours,” trains are not that bad and most times quite pleasant. It just so happened that this train was the worst train we had been on, and in India that Is never good. We were all in separate places in the same train car. Sofi and I were together and my parents were together and Christina was by herself with a group little Indian boys. From the first second I sat down I saw about 5 cockroaches. I kept thinking to myself I hope that it is better where my mom is sitting. I mean me and Sofi were on patrol for each other. We would be talking and when one of us saw a cockroach approach the other one we would stop and warn them. Yeah I did not really sleep that night. I don’t really have many issues with animals but I just don’t like roaches. I did fall asleep for a few minutes and when I woke up I was surrounded. I did not fall asleep again. At one point I walked over to check on my mom and she was on guard with a shoe ready to take on any roach that dared get close to her. Then when Sofi walked by my mom told her this is not what she wanted for her daughters. I really did not think the train was going to be that bad, but it was.

Waiting for the train to Agra

When we arrived in Agra we went straight to the hotel and had breakfast, took a nap, and shower. We were ready to get out there by mid-day. We went to the back of the taj mahal and saw it from across the river and then to the red fort. It was where the mughal emperor Shah Jahan, who commissioned the taj mahal, was imprisoned. From his cell (room in a palace) he could see the taj where his wife was buried. I should include that at the red fort my mom fed a squirrel (really cute) and Sofi and I almost got attacked by a monkey. We also went to a few smaller places that are probably really important but I am not going to mention them.

The taj from across the river

One building of the palace that is the red fort

Sofi looking at the taj through the window of the red fort

The next day we got up early and went to see the taj mahal. A guide was include and though this is not a very nice thing to say about him since he was a nice guy and a good guide but he looked like the crack head from the Dave Chappell show. It was a great idea going in the morning because there were fewer people and the fog was rolling in from the river. We walked around all morning and into the afternoon. It was really a beautiful place. It is a wonder of the world for a reason. Then we got a car to take us back to Delhi. I am not sure this was a good idea. The car was cramped and when we got into the city it was like nonstop horns. All the buses had dried vomit on the sides and one bus looked like it fell off a cliff and then they kept using it. The windshield was gone and one whole side of the front was missing. That would not work in the States.

this doesn't even need a caption

the family
 (I was booking airline tickets and put Sofi in as Sophie Rodriguez
thankfully after a few phone calls it was fixed)

The taj with the mist from the river

Us with Tyrone ( not his real name)

When we got into Delhi we went to the Hilton. My parents kindly got us a room for the night before we left for Rishikesh. They flew out that night to go home. I was happy to have them with us. It made the trip interesting to say the least. After they left we went to a liquor store in a back alley and bought six bottles of wine for Rishikesh and Rajasthan. Even the woman at security for the Hilton was impressed. Looks like Rishikesh (holy city) is not going so holy for us.

India

Laura

54 Hours on a Train!

Our last leg of the train marathon to Mcleod Ganj

We left the tranquility of the tea covered hills of Coonor and made our way by bus back to Coimbatore. We are about to embark on a 54 hour train ride clear across India from Kerala in the southern tip to Mcleod Ganj in the north. I know I love train travel, but do I love it enough to make it for 54 HOURS!! We shall see.


Our journey started in Coimbatore and went to Bangalore on a 6 hour train. I guess it was a nice warm up for what was to follow. Then in Bangalore we boarded a train to Delhi. This was the longest leg of the trip, taking 36 hours. We slept two nights on this train and had all our meals brought to us. I actually really enjoyed it. It was an adventure and I felt like a kid watching the scenery roll by, putting all my things on my bunk and organizing my little space, and getting way too excited for the little containers of food they brought by. I don’t know why I get so excited for the food. I knew deep down inside that it would always be pretty bad, but still I couldn’t wait to peel back all the lids and discover what was inside. I am the same with plane food. I guess when you’re bored little things bring you great amusement. We spent our two days watching movies, reading, talking, sleeping (or at least trying to), and hanging out the side doors watching India roll by. Since we literally crossed from one point of India to the other, we got to see a lot of different landscapes.

This is what happens after two days on a train!
Sorry Shalom

The gang together one last time on a rooftop in Dehli

The view of  the Main Bazar road from the roof

7 am we arrived in Delhi to a crowded, dirty train station. We had all day to kill. Our next train didn’t leave till around 11pm. What to do after two days on a train…. of course, let’s go to a mall! Ok a girl can only be deprived of shopping for so long and it has been months! So off to the mall we went. I was surprised when Tino said he wanted to join us. I guess you can’t deprive a guy his shopping either. We were happy to have his company. After a couple of hours in the mall and some jeans and shoes later we headed back to our hostel. It was our last night with Shalom and Tino so we had to go out for a going away party. Drinks and great food at a rooftop restaurant overlooking the craziness of the main Bazar road…it was a good send off.

We gathered our things and headed for the train station. Shalom came with us to send us off. We were staring at the departures board confused because our train was not listed. Someone noticed our confusion and asked us if we needed help. Two nice Indian men both confirmed that we were at the wrong train station and we needed to go across town to the old Delhi station. Great! That was half an hour away and we only had half an hour till our train left! We ran for a cab and quickly negotiated a price. Shalom had to help the cabbie push other cabs out of the way that were blocking us. It was all a hilarious scene. On the way Laura tried to snap a group photo of us to remember the moment and this is what happened:

Can you tell they didn't know I was going to make a crazy face

Laura caught on now

Laura laughed so hard she spit on the back of my neck
This is why I exited the picture

More silliness! I think Sofi was laughing so much she couldn't make a crazy face

Laura looks just like Zoolander now!

