India- Part 3- Goa and Kerala's Beaches!

GOA

We'd heard the hype about Goa and wanted to check it out for ourselves so we said our goodbyes to Rajasthan and flew into Goa several days before Christmas.  Our first stop was Panjim (also called Panaji), near Old Goa.  It was hot, steamy and had a distinctive Portuguese flair.  As we had hoped, Christmas was also the air.  South India has a higher number of Christians than elsewhere in India, in part based on Portuguese and Dutch occupation in the 17th Century.  The city was decorated with Santas and Christmas trees while festive music flowed from inns and parades.  I was surprised and touched by how much I enjoyed experiencing these holiday icons- it definitely made me feel more connected to the holiday that family and friends were celebrating at home.  

We spent our first day exploring our local area in Panjim.  There is a stunning Baroque era church in the town center called Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception which is one of the oldest churches in Goa.  Unfortunately, it wasn't open - not that that stopped me from trying to go in.  Apparently, churches of this caliber have security guards...  Photo from the outside only will have to suffice.

From there, we wandered toward the river and found Fontainhas, the historic Portuguese quarter of the city where we found a fantastic Porteguese Bistro that we visited both nights that we were in the area. They even had a nativity scene which made me love it all the more.   

After exploring Panjim, we set out to see Old Goa which was just a half-hour bus ride away.  We both felt like we were a million miles away from India.  There were enormous churches which were built by the Portuguese in the 17th century.  Old Goa has numerous churches, including the largest in Asia- the Se Cathedral as well as the UNESCO World Heritage listed, Basilica of Bom Jesus.  

Basilica of Bom Jesus

The heat was uncomfortable, so we spent a good while relaxing in the shade at the bank of the Mandovi River- at the original entrance of the city, marked by Viceroy's Arch.  Built in 1599, the arch commemorates the explorer, Vasco de Gama's Christian infiltration of the area.  The close up of the Arch's statue shows Vasco de Gama triumphantly standing on the native Indian.  Awkward.

After we had spent a couple of days seeing the historical sites, it was time to hit the beach.  We were off to Mandrem Beach in North Goa for our one week holiday vacation from our travels.  We needed a break from our travels as well as the general intensity of India.  The goal was to be somewhere where life was easy, where we could walk any place we needed to go, where we could spend our days lazing about the beach reading the stack of used books we had purchased/traded just for this lazy occasion and most importantly, we needed several days where we didn't need to research or book anything for our travels.  It had been months since we had a day off, much less a week.  

Our hotel was on a little dirt road, only a short walk on a sandy path to Mandrem Beach- which is a long, quiet, undeveloped beach with only a few rustic restaurants scattered along the beach's edge.  The water was clean (or at least lacked the usual trash we'd seen elsewhere), cool and a welcoming respite from the hot Indian sun.  

We spent the week bobbing up and down in the perfect waves of the nearly empty beach, eating seafood curry and relaxing with our books.  

From Goa, we flew to Kerala on 28 Dec.  The taxi arrived on time- just before 5 am.  Since we hadn't left the beach, we had missed the amazing Christmas light displays within the local community.  Thankfully, they were all still up and brightly lit in the early morning hours.

This next bit is pulled from my travel journal about our flight experience to Kerala- 

