Another night on a train

From one extreme to another. I have left behind the beautiful heritage hotel, with tiled floors and dark antique furniture for a night on a crowed train.   Spending my last afternoon in Varanasi taking a boat trip along the ghats allowed a different view from just walking through.  Here you could see the people bathing, praying, swimming and clothes washing.  Behind them were the splendid but crumpling palaces of a time gone by, when every maharaja had a palace here overlooking the Ganges.  Now they are guest houses, silk shops, factories and schools and they live on in an unkempt manner.  Luckily again  when I joined the waiting crowds on platform 8,  I stood next to a lovely couple who were catching the same train.  Chatting to them whiled away the two hour delay and then I joined the tourist filled air conditioned 3 tier sleeper carriage.

A Wonderful sunny Christmas day

Yesterday I visited nearby temples and was blessed and given a red dot on my forehead.  I counted that as the religious side of these festive days.  Today I slowly walked along the ghats in the lovely sunshine and did a lot of people watching, as this place is so fascinating.  I got a brilliant little printer for Christmas (thanks Mum) and last night printed off a few photos and distributed them to the local shop keeper, the guy  from the marker where I got my beads and lastly to the local auto rickshaw driver who took me to meet his family.  I love this, as here photos are a real luxury and now printing is accessible!!!  So Merry Christmas and I'm signing out now so I can tuck onto my Christmas meal of a vegetable Thai.   

No boat thank you !!!!

In a place so reliant on tourists not only from India but all over the world, being alone here is difficult. A quiet stroll along the side of the Ganges is peppered with people wanting you to take a boat, practice their English or throw them back their cricket ball back !!!! But it's so amazing to see life in such a holy place. Yesterday I visited the sacred burning ghat where the main cremations are held.  Tons of wood are piled high, ready to be used and bodies are lined up with their grieving companions and it truly is a sight, as we are so removed from death.  Walking along the streets here you are often passed by families taking their deceased relative to this site and often they have traveled for hours to get here.  Just to give the opposite to this there are so many new born puppies and goats wandering around the streets.  I read in the paper this morning that a co-operative  of boat men are supporting the stray animals here in town, so it's nice to see the supporting spirit is alive and well.  In india it is so difficult to turn away from the deserving as where ever you look people are living on the streets, have incredible illnesses to deal with and have nothing.  The debate continues as to whether or not you should give directly or donate, if you so wish, to a local charity. I have given money to a few people, but only when there is no one around as in previous experience if you give in a crowd you are swarmed!!! 

It's time for an upgrade

As it's the festive season I have treated myself  for my remaining four days here in Varanasi to stay in a heritage hotel at Assi Ghat, at southern end of the Ghats by the Ganges. Wow, I now feel fully refreshed and clean, which won't last long in these dusty streets, especially now I've ditched my boots and put on my sandals!!! I can even see the blue sky peeping through the clouds. 

Breathing through my mouth

So I now have a great room with a balcony overlooking the Ganges.  I quickly headed down to the river and walk along the Ghats, just people watching.  Luckily cameras only picture the view and not the smell.  This incredibly vibrant city stinks of piss !!!! Where ever you turn there seems to be a man weeing - and walking through the narrow streets presents a hop scotch experience of trying not to tread in the 'packages' left behind by monkeys, humans, goats or cows!! Life here really is base, but it is so colourful and spiritual. Walking through the streets next to people carrying their dead loved one to be cremated by the Ganges, passing a guru by the river side or watching devotees make offerings or pray by the river, Varanasi is a truly rewarding destination. 

Off to Varanasi and I've ditched the train travel

Not wanting to experience another train nightmare, I have taken the plunge and cancelled my train ticket and invested nine times more in having a driver take me across states from Birah to Uttar Pradesh.I Must remember this is a holiday and not an endurance test!!!  It's amazing that this is the peak season to travel in India, but up north it's covered in fog. A recent BBC documentary highlighted the alarming increase in pollution due to booming car sales. This is resulting in cities choking under the strain with a sharp increase in respiratory diseases. My fellow train traveller for the 22 hour trip said that when she was growing up there was never fog like this. 

And off to Varanasi - ditched the train and got myself a driver

Not wanting to experience another train nightmare, I have taken the plunge and cancelled my train ticket and invested nine times more in having a driver take me across states from Birah to Uttar Pradesh.I Must remember this is a holiday and not an endurance test!!!  It's amazing that this is the peak season to travel in India, but up north it's covered in fog. A recent BBC documentary highlighted the alarming increase in pollution due to booming car sales. This is resulting in cities choking under the strain with a sharp increase in respiratory diseases. My fellow train traveller for the 22 hour trip said that when she was growing up there was never fog like this. 

