Hotel Indraprastha Katra

loads of them.

It wasn't quite as odd as we thought it would be. 

 We got up early and went on a boat trip along the Ganges watching all of the happenings along the Ghats(sort of steps which lead down to the river along one shore) - this included a big yoga session, lots of people coming down to the - really filthy - river to bathe, either just for a wash or as part of a pilgrimage, hotel ...

... bow and arrows with her, and was always surrounded by langoors (apes) and a ferocious looking lion. Bhairon Nath was enamored by Vaishnavi's extraordinary beauty, and losing all good sense he began to pester Vaishnavi to marry him. Meanwhile a staunch devotee of Vaiashnavi, Mata Sridhar organised a Bhandara (Community meal) in which the whole village and Guru Gorakh Nath along with all his followers including Bhairon were invited. During the course of Bhandara Bhairon ...

... before we set off in a taxi to meet our group in Varanasi. Friday morning Alisha, Susan and I went to visit a few places in Allahabad. We went to the old British Raj Cathedral All Saints which was beautiful but locked so we didn't get to see the inside. Then we visited the house of the Nehrus, the political dynasty that dominated Indian politics for 50 years. Jawaharlal Nehru was the first prime minister of India and his daughter, Indira Gandhi also served as prime minister before ...

A night on a hard mud hut schoolroom floor provided rest after a 125km ride over gravel, sand, potholes, a mountain and some tarmac. It was beautiful 'though, from Uttar Pradesh into Madhya Pradesh; Gangetic plain to highland drama and down. Rocky outcrops with silhouetted monkeys and eagles against deep, long valleys and peaks turning blue into the distance greeted us on completion of a gruelling, annoyingly steep, long and bumpy slog up a tabletop mountain that ...

... into the train, putting heavy luggage on my feet as I slept without even thinking twice. Personal space is not important, nonexistent, in India. This I accepted with open arms, as I was going to experience this festival, to watch as a tourist, a voyeur, an interested spectator. It was a fair trade to have my legs encased in luggage. I would estimate about 500 people filled a cabin designed for 70 people. Once these people were settled, the spittle and flaring tempers subsided ...

Hello Again, So we are still alive and well but we have broken away from our Intrepid group a day early--thought we would skip the overnight train back to Delhi--tried that already once before and it wasn't the most fun. Instead we caught a flight from Varanasi to Delhi this afternoon for 499 rupees (about $10 US) and checked back in at the Swati. We will be heading to Goa tomorrow morning and will therefore be extending our time in Goa by two days. Can't wait to get to the ...

Not sure where I am actually on the map right now, writing from Allahabad, India. Left Chitakrut this am...another small very holy village in India. One of the branches of the Ganges runs through this town so there were many ghats and holy happenings here. We did a walking pilgrimage or circumambulation in town yesterday evening which according to our leader, was the equivalent of Muslims going to Mecca. We took an evening boat ride ...

... 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!"

Varanasi Up at 6am to get down the Ganga River to watch the sunrise. Hired a boat for one and a half hours to row up the river along the famous Ganga Ghats (Steps) where a number of funeral pyres were burning. Felt a bit intrusive doing this and watching people washing ...

After 12-hour-train-ride, I arrived Varanasi, one of the most famous pilgrimage sites for Hindus. Varanasi is located on the bank of River Ganga, a holy river for Hindus. They believe it to have flown from heaven to wash away sins. To die in the city is a promise to be liberated from the endless cycle of life and death, and to gain eternal absolution. So thousands of pilgrims come to Varanasi to pray ...