What should have been an easy flight to the southern state of Kerala was anything but that.  We arrived at the domestic terminal for our flight to Kerala but were told to go to the International terminal.  Understanding that there is rarely a sensible reason for things in India- we nod and drag our sleep-deprived selves to the other terminal.  Our concern increases ten-fold as we join the back of the huge line.  After cursing our situation, we hear the English words "Air India" stand out from the Hindi that the staff person is speaking to the line of travelers.  The passengers on our domestic flight were being pulled from the international passengers.  We are shuffled to the front of the line for our security check and somehow still manage to check in for our flight on time.  We had a long layover in Channai- thankfully- because we were also flown into the International terminal.  There were no signs for baggage claim and for some reason our entire flight was heading towards Immigration.  We again shrug and followed- we had hours until our next flight, plenty of time to run in circles, if need be.  None of it made sense and the lines for Immigration were already exceedingly long, so we asked the security officer what to do.  He said that there was line on the far right for the domestic passengers who arrived within the International terminal (as if it happened often).  From what we could tell, there was only a line for diplomats and just as we were about to stop and ask again- I saw people funneling to the right of the diplomat arrival line.  There was no counter or sign and apparently all we had to do was wave our boarding passes at the counter.  Relieved that we had so much time before our next flight, I still found myself astounded that we had to go through another security check before we grabbed our bags to leave the airport.  Who cares what's in your bag as you're leaving the airport?  India, that's who.  It was hot and muggy outside as we started to walk to the Domestic terminal to check in for our next flight.  Once we got there and made our way to the front of the waiting line- we learned that we were once again flying out of the International Terminal.  By the time we walk back, I'm caked with sweat and have blue dye running down my legs from my new dress.  Upon re-entering the terminal, we're told that once we enter, we can't leave again.  That was fine until after entering, we see that there's very limited food and chairs and we still have a 7 hour wait.  We spent a good deal of that time contemplating why we remain frustrated in country that we've been in for more than a month- knowing full well that nothing makes sense and we need to just let things go.  Yet, I found myself craving more order, rational thought, and reliable information...  It's clear that I'm not ever going to give in to accept the chaos or laugh when I want to scream, as I've been told to do when traveling in India.  While I've come a long way- I still expect more.  Instead, I do an Indian head wobble and suggest to Nate we go to Switzerland next...

KERALA

Ahhh, yes, we do eventually arrive in Kerala.  Oh, but wait, let me back up.  The holidays in both Goa and Kerala are expensive.  There's High Season which is 3-4x the low season cost, which falls in Dec-Jan in the popular tourist spots, like, ummm, Goa and Kerala.  But, then there's "Peak Season" which includes Christmas and New Years Eve plus a week on both ends.  This happened to be exactly when we were there; we had hit Christmas in Goa and New Years Eve in Varkala.  The increased costs were uncomfortable to stomach on our budget- but we had heard good things about Varkala, so decided to splurge at a place called Rendezvous Beach Resort.  For a small fortune ($65/night not including taxes), we would bring in the New Year with a pool, yoga classes, a spa and a coffee shop on site.  It made the cost seem more palatable, so we were especially pained to find out on arrival that Rendezvous has none of the advertised extras- other than the pool.  When I enquired, I was told that there was a spa down the street, yoga at another hotel nearby and well, I didn't even bother to ask about the coffee shop.  Another lesson in patience and realistic expectations perhaps?  

But we did enjoy that pool!

Varkala's beaches are much rougher than those at Mandrem, so much so, that we didn't even get into the water.  We spent our days walking the beaches and eating amazing seafood.

We had a few more days before our flight to Sri Lanka- so we travelled north to Alleppey (a.k.a. Alappuzha)- where street spice vendors and riverboats-for-hire are plentiful.  

It's possible to rent a live-aboard boat for 24-hours which includes meals for between $80-100 a person (again, that might be peak-season costs).  We, instead, chose to hop on a boat for a several-hour tour of the canals for around $8.  It was relaxing to watch the local people and wildlife happen around us- as we slowly glided through the waterways.  

It was a great finale to our 1 1/2 month adventure in India.  Next, we are traveling to Sri Lanka for a quick 2-week tour before heading to Cambodia.  

India- Part 2- Rajasthan! Jaipur, Jodhpur, and Udaipur

India is truly like no other.  I'm still trying to come to terms with how Nepal and India can be so incredibly different from one another.  It's as if when you cross the border, everything changes; you've entered another planet, not just another country.  Everything is extreme here- the heat, traffic, air pollution, noise, trash, hawkers, poverty, gender inequality, and the eerie stares that I get from men...  It was all too much for me at first.  I found myself back in the hotel room after only a few hours out- releived to close India out behind the door as I caught my breath and tried to regain my sanity.  But, the longer we're here- I find that my heart no longer shatters when I see starving children, multilated beggars, dead bodies, or the burnt limbs of cows and dogs from eating the trash while it's still burning.  I'm not sure if I'm losing compassion, in general, or if the shock of it all has worn off.  Or maybe I'm still actively in shock.  Perhaps, it's that there's always so much happening around me- that there's no time to take it all in.  I don't know.  

