Hotel Ashirwad Katra

After an 8 hour drive through the most impressive scenery I've seen in India and a 30 something hour train ride we arrived in Varanasi. The whole trip took a little over 43 hours. I'm glad the travel agent who told us 50-55 hours was wrong.

I did some video blogging along the way, you can see it here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v =q2TsrclMC_Q

Varanasi is an ...

... was now 230 am, they were indeed in route to collect us at the airport. We arranged to meet them n the late morning and went to bed. Shanti Palace, which by the way means Quiet Palace in Hindi, did not prove to be so. First proof of this discrepancy occurred at 3am when the sounds of furniture scraping echoed thru our room. Well, OK, we were tired and went back to sleep. Second notice happened at 5am when the phone rang and the ...

Well it was bound to happen sooner or later, but after eating the results of our cooking class and boarding the night train from Orchha to Allahabad I got really sick. We were in an open sleeping car (not private) and I could not sleep. Let me tell you throwing up in the bathroom in the middle of the night on a jarring, jerking train is not fun. Another girl named Alisha and I were too sick to travel, and especially too sick to do the rowboat "cruise" and camping trip on the Ganges so we ...

... the mountain 'here's the top, no not really trick' (that the standard indian storekeeper has his own variation of with prices to tourists). Plenty of chai and biscuits were ingested at the top accompanied as ever by efforts to pull, tweak, squeeze, prod, bend, spin, buzz, whir, rip or click everything and anything on our vehicles from outer space. Oh and my back wheel came a little bit off. Must remember to not let that happen. Ho-hum. (Won't do it again Mum). Tim

... confluence, in colorul fashion with their twisted natty Shiva-like hair or shaven devotees of Vishnu, Krishna; their painted bodies; their rudraksha beads; their loving and intense and serene gazes. As music played, a sadhu dressed as Hanuman danced. Sadhus exchanged loving messages to the throngs of pilgrims watching their journey to the sangam. Banners marked the passing of different sects--the Nagas, the Ramanandi, the Dashnami, the Aghora--whose identity was revealed in ...

... Since we last wrote we have been to Khujarho, Panna National Park, Allahabad and Varanasi. In Khurajarho is where the karma sutra is carved out onto the walls of some Hindu temples. Very interesting. At Panna National Park we had a nice quite day. Went on a tiger safari again, but only saw some deer, a little mini gazelle thing, and a crocodile (a big one!). Then we travelled to Allahabad, which I wouldn't have minded having more time at. The city was a little more modern than ...

... the river and walked the streets window shopping and dodging cows all over the streets. Bought a small handmade foam bunny rabbit this guy was selling on the street. Very surreal looking but quite ingenious use of common materials! Heading to Varinasi tomorrow for the last few days of my tour. Hopefully I'll locate a faster internet connection soon...I know you all are on the edge of your seats for the Kama Sutra pictures! Cheers : )

... Makes me want to learn more about how India gained Independence from Brittan in the 40's and the decision to partition Pakistan from India--all I know about the time period is from my Lonely Planet guide and from watching "Gandhi!"

... and bathing in the holy water of this magnificent river - but everyone seems to accept this now. Hundreds of tourists. This afternoon we will visit the "Chowk" or market area but it will not be very comfortable for us. We are just walking dollars in this type of area.

... t want to buy, and say "NO" to children continuously who nagged around me saying some Japanese words... At the same time, I was amazed by the hardiness of people there who survive hard life. I also visited Sarnath, which is 10km north of Varanasi. Sarnath is said where Buddha delivered his first sermon after enlightenment in Bodh Gaya. That's why there were many Buddhist temples and ruins. Ruins had ...