Hotel Buddha Varanasi

... We checked the bus timetables but they weren’t accommodating. So we decided to change plans and head to Agra and then onto a different National Park. Agra is probably the dirtiest town we’ve seen yet and not exactly inviting. We arrived and checked into a pretty basic hotel. Our first meal here was nice though, sitting on the terrace staring at the Taj Mahal for the first time. Choice! The next morning we were up for sunrise at the Taj Mahal. We say sunrise, but the ...

... than some of the Rajasthan cities, Varanasi has a huge amount of cows navigating the same streets we were. Due to this i wouldn't exactly say that street hygiene was top of the Varanasi priorities. Waves of incense and chanting calls poured out of the many temples we came by.<br>Our hotel was basic but was right on the River Ganges, with views in either dierection along the endless Ghats. Steep steps from the hotels courtyard meant that you could be ...

... br><br>I had hunted around Kathmandu, Nepal trying to find a traditional Tibetan astrologist but never did. Never fear, there were plenty of guys in Varanasi up to the challenge and talking tourists into parting with their dollars. I'm sure there's some real McCoys around but not in the tourist sector. Jyotishasrta- literally the science of light or astrology has been practiced in India for centuries. The Indian system uses palmistry, numerology and the precise ...

... bouquet of spices wafting up your nostrils as you walk. The food vendors sit by large pans of smoking oil balanced on earthern pots and turn out a large variety of delights all day. At the moment there are what we're calling Shiva snacks available which are made only on the Mondays during Shiva's festival.<br><br>We shared a beverage with Melbourne Rebecca from the Vipassana and her husband, stopped in at a yoga school to chat with another teacher and then i went to ...

... donate some money for buying more wood?' he asked. <br><br>'Sure, no problem.' I handed him 200 rupees which is about four bucks. <br><br>'Oh, my friend.' He said sadly. 'This wood is very expensive and your money will not even buy one kilo.'<br><br>'That's too bad.' I said. 'I guess I'll just take my 200 rupees back then.' <br><br>'Oh no, my friend. It is small money but we can use it still.'<br><br>Yeah, I bet he can use it. When you live in a country where people ...

... get a rickshaw driver that got us lost on the way home then demanded more money that what we had agreed. India is fairly *************ey wise - people want more more more all the time and yes we are relatively wealthy but it feels like tourists are expected to prop up the whole Indian economy sometimes as everyone has their own story of ...

... the immigration or customs officers, and presumably managed to return when we had said our farewells! Worryingly the baggage was sent on ahead in a couple of rickshaws whilst we filled out the necessary forms for officialdom, but the system worked and we were all reunited ...