 

But I'm finding my rhythm here, finally.  It's a balance of being highly alert as well as very patient.  Everyone is trying to survive here and I'm just another one of the many million people trying to get on with my day.  In the West, I carried much more weight to my ego and the importance of my day.  I had a plan and wouldn't be satisfied until I had done exactly what I set out to do.  Things do t work that way in India (or most of the places we have traveled).  I find that if I'm able to succeed in just one task- it's an accomplishment.  It's not because I've grown lazy as a traveler but it can take all day to do something that at home would have only taken a phone call or an internet reservation.  As soon as I shed that layer of self-importance- I feel like I'm able to have a better understanding of the chaos.  As we near the end of our time in India, I find that I hope to come back (after a good long recovery time).  I'm convinced that life here is an onion and that I'm just starting to uncover what is under the top layer.  There is so much to India- sure, it's difficult- but the sweetest rewards come only after our most difficult challenges.  

***

We've just spent a couple of weeks in Rajasthan- with it's painted elephants, stunning forts, vibrant colors, great music, colorful cloth lanterns, camels, puppet shows, and men with full Salivador Dali mustaches.

Jaipur

Our guesthouse, Vinayak Guesthouse, is only a short walk from the train station but the owner told us that we'd never find it because the streets aren't marked.  Even though I knew it was close, the tuk tuk driver said- no, it's not and proceeded to drive us around for 20 minutes while he buttered us up for his bigger plan for us- several days with him as our private driver and tour guide.  When we finally approached our hotel- he told us that he'd take us to some sights like the monkey temple and a camel festival that was only happening that day.  We had already wanted to go to see the monkeys, so we cautiously agreed.  We suggested that he meet us in an hour which we hoped was enough time for us to check in and grab some food.  He agreed that he'd meet and then we'd all go together for food so he could tell us about some other places that he wanted to show us.  We revised the plan again so that only Nate and I would eat and in an hour (we were too travel weary and hungry to socialize), after which we'd all meet up again- then we'd sightsee.  "Okay, sure" he said but wanted to have chai together first.  We weren't in the mood to negotiate all afternoon- we said we'd meet him in an hour and then sightsee, as we grabbed our packs and walked off leaving no room for revisions.  After we ate- we hopped in the tuk tuk and were off to the monkey temple which was on the other end of the old pink city- named for the old city's salmon-pink buildings. As our tuk tuk pulled up to the parking lot- the vehicle was swarmed by youth that were both selling exorbinately priced peanuts to feed the monkeys as well as their expert skills at fending off attack monkeys.  Nate bought two packages of peanuts for around 60 cents (ok, they're not that expensive but compared to the street price; these kids are onto a good business) and then we spent the next ten minutes of our walk declining the expert security services.  As soon as we excitedly spotted a monkey, one of the guys rushed at it with his stick, scaring it off and then proclaimed that he'd saved me.  Thanks kid, I didn't even have a chance to grab my camera.  They told us that their fee was flexible, that we could pay them whatever we wanted.  Nate said good- because he wasn't going to pay them anything because we didn't want their help- as he had said on numberous occasions.  The boy was astounded, not that we thought they were annoying but that we wouldn't pay them.  "Nothing?" he stammered and Nate confirmed it.  With that, they quickly retreated in the hopes of finding less travel-hardened customers.  We have a great time and even caught a beautiful sunset over the pink city as we tossed peanuts to the happy monkeys.  

Next, we went to the Lake Palace, or as close as you can get to it, which is from the lakeside.  Sorry for the fuzzy photo.

Lucky for us, the "camel festival" that was only happening that day was just across the street.  We were surprised because we hadn't seen any camels or activity.  It all made sense as we pulled into a small, crumbling parking lot.  There were three camels that were there for tourists to ride around the parking lot- they're obviously there every day and it's a long stretch from the festival that I had imagined.  We weren't impressed and asked to be taken back.  He must have caught on that we were tired and let down by the "festival".  He launched into planning the rest of our stay- such as he'd pick us up first thing in the morning for a full day of sightseeing and then the following day we would do the same.  It sounded like a waste of money for something we could do on our own.  Since we weren't back at our hotel yet- we were ambiguous in our answers and said that we should talk about it when we got back to our hotel- so as to avoid upsetting him and being left stranded with the camels.  He was reluctant to give us the upper hand, so we once again got in a complicated rally back and forth about the plans.  When we finally convinced him to take us back- we thanked him for the day and told him we would do our own sightseeing in the following days.  It was a bit like a bad break-up.  Our first day in Jaipur gave us a taste for the intensity of the city.  We encountered some of the most persistent sales people there- often jumping in front of you to block your path in an attempt to force you into their shop.  If you travel to Jaipur, be aware that this is at it's worst at the shops across the street from Hawa Mahal, the Palace of Winds.