A sea of saffron coloured robes

Bodh Gaya is amazing!!! As one of the four most spiritual sites for Buddhists in the world, Thai, Japanese, Bhutanese, Tibetan temples are scattered around the city. The real gem is the main temple in the centre of town, marking where Lord Buddha attainted enlightenment. Thousands of people flock here everyday, especially in this season when Tibetans escape their harsh winter.  Also the Dalai Lamas' second in command is in town, I saw his heavily guarded car sweep through the main street this afternoon.  The Dalai Lama will be visiting at the end of the month and hundreds of thousands will head here for the chance to see him.  I caught up with the guy who guided my auto rickshaw driver to the hotel when I arrived late at night.  He also leant me the money to pay him, as i didn't have any change.  The price was to listen to his tale of setting up a charity for the homeless. LP alerts you of this scam, but my prize was a trip round town on his motorbike, stopping at the various temples.  It's so hard that you have to keep your guard up just in case.  My fellow train traveller offered me the wise advice of trust no-one, harsh but true.  However it is great to chat with people along the way, just as I did with a family in the restaurant when I first arrived.  The woman was amazed that I was travelling alone, as she said that she couldn't even go to the market by herself.  That really puts things into perspective.... 

Patience is a virtue

Eventually the train started 7 hours later than scheduled. Luckily after a late dinner on board I slept and slept and slept. You couldn't even see the landscape past by, as it was covered in fog, resulting in the train just creeping along. No one knew quite how long our delays were and we just sat and dozed and drank tea from our flasks.  I was so glad that I had reserved the bottom bunk, as I could stretch out and relax.   Eventually after midday  disappeared then by three we knew we were so far behind.  I eventually got to Gaya junction at 8pm, stretching an 11 hour overnight trip to     a numbing 21 hour marathon.   Arriving at Gaya brought the usual chaos, a surge of auto rickshaw drivers wanting my custom. I took the one offering the quoted price by my hotel and sat for 40 mins for the cold and windy journey to Bodh Gaya. Upon Arrival  I felt that I deserved a medal! 

You are too bold

What I love about travelling is that the people that you meet take on equal significance to the things that you see.  Heading to the train station after 10pm was an experience, with so many trains delayed the platforms were jam packed, but I quickly found some fellow passengers to while away the time with. An older gentleman was quizzing me on my trip and after hearing my plans he turned to me and said that I was too bold!!!! Given that our lives as western women are so different, full of choice, opportunity and freedom, in his view I am too bold and given that on all of the hundreds of people at New Delhi Railway station I was the only westerner perhaps at that point he was right. 

India time consists of a lot of waiting

As I'd slept too much in the day and eaten some amazing tandoori chicken late yesterday evening, I eventually drifted off to sleep at 4 am.  Given that my room didn't really have the luxury of daylight streaming through a window, luckily I was woken at 11.30 am by a call from reception checking my check out time.  Thank goodness for the call.  After a leisurely breakfast I wandered down the road to the station just to check the  train departure time,  as when I rang to confirm my room booking at Bodhgaya I was told that the train is often delayed.  Great advice, as it had moved from 4.30 pm back to 9.10 and I had a whole afternoon in Delhi - not the best bonus in this crazy chaotic city!  However i took the opportunity to head out to jamil masjid, the largest mosque in India and enjoyed the unexpected quietness and tranquility of the mosque and chuckled when a family insisted that I was to take centre stage in their photo.   Then off to one of the fifteen world heritage sites in India, Humayun's Tomb. An  Amazing 16th century tomb built in marble and red sandstone, so the day was not completely wasted.  Now have to wait even more as the train is now departing at 10.50.  India time is always full of a lot  of waiting....,

It's great to be back

How civilised, I was met al the airport by a driver with my name displayed on a board. My how my travelling has changed, as I used to revel in the chaos of local buses and trains to get to my first destination.  So, back in Delhi and its brilliant!!! Checked in and slept for seven hours before heading out to old Delhi. There's never a dull moment on the streets; cows, kids, rusty old ambassador cars honking their horns and just hundreds upon hundreds of people everywhere you look.  It feels that everything is bursting at the seams.   An old man came up to me and welcomed me to India .... What a great way to start the trip. Within minutes another guy stopped me to ask if I wanted to take his picture and drink some whiskey ..... It's great to be back!!!!

Greetings from Helsinki !!!!!

Just completed the first leg of my journey and am settled in a cafe in the airport. I've already been in every shop, seen every Moomin souvenir and brushed my hand across the reindeer fur rugs for sale.... Ummm still three hours to go until I head off again, so there's plenty of time for more walking, as my poor back is still sore and there's no chance of an upgrade. I think I will just savour the calm here, as it's all going to change in India.