Misc.

India – Day 6 & 7, Varanasi to Jaipur

October 14, 2016 by Justin Kerby

Day 6 of our trip to India was almost completely devoted to traveling, so I’ll include it here with Day 7.

We started our day on the Ganges again, or the “Ganga” as they refer to it here. We just had time to take in the sunrise and head up and down the river for a couple of hours. We also rowed to the other side of the river, and got to dip our toes into the river for a little bit while we drank chai. It was very cool to see Varanasi from another viewpoint.

Next, we headed to the airport in Varanasi, and flew to Jaipur via Delhi. We had a 4 hour layover as well, and spent the evening in Jaipur relaxing at the free happy hour put on by the Marriot.

Day 7 was more exciting. We booked a full day of sightseeing in Jaipur, hoping to see as much as possible in our 2 days here. We started by viewing the Hawa Mahal, a beautiful facade that was used for viewing the streets many years ago.

We also visited a few other palaces, the royal palace in Jaipur, and the water palace built in the middle of a lake.

The majority of the day was spent at the Amber Fort. We arrived at the Fort by a 20 minute elephant ride up its steep entrance. Some were painted beautiful colors as you’ll see below. We toured with our guide for several hours, seeing how the royalty used to live and how they protected themselves with the mighty walls. It had a Great Wall of China feel to it.

Next we stopped at the tombs of the fallen Kings of Jaipur. They were built in both marble and sandstone, and had intricate engravings all over. They also provided a good view of Jaipur.

Finally, we made our way to the Monkey Temple and viewpoint of the city. We walked about 15 minutes up and found all of the monkeys hiding in the shade, along with a spectacular view.

We had 3 great meals today, all with their own tastes. Here’s a look.

Tomorrow we’re up early for a bike tour, followed by a cooking class.

India – Day 5, Varanasi

October 13, 2016 by Justin Kerby

Our day started at 530am. We met our tour guide, Ayoosh, for an early look at the Varanasi. We started our tour at the Ganges, where hundreds of people gather every morning to chant, pray, perform music, meditate, practice yoga, and in general say good morning to the river. We watched the sun rise and drank lemon chai after taking in the sights and sounds.

After walking along the riverfront, we headed to a famous temple known for having reproductive powers. Hindus believe that bathing at the temple increases fertility, and we watched numerous couples take the plunge together. Ayoosh told us there is a particular day every year where thousands of couples come to take a dip (which can take a full 24 hours of waiting time), while on average the temple welcomes about 80 couples per day.

Next, we headed into the streets of Varanasi to find a cup of Masala chai. We watched a vendor pay careful attention to each cup he made, and it showed in taste.

We visited another temple, while stopping at a few viewing points along the river as well. Our morning tour ended around 11am, and after over 5 hours of touring we were spent. I was thrilled to see my bed at the hotel.

After a nice long nap and lunch at the hotel, we took to the streets of Varanasi again at 330pm. We met up with Anchal and Ben, another traveler from Australia via Scotland, to go on a food adventure. India is notorious for both delicious food and ‘Delhi belly’, so we did our best to walk the line. We stopped at 7 places in total on our adventure, which included the best Samosa (also the best thing I’ve eaten so far in India) I’ve ever had.

We also sampled Chat, a local favorite in Varanasi, plenty of sweets, Puri Perri, and Baan, a leaf pouch often filled with tobacco by locals. Our food outing ended with sweet lassi – I chose pomegranate while Amanda went with Banana-chocolate – and a visit to a local chai house where we sampled and made our own tea.

So far – no Delhi-belly to report. Wish me luck.

India – Day 4, Delhi to Varanasi

October 12, 2016 by Justin Kerby

Today we headed to Varanasi, the cultural and religious center of India. Our driver described it as ‘the Hindu Mecca’, although 35% of city is occupied by Muslims.

After a long, relaxing breakfast, and a one hour flight delay, we headed to Delhi International Airport and caught our flight to Varanasi. The Air India flight was just over an hour and they still managed to serve us a full meal. Things are different in India. When we landed we met our driver and headed to the Gateway Hotel, about 25 minutes from the airport. The hotel is very nice and the staff is excellent.

We arrived at 225pm with just 5 minutes to spare before our taxi picked us up for our first tour of Varanasi. We met our guide, Anchal, at the center of the city which was busier than I could have imagined. Varanasi is a holy city, and has many cows roaming the streets (or often just lying in the middle of them). Cows, bikes, motorcycles, cars, and people are everywhere.

We wandered through a few temples and markets before we stopped at the colorful flower market. Our arrival coincided with two festivals – the end of a 9-day Hindu festival and the begginning of a one day Muslim festival. The flower market was very busy due to this.

We learned about the festivals, and a lot about the Hindu religion and the significance that the Ganges and Varanasi hold in Hinduism before heading out on the river. We also visited a Mosque that overlooked the Ganges from one of the Ghats, and watched dozens of kids fly kites from the cities rooftops.

Next came the river. Our guide Anchal accompanied us on our private row boat and we set sail. We first went north and saw some beautiful ghats, while learning about what we were going to visit further south at the cremation center, the Manikarnika ghat. Here’s a look at some of our favorite pictures on the river.

Visiting the Manikarnika ghat was like nothing I’ve ever experienced. It was almost an out of body experience. When we arrived we could smell and see the tall fires, reaching over a dozen feet high with at least 8 fires burning at once. Manikarnika is considered a sacred place in Varanasi, as those cremated here are said to escape the cycle of reincarnation. We watched as bodies were brought down the stairs to the Ganges by male family members, washed (cleansed of their sins), laid on wood, covered in wood along with clarified butter, and set on fire. It was overwhelming, beautiful, and shocking all at once. An ever present reminder that death awaits all of us, even as we watched from ‘the city of life’ as Varanasi is known. The ghat operates 24/7, roughly 200 bodies per day pass through the ghat.

To respect those families who lost loved ones, I won’t be posting photos from the Manikarnika ghat.

As the sun went from setting to completely down, we left the ghat in silence. Amanda and I were both still processing what we’d just witnessed.

We floated down the river to another area full of life – the opposite of where we’d been. Every night priests put on a big show to thank the river for providing the city with life. The show includes 5 priests dancing, singing, chanting, spreading incense and wielding fire. Boats were backed up 10 rows deep on the river to watch, and there were thousands on the land watching as well. It was tough to get pictures with the lighting, but we got a few after we left our boat for land.

After the show we followed the crowds out to the marketplace where we shopped for a bit, but mostly just tried not to die walking though traffic. The sheer number of people in such a small area is mind boggling. Our driver told us in a 30km area there are over 3 million people.

We returned to the hotel exhausted around 10pm. We had a couple of beers at the bar and actually managed to stay awake until 11pm. The latest we’ve stayed up so far. Tomorrow we’re up at 5am for our 530am city tour, another early start.

India – Day 3, Agra to Delhi

October 11, 2016 by Justin Kerby

Today started at 330am after a 9 hour sleep – yes, we fell asleep at 630pm last night. Jet lag is real. At 6am, we met our guide, Manu, in the lobby of our hotel. We loaded up our bags and headed to the entrance of the Taj Mahal to pick up our tickets.

After standing in line for 50 minutes, we headed to the entrance. The Taj was much bigger than I anticipated, and didn’t disappoint in grandeur whatsoever. Manu told us all about the history and significance of every detail of the grounds. From the red stones inside the Taj Mahal that light up