Oh Dear.....

  Nothing like a little silliness to lighten the mood!
 
Oh dear, good times! We made it to the station just in time to run to our platform and jump on our train. Phew, disaster avoided.

Another night on a train, and another early start, we arrived in Pathankot around 8am. We arranged a cab for the last leg of our trip. We arrived in Mcleod Ganj two hours later and where happy to have a hot shower and a comfy bed to lie in. Not to mention that our mom and dad where due to arrive in a few hours!! That was one of the main reasons for this crazy cross country journey. The other reason was to hear the Dali Lama speak. Mcleod Ganj is where he now calls home after being exiled from Tibet and he was scheduled to give a speech during the time we were there. It was an amazing opportunity not only to hear and see him speak, but to have the experience in his home town.

My parents greeting one of the many resident cows



Laur and Dad on our hike




The waterfall



Monks taking in the view in Mcleodganj

Mcleod Ganj is a beautiful little city set in the middle of the mountains. We stayed for four days spending our time hiking to a waterfall, eating great Tibetan and Indian food, shopping some more, and seeing as many temples as possible, and of course we heard the Delhi lama. The speech was held in his temple and was a rather small affair. The majority of the attendants were other monks. While the majority of the talk was about specific Buddhist scriptures that sadly were over my head, the first part of the talk was wonderfully enlightening. It left me wanting to know more about Buddhism and the history of Tibetan culture, so I went out and bought a book on each subject. As you do. Now I just have to find the time to read them all. My backpack is filled with about ten books by now and weighs a ton, but I can’t part with any of them.

Mom and Dad at one of many temples

Shiva in the lake

Hanuman

Tibetan monk saying a prayer

Monks just hanging out

It has been amazing having our parents here, and no it’s not just because we get to stay in nice hotels and eat at nice restaurants, but I am definitely not complaining about that. I am not sure how they are taking India at this point. I feel they have an image of what India is supposed to be like and so far it seems their experience is not matching their image. We still have Delhi, Varanasi, and Agra to go so we will see what happens.

Yes these are dolls....I thought they were too funny

And last but not least, the sunset over the mountains

Christina

Tea and More in Conoor

Conoor

Like all good things in travel Conoor happened on whim. This hill station in India was not supposed to be one of our destinations, but when we got to Ciombatore and found out that the ashram we were staying at was not what we expected, we started looking for other options. It was Tino and Shasha that did the research and found the place. (Of course it was in The Lonely Planet.) FiFi and Kiki were still sick so they were happy to move since they would not be doing yoga anyway. It was decided then. We would be leaving that very day on the next bus to Conoor.

Our late night arrival. How does Sofi fit everything in that bag

When we arrived it was late and misty. We walked to the nearest restaurant and dropped our bags. After we ate Tino and Shasha went on the prowl for a hostel. The hostel they found was decent, but what made it okay was the bakery downstairs and the smell of cookies that would wake us in the morning. The next day we went for a walk to look around. We found the perfect guesthouse. It was a bit expensive (800 rupees ($16) a day) but worth it. All meals were included plus a morning and evening tea. We had our own rooms and we were surrounded by tea fields. The fog would roll through all day long, giving the place a magical appearance. The Brooklands Christian Guesthouse was just the perfect place for us.

View from my window

Afternoon tea in the garden

There was a garden close by that we walked to one day. There was also Dolphin’s Nose, a great viewpoint, about 12km away, so we decided to take pack lunches and go check it out. The owners of the guesthouse must not be walkers because they were astonished that we were going to walk all the way there and back. It was not a bad hike seeing that it was on a road and not on a trail. It was a beautiful walk through tea field after tea field. Everything shrouded in a layer of fog. When we got there though you could only see fog; the whole viewpoint was whiteout. We thought we should make the best of it and have lunch and some tea. When we sat down some monkey tried to steal our sandwiches and I had to hiss at him to go away.

Me on the way to dolphin's nose

Cheeky monkey that tried to steal our sandwiches

tea stall at dolphin's nose

Sofi was not so lucky when it came to thieving monkeys. All over Conoor are sweet shops selling amazing chocolate. Everyone bought some to stock pile in their rooms. When we got back one day Sofi opened her door to find it ransacked. The garbage was all over the floor, her mint floss was ripped up, her incense was thrown all over the room and worst of all her chocolate was missing. Yes a monkey had opened a window and tried to use her mint floss.

Also close by was a posh café that served something called a sizzling brownie. Why anyone thought this would be a good idea I don’t know. I ordered one not knowing what I was getting myself into and regretted it the rest of the day. It was a brownie on an extremely hot pan (think fajita pan) and when they bring it to the table they pour hot fudge on it and it sizzles. That combined with the two scoops of ice cream made me so sick and I only ate half of it.

Chocolate death

I was sad to leave that place. I had never been in a place where they ring a bell for meals, serve tea in the garden, and is surrounded by rolling green fields of tea. I will miss it and I recommend it to anyone looking for a relaxing worry free getaway.

Women working in the tea fields

Lulu