The following day, we walked through the pink city to the City Palace which remains one of my favorite sights in India.  We spent the day there wandering through the different courtyards and museums.  Photos weren't allowed in the museums, so here are a few from elsewhere.  There's also a lovely cafe in one of the side courtyards so there's no need to rush through the day.

We spent our last day at Amber Fort.  We first walked to the train station to find a bus that the city runs out to the fort but learned that it wasn't running that day.  After trying to find a reasonable rate from a tuk tuk driver without success- we eventually tracked down the local bus that took us there.  Most of our afternoon was spent in logistics but eventually we arrived at the Fort.  (It was then that I understood why one would pay more money for a personal driver in order to avoid starting the day in drenched with sweat and frustrated.)  The Fort was spectacular but we had the most fun watching the monkeys who were playing in the main courtyard.  

Jodhpur 

This time, arriving from the train station- we didn't have to deal with a clingy driver.  Our accommodations, the Hem Guesthouse, picked us up from train station.  Bless them.  As we were walking over the ramp from the train- we were hassled by drivers who wanted to take us.  As we were busy evading their offers, a man ran up to Nate.  Nate was already saying no when the man showed him his phone with our names on it.  Amazing- he's the driver for our guesthouse.  We jumped in his tuk tuk and took off through the "blue city" towards our new home.

Just as we were checking in- the owners invited us to a wedding party that was happening that night.  We were again travel weary and hungry so we declined- knowing that we were missing a great opportunity.  Also, I couldn't help but wonder which of my grungy backpacker clothes I'd be forced to wear to the horror of the hosts and their guests.  So, instead, we found a roof top restaurant with a great view of Meherangarth Fort which was also having a wedding party that night.  We spent the evening unwinding and watching the beautiful fireworks that lit up the fort.  

The next day, we had breakfast on the rooftop with it's amazing view of the Fort in the daylight.  You can see from the photo how large the fort is and obviously the towns main focal point.  We agreed that it was time to stop seeing the fort for afar, so we spent the day weaving our way through the tiny alleys of the old city up to the Fort.  From there, we had beautiful views if blue city, a nice lunch, and toured through the detailed architecture of the Fort.

We returned just in time to get dressed for the wedding.  We had accepted their invite to attend the last and final night of the wedding.  I wrote a recent blog about this amazing evening- so please check it out if you're interested.  Wedding festivities in Jodhpur.  

Udaipur 

We left Jodhpur at an ungodly hour for a 6 hour bus ride to a Udaipur.  It was what you'd expect from a bus in India- lots of honking, swerving and a driver that was too heavy on the brakes.  I'm prone to motion sickness and spent the ride wishing I hadn't been so anti plastic bags when I refused one offered earlier that morning.  So, instead I tried to sleep through the blaring Bollywood movie that was playing; the entire bus along with Nate were loving it.  I think it actually played twice.  I have yet to see a Bollywood movie while I've been in India (instead we chose The Hobbit while in Udaipur!).  The city's claim to fame is that the 1983 James Bond movie Octopussy was filmed there so every night at 7, the local restaurants show it.  We caught that as well.  Here's the trailer- the movie itself wasn't worth watching.  

We stayed in a little guesthouse called Udai Haveli Guesthouse which was very close to the Pichola Lake.  It was the perfect place to unwind for a few days.   Everything was a slower pace in lakeside Udaipur.  Even the cows stop to rest on the halfway across the bridge to watch the lake sparkle.  We really loved it- there are lots of places to sit and relax near the lake and watch life go by or even from up above at one of the dozen rooftop restaurants.  We spent our days visiting the City Palace, taking a sunset boat ride, a cultural show of dancing, puppets and music, and wandering aimlessly through the streets.  

We extended our stay for a couple more days to take in take in the serenity before flying to Goa.  It was yet another early morning departure.  According to some website that I looked at- I had read that our place was only 4km from the airport.  Since we had come by bus, we really didn't have any idea where the airport was.  Just as we were going to bed before for our early morning alarm, Nate discovered that we were actually about 40km from the airport!  We weren't sure that a tuk tuk would go that far so Nate headed out at midnight to see if he could find a taxi driver.  The streets were empty except for some sleepy cows.  We had a fitful night of sleep- worried that we'd miss our flight.  At a little before 5am, we left our guesthouse to the still empty streets.  Just as we turned up the hill in our search- a tuk tuk magically appeared.  And not just any tuk tuk but an almost new one with a smartly dressed driver.  Hop in the driver said, and we made an incredibly smooth journey to the airport.  We saw virtually no other tuk tuks out on the roads and felt incredibly blessed for our good fortune.  We had made it to the airport on time for our flight- and were off to celebrate Christmas at the beautiful Goan beaches!

