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Hi everyone,
Sorry it's been a while since we last wrote on the blog - it's been a busy few days! We had another 'interesting' journey from Orccha to Khajuraho. We boarded a bus which seemed fairly civilised to begin with, but as the departure time neared, the seats started to fill up and pretty soon the aisles were crammed full with people too! It was another bumpy and uncomfortable ride so it was a relief to finally arrive in Khajuraho and have a hot shower (a rare luxury now!) in our hotel!
We liked Khajuraho as a town though there were a lot of touts there who after a while really started to get on our nerves. They all asked the same questions, and really tested our patience at times. So we decided to make the conversations more interesting! The best one Ollie had went something like this:
-"What's your name?"
'"Jimminy Cricket".
"Where are you from?"
"I live in the mountains in Andorra".
"What do you do?"
"I make drums by stretching goat's skin over wood."
Khajuraho is famous for its many different temples that are found in small clusters throughout the town. They are all covered in intricate carvings of Gods as well as erotic imagery. Noone really knows why they are in Khajuraho; they are now surrounded by green parks but when they were dicovered the land was completely overgrown, so much so that they were hidden! It was amazing to see up close just how detailed the carvings are and incredible to think how long it must have taken to build, but all the same, there were points when Ollie and I were sniggering like schoolchildren at the erotica!
Whilst in Khajuraho we also found a restaurant which has a table to eat at in a treehouse, so we went there for lunch one day with a view over looking the temples! The next day, we rented some bikes and went to explore the temples further out of the town. These weren't nearly as impressive but the bike ride was fun. Ollie's bike was really heavy to ride and mine had wonky handlebars. Khajuraho is a fairly flat town but any time that we had to go up a slight incline, we would have to pedal really fast before, to make sure we got to the top! We thought that on the bikes we would be free from people pestering us, but no! Instead, we attracted people on bikes who would speed up and slow down to keep pace with us!
After Khajuraho we got a bus to Satna, then a connecting train onto Varanasi. Needless to say the train was delayed for a few hours so we decided to pass the time with a game of backgammon which attracted a small crowd! We met a really friendly man at the station who chatted to us for a while and told us how much he loves England. He was a bit of a character who told us how he is a pathologist so 'while we look around in India, he looks around in Indians!'
Eventually we made it to Varanasi, where we stayed in Pandey Ghat right on the water's edge. Our room is nothing special but the restaurant/sitting area had an amazing view out over the River Ganges which won us over. Each ghat has a different purpose here, so we decided to wonder along through them. The ghat we're staying at is really quiet and peaceful, but they seemed to get busier as we went further north. We saw people washing clothes by beating and wringing them out in the Ganges, further up we saw people bathing themselves. Ollie wasn't so keen on the massage ghat where men offered him their hand as if to shake it, but then started to massage it! We also saw the burning ghat where cremations take place, and then the ashes are released into the Ganges (just further up from where people are washing)! There are even touts at the burning ghats: one man insisted on taking us on a tour showing us the different processes of the cremation, and telling us that donations are gladly received!
Whilst in Varanasi, we also wandered from the river's edge further into the town. We attempted to go to the golden temple which we found by going through a labrynth of tiny streets, bussling with shop sellers, tourists, other indians and even cows! We got to the temple, though, only to find out that only Hindus are allowed to go inside! We also went to Bharat Mata (Mother India) temple which Ollie has read about a lot in his studies. On the floor it has a massive 3D map of India carved out of stone: we saw that we've nearly travelled the whole width of India now (we will have done this when we get to Kolkata).
Every evening in Varanasi, there is a Puja ceremony which attracts crowds of people. Men dance in traditional dress with incense and play musical instruments along with bells being chimed. We watched this and released one of the little candle flowers into the Ganges. The next day we got up before sunrise and had a boat riad along the Ganges. It was a really good time to go as we slowly saw Varanasi wake up and the ghats come to life with people. The sunrise was really beautiful as well, and made the water shine different colours of orange and yellow.
We also visited Sarnath for the day which is a small town closeby to Varanasi, famous for being where Buddha did his first sermon. We saw the Dharmarajika Stupa which is said to contain relics of Buddha and other precious objects and is also right next to the ruins of 4 monasteries. Rules are definitely not so strict in India: although there were a few signs dotted around saying 'do not walk on the ruins', people took no notice! We also saw the Bodhi tree where Buddha is said to have been enlightened.
Unfortunately that evening though, Ollie started to feel unwell. We thought we would get him back to normal as soon as possible so the next day we went to see a doctor. That was quite an experience in itself! There was no clear reception area so we wandered around for a while until one doctor took us under his wing. We waited in the 'resuscitation room' and then the 'operating theatre' until an English-speaking doctor could see us! He has been prescribed with some antibiotics, so hopefully he is on the road to recovery now! We had a nightmare journey last night to Kolkata - possibly our worst so far! Our original train was delayed 'indefinitely', so we decided to try to get on another train. We had to contend with a very stubborn and unhelpful station worker, but we eventually got another train. The train was an overnight train and was due to arrive 12-14 hours later, for us though the journey was 22.5 hours! So, we are very glad to be in Kolkata now. Ollie is still poorly but getting better, and it shouldn't be long until he is back to normal.
Thanks for all your messages again!
Love Jo and Ollie
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