All good things must come to and end for tomorrow morning we leave India and head to Singapore. It has been a whirlwind ten days, full of incredible sights, constant sounds and a constant smell.
Day seven saw us cross the border from Nepal into India and travel onwards in Jeeps to our first port of call - Varanasi. Varanasi is the holiest city in India and central to the Hindu religion.
On day eight we all boarded ambassador cars and travelled up the Ganges for a couple of hours to meet our boats that were going to row us down the river over the next two days. The rest of the day was spent lying down in a small boat with nothing but good music, good food (we had a separate kitchen boat), good company and all the time in the world. That night we slept in the boats being gently rocked in the current.
Day nine took us leisurely back down the river to Varanasi again. That evening we took another boat out on the river to watch the celebration to goddess Ganges at the Ghats. Saw bodies being cremated and indeed a severed head floated past the boat. we then lit candles and floated them out onto the river. Later we took a crazy auto rickshaw ride through the city with the driver letting Joe (our American friend) take control and almost kill us all too many times to count.
Day ten we also spent in Varanasi. Very nearly died again taking a rickshaw to the ATM when the driver decided to turn sharp left at speed, we two wheeled for a while - was fun.
Day eleven was my birthday and saw us woken up early to catch the train to Jhansi. We had an air conditioned carriage but unfortunately it was not switched on until the train left. The journey was going smoothly until we reached Allahbad, where we had to leave the train to collect our dinner, knowing the train would wait there at least half an hour. Of course we missed the train, leaving 7 people stranded in a town we had never seen, in the middle of the night. Someone needed to step up to the plate, and indeed it was yours truly. Yes, I held the dinner all the way through the night as we chased the train across country over 120km, a small part was played by the driver of the jeep we hired who drove 60mph on dirt tracks and got us to our train. A fun birthday it was indeed, eventful in the extreme.
Day twelve brought Jhansi at first light and a short ride to Orchha. At orchha there are several old palaces and apparently the cleanest river in India and the slowest Internet in the world.
Day thirteen was another early start which i slept through, but i did make it up to use the pool at the hotel down the road - very nice with temperatures of 45 degrees. Very nice hotel too, owned by a friend of our guide, so we got it for free.
Day fourteen took us in jeeps to Agra, with punctures and much staring at all the white people in the jeeps on the way. The locals also mocked Chris's hair, which we had spent three hours shaving off the night before. Upon reaching agra we had to visit the Taj. In all its white and patterned splendour. It was beautiful and mysterious, and we took all the usual tourist photos before lying on the grass for a while just admiring it.
Day fifteen took us to the red fort on the other side of town, where the man who built the Taj - for his late wife - was imprisoned by his third son, nice family. This day also took us to Delhi.
Day sixteen i woke up in Delhi for the groups final breakfast and goodbyes. We spent the day touring the city and watching TV in the afternoon. Bought mums birthday present too. Tonight we sleep and wake at 5am for the flight to Singapore
My Route