Wedding festivities in Jodhpur

When we arrived to the Hem Guesthouse in Jodhpur, the owners (brothers) invited us to their cousin's wedding.  They were heading out for the third night of the celebration- a night of food and dancing.  We were feeling travel weary from our trip from Jaipur so we declined and instead accepted their invitation for the following night.  We were told that the wedding was a four day event- culminating in the grand finale, which is what we attended.  The wives of the guesthouse owners graciously dolled Mav, another guest, and myself up in their beautiful saris.  The dressing room was a whirlwind of fabric, safety pins and concentration as the ensemble came together- the final touch being a bindi.  The men were given clothing as well.  Nate was wearing the shirt that Rishi (one of the owners) had worn at his wedding and Daniel was in a stunning, jeweled long jacket.

Once we arrived, we followed Rishi down an alleyway.  On the far side of the alley, we spotted the groom sitting upon a majestic white horse.  

We found an empty spot to squeeze into next to the drummers and watched all the activity.  The drummers were building excitement- and also a bit of fear in us as one of them was overly enthusiastic - which was clearly why there was space next to them before we arrived.  One of the elders eventually told the drummers to move out of the isle's center so that the crowd could safely move past him.  Once the alley was cleared, we all filed back out the way we had came in.  At that point I felt comfortable pulling out my camera and snapping this pic of the drummers.

Once out of the alley, the males and females were seperated, except for Mav and I who were told to come with the men.  While this felt a bit odd at first, I quickly forgot and enjoyed the procession.  Several hundred of us walked with the drums and lanterns through the streets for several blocks along with the groom.  

Every few minutes, the men would circle for some ecstatic dancing next to the drums and then the line would begin to move again until the next dance session began.  

During once of these stops, Rishi waved Nate and I over to the groom for a photo.  

After a few more minutes, we arrived at the ceremony location.  At this time, the women and men rejoined and we all entered together.  

I hadn't been sure if there would be food served- infact, I had assumed that there wouldn't be because there were an estimated 2,000 people in attendance!  But as we walked in, it was clear that there was an entire room full of amazing Indian food ready to be served.  It was a bit of a physical contact sport to get food- and when I surfaced at the end of the line having accomplished getting only a few things, I saw that Nate's plate was empty.  But he was soon off for a second attempt and by the time I started to figure out how to eat my food, while standing, eating with only my hands while not staining the borrowed sari- Nate reappeared with a full plate.  We are learning that sometimes it's best to not fight against India and instead, just wait for the right time to make a move.  

As we ate, I took at the immense beauty that surrounded us.  Saris of every color and pattern flowed about the room.  The women were all immaculately dressed with their finest clothing and jewelry.  The men wore mostly western clothing (business shirts and slacks) but many wore the traditional turban as well.  Actually, we realized that Nate and Daniel were the only ones wearing traditional mens' Indian clothing!  But they looked great...

Here's a gentleman who wanted his photo taken- wearing what most of the men there were wearing.

After an amazing dinner and chai- the bride and groom made their entrance.  We had learned that they had met only the day before and I couldn't help but wonder if that was the cause of her ever-present sneer.

They were then escorted by their entourage to take their seats on stage for photos and their marriage vows.  

The party would last until 2am and we were told the vows wouldn't happen until close the end- so around 10, we joined our new friends and headed back to the guesthouse so that they could catch their evening train.  I honestly felt like the princess who turned into a pumpkin as I folded up the long sari to return to its rightful owner.  

It was a beautiful evening... And I am so thankful for the immense generosity of our guesthouse and the bride and groom's families who allowed us to celebrate the marriage along with them.  

India - Part 1 - Delhi, Varanasi, Bodh Gaya, and Agra

It's true what people say- India does cause sensory overload.  I didn't believe it- I thought we were well traveled at this point and that we'd take to India without breaking our stride.  This however, is not how things turned out.  Even after a few weeks, we're still exhausted every evening but yet excited for more. 

