Agra, Home of the Taj Mahal

How could you not be excited visiting the home of one of the seven modern wonders of the world?!

In the morning we headed off to visit the Agra Fort which was primarily a military structure (with enough room for the Emperor’s 500-strong harem), later converted into a palace and then to a prison. Today, a quarter of this gigantic complex is open for tourists and the remainder is used by the Indian Army. It is constructed out of red sandstone and white marble with little alleyways all through it, making it like a maze and the ideal location for playing hide-and-seek. There is also an aspect where you are able to catch beautiful views from the fort windows over to the Taj Mahal.

Five o’clock came around and it was time to see what we had come for. Being around other excited people and catching slight glimpses as we headed through the gates turned me from being the ‘mature young traveller’ into a ‘kid in a candy shop’. This structure deserves its name, ‘Beautiful Palace’; it is truly breath-taking. Its creator, Emperor Shah Jahan who built it for his wife who died giving birth to their 14th child said it made “the sun and the moon shed tears from their eyes”. We stood and marvelled for some time and then the photo challenge began – managing to snap photos without a million tourists blocking your frame! A few of us decided to brave the crowd and go inside the main dome – such a mistake! The disorderliness was frightful and getting up and down the stairs being pushed into masses of people resembled a rock concert mosh pit, not sightseeing at a religious monument – I definitely regretted going up there. However, all in all, it was amazing and definitely a trip worth making at least once in a lifetime.

Sleeper Train #3

I did very well on the auto allocated seating – I had the same bed as sleeper train #1 BUT I was by the door – so much ruckus through the night as people entered and exited and the pungent smell of tobacco crept under the door almost constantly. THAT SAID, while I had a rather cramped sleep AND there was children that got on board around midnight that would NOT stay quiet it was not TOO bad. I would say my sleep rated 2/3 and the company 1/3. It’s on the improve!

Varanasi and the Return to India

It was a LONG drive over the border and onto Varanasi. We farewelled our tour guide, G and met our new caretaker. Unfortunately we were told our tour group would be split in half and my half would combine with some other travellers awaiting our arrival in Varanasi. This was a little sad – we were becoming a little family but we were shortly distracted from this when we heard our accommodation would have both air conditioning and a swimming pool – DELIGHT!

We awoke bright and early the following day for our 5:30am departure to the Dasaswamedh Ghat to see the Ganges bustling with morning worshippers. There wasn’t much to see except for some dirty water and bazillions of Hindus dressed in the colour saffron bathing in the river. We then walked the streets of the old town that were somewhat like a maze with cows causing roadblocks. We broke free of the smells, jumped on the buses and went to see the Benares Hindu University. Dubbed the best in the country, this university is gigantic (5-sq-km) – complete with its own water and electricity systems. We visited the New Vishwanath Temple and mossied around a tiny part of it. We later visited a village of silk weavers. We saw looms in people’s homes, the process of dyeing silk purple, were greeted by a bunch of gorgeous children and were shown an exhibit of exception pieces of silk work. I couldn’t help but buy gifts here – the quality and designs were brilliant.

We had plans to go down to the ghats for dinner but sadly a gigantic traffic jam (in this city that means zero movement for a number of hours) gave reason for a 180 degree turn around. We then searched and searched for an ATM and bought bracelets for Rakhi Day (brother day – where sisters give bracelets to their brothers to bless them). Then it was back to the hotel for an evening at the bar – lots of giggles and lots of fun.

The following day was filled with much needed rest – a sleep in, a late breakfast and best of all - A BOLLYWOOD FILM. I absolutely loved it and was devastated we had to leave early to get to the train station. It was so fun to watch and the most amusing film I have seen in a long time! So onwards we go to Agra, home of the Taj Mahal, let’s hope I score some sleep on this train!!

Lumbini – Birthplace of Budha and our Final Destination in Nepal!

Lumbini lacks tourist attractions, other than a host of Buddhist temples and monasteries. The temperatures soar above 45 degrees so needless to say the heat was almost unbearable. After lunch we headed back to the rooms and as I was collapsing for an afternoon siesta, I see a MOUSE on my bed. It crawled across my pillow and ducked for cover. Being the brave young woman I am, I screamed and ran from my room to find a more nature loving person to deal with my problem. Before clearing the first one out, another appeared in Lisa’s bed – disgusting! Thankfully we moved rooms and while it made it difficult to sleep that night, we were not bothered by any more furry friends.

We grabbed bikes from the resort and began our sightseeing tour. It was so interesting seeing all the different temples that have been established by a number of countries – the architecture was worlds apart and so interesting. We also visited the main temple – highlight being the many intricate painting and the lowlight was that you can’t wear shoes on the ground, so we burnt the soles of our feet crossing the courtyard. We also visited what is said to be the EXACT location of Buddha’s birth.

The evening was much fun when it was decided we would be having a talent contest. Performances ranged from jokes to relaxation techniques, magic tricks, line dancing, a karate karta, a recount of the trip so far in a poem and a VERY interesting ‘cultural performance’ that involved costumes and mascara body paint. It was certainly unconventional but the best and most memorable way to end our time in Nepal.

Chitwan National Park – It’s All About the Animals

We happily ejected ourselves from the bus upon arrival at our jungle lodge in Chitwan National Park (these bus rides are scary stuff!) In the afternoon we went to a Tharu village to observe rural life. It was quite an interesting experience and the people were so welcoming to us bunch of foreigners. It was scorching hot until the clouds finally came and let loose the rain. It poured for about five minutes and suddenly we found ourselves on a very muddy walk.

The following morning we went on an elephant ride which unfortunately reeked of commercial tourism. The highlight was definitely seeing rhinos in the wild (and up so close)! We also saw a number of deer hiding out in the bushes and got whipped with countless branches as our elephant was rather fond of bush bashing and keeping away from the trails!

Better than the ride was the elephant bathing in the river – the elephants seemed much happier and we sat on them as they squirted us with water and knocked us off – SO FUN! A few of us then hired the dodgiest bikes and went exploring around town.

Later in the afternoon we went on an ‘oh so relaxing’ canoe ride. All we had to do was sit there as we were swept downstream, oh – and keep on the crocodile lookout! We passed plenty of them and fortunately no one lost a limb.

Our final dinner in Chitwan commenced with a cultural performance by the Tharu tribe, which had everyone on their feet by the end of it (and had everyone in hysterics at the young cross dressing boys). This was washed down with a fantastic thali plate – SO YUM!