We arrived in the Delhi's new airport on the 18th of November.  India hit us with a curve ball right at the start.  The airport was spotless and run with precision.  The lines moved quickly and before we knew it- we were through customs staring at a sign with my name on it.  What?  My head was spinning...  Where were the bedlam that we had grown accustomed to?  The hundreds of taxi and rickshaw drivers pushing each other out of the way to talk to us?  I should say, that we didn't arrive in the middle of the night either.  No, we had a normal afternoon arrival.  So- as we were whisked into a clowncar-sized van- I was still trying to figure out how it is that India has the most relaxing airport that I've ever flown into.  Preconceived notions be damned- India is a country of order.

That notion lasted for another 20 lovely minutes- and quickly evaporated as the India that I had originally pictured came into view.  We pulled into the Janpath market area, where we'd be living for the next few days.  The Smyle Inn is tucked deep down a narrow alleyway, full of shops, internet cafes, other hotels and the exposed public urnals that mark the entrance to the alley.  But, our hotel was clean, with a comfortable bed and hot water- so when I saw a few bugs, I shrugged and sending them sailing off the bed.  I pointed one out to Nate- thinking they were odd looking- like large ticks that I had seen growing up in Virginia.  We discussed that Nate thought they looked a little more like beetles- and then we sent a few more flying off the bed- with little thought.  Concern didn't arise until Nate had bites all over his neck- we decided that it must have been the extra pillow that I had pulled out of the closet and we tossed it as well.  Done and done... But no.  Nate's anxiety started to grow as he had a growing number of new bites- now all over his arms and stomach as well.  It was late and I had been sound asleep.  I do remember being concerned, checking myself for bites (none) and then falling back asleep.  The next time I woke up, Nate was lying on a tiny chair- miserable as he thrashed around- violently shaking his bed sheets of any visitors.  I, still having no problem, fell back asleep again in the bug infested bed (still thankfully with no bites).  At 6am, Nate hadn't slept at all so went downstairs to get a different room.  There was apparently a language barrier until Nate showed the man the bites that now covered his upper body.  We were given new room- which was bug free.  

The rest of our time in Delhi was spent seeing the Lotus Temple, India Gate, Red Fort and wandering around the city.  The scamers were relentless.  We did fall into this trap shortly after arriving- we started chatting with an 18 year old named Lucky who told us he was in the neighborhood to pick up guavas for his sick uncle.  We told him where we were going and he looked at our map and told us it was an awful map and that we could get a much better one just around the corner at the Government Tourist office.  It was no problem, it was on his way and he'd show it to us.  As we walked into the office- we both briefly thought it was strange that the office was tucked down an alleyway.  Soon enough, the guy at the desk was hammering us about our plans while in India and pressuring us to buy train tickets from him.  After saying (a few times) that we were just there for a map- he conceded and handed us a map that was identical to the one that Lucky just told us was awful.  This same scam would be attempted on us ten or more times a day.  As we would stop at a corner to consult a map- a man dressed in nice clothes would say hi, ask us where we were from, then somehow try to convince us that he was trustworthy.  Next, he'd suggest that we should go to the Government Tourist office and get a map because all the others tourist offices were shams- and then point us to an office- that would of course be another sham office (although it would say it was the Government office on the front door).  We did finally find the "real" Government office which was completely unhelpful in buying train tickets and didn't even have maps... 

We had at least a solid day, day and a half of being happy tourists until it was my turn.  I came down with what I think must have been food poisoning.  Of all our months of healthy travel, my system couldn't manage even a few days in India.  It declared us losers within our first few days.  Thankfully, thus far, that has been our only experience with bed bugs and food poisoning.  

Here are some pictures from our sightseeing in Delhi. 

The Lotus Temple (Baha'i House of Worship)- finished in 1987 by the architect Fariborz Sabah.

The India Gate- built in 1921 to commemorate the 70,000 Indian soldiers who died fighting for the British Army in WWI.

The Red Fort (Lal Qila)- built in the 17th century as the home of Mughal emperors.

Next, we went to Varanasi (also known as Benares).  The ancient city is on the Ganges River and is one of, if not the oldest, inhabited holy cities.  We stayed just a 5 minute walk from the southern most ghat, Assi Ghat, and from there we could walk the ghats all the way to the old city.  The ancient city continues to thrive with narrow walkways crammed full of people, cows, scooters and bikes.  I still have trouble sorting out all of my experiences there.  Walking the riverbank was completely relaxing- being free from the endless honking and traffic.  We would walk the ghats several times a day while watching locals bathing, doing laundry, playing cricket and praying.  On our first day there, as we reached Hrishchandra Ghat, we heard loud drums.  One drummer was positioned by the river and the others were in the distance and coming closer.  Caught up in the music, we stopped to see what was happening.  As the drummers in the distance came into sight, so did the body that was carried behind them.  We had arrived at the cremation Ghat without realizing it...  The body was covered by a shiny material along with a few balloons.  It made the body look like a present, being offered for his next incarnation.  The body was placed in the Ganges as a final purification in the holy river, before placed on one of the many funeral pyres.  The closest male family member stood with a newly shaved head and dressed in white funeral clothing- as the body of his elder was added to the fire.  We learned that not every cremation is accompanied by the drums- that only those that live to be 100 years old are sent off in this way.  If there is not enough money to afford the large amount of wood needed to burn the entire body- the remaining body parts are put in the river, which will be consumed by river's large snapping turtle population.  Also, those who pass that are under 5 years old, pregnant, were bitten by a snake, have chickenpox or leprosy, committed suicide or those that cannot afford it- are not cremated and instead left to float in the river.  We didn't see any body parts floating in the river but I also tried to not look very closely.

A few highlights from Varanasi.  It's disrespectful to take photos of the cremations- so none are added here.

Kite-flying on the Ganges riverbank.

Walking along the ghats.

From Varanasi, we took another train to Gaya and made our way by riskshaw to Bodh Gaya, where Gautama Buddha attained enlightenment in 530 BC next to the Mahabodhi tree.  It is the most important Buddhist pilgrimage site and thus receives a huge number of visitors from all over the world.  It was beautiful to witness so many in such deep meditation/prayer, knowing how far people had come to be there.

We had heard from friends who had just been there that the town of Bodh Gaya is loud, busy and not safe at night.  After being there, I'm so glad we were given this word of caution. So, instead, I found a meditation center called Root Institute for Wistom Culture which is just about a 20 minute walk from the temple.  We were in luck- they had room for us.  So, we spent our days amongst the beautiful gardens, friendly dogs, good food and a meditation hall steps from our room.  It was likely the most relaxed we've been in months and certainly the best that we'd slept in that time as well.  We could even hear the crickets at night (instead of relentless horns as we had grown accustomed to).

The Mahabodhi Temple, built by Emporer Ashoka in 260 BC next to the Bodhi tree.

Giant Buddha in Bodhgaya- it stands 80 feet tall and took 7 years to complete.  The largest Buddha in India was finished in 1989.  

Nate and the sweet dalmation-lab cross who lives at the meditation center where we stayed for a few days.

The prayer wheel at the Root Institute.

Next up was the Taj Mahal in Agra!  Upon arriving, we still had some daylight to explore the city so went for a long walk towards the Taj Mahal to buy tickets for the following day.  On the way, we walked by the Red Fort as well.  Seeing history and beauty like these sites is indescribable!  It's hard to believe that locals grow up knowing these world icons as everyday landmarks.  We generally don't get out of our hotels before 10, but we were so excited to start our sightseeing that day that we were in a rickshaw flying through the streets on a brisk morning by 6:20 with our pre-bought Taj Mahal tickets in hand.  Unfortunately, it still wasn't early enough to be the first in line so we found ourselves at the end of long entrance lines, seperated by males and females (for security pat downs).  Once finally through the first security check, I was told that the Good Luck Bus (an awesome hippy bus given to me by my 5 year old nephew to take pictures with that he's following along with on a world map) was not allowed admission.  Thirty minutes later, after Nate ran the bus and his travel icon to distant lockers- we were finally entering the Taj Mahal.  We took turns wiggling our way through the crowds to get our picture taken with one of the world's most beautiful buildings.  Here's a self-portrait and some other photos that I took.

Up close detail of the inlay

The view of the sunrise from behind the Taj Mahal.

And finally, the cute monkeys that we saw as we were leaving :)

Next, we went to the Red Fort, which was fantastic.  

The Good Luck Bus, finally making it's first appearance in Agra. 

The following day, we took an early train to Rajastan.  More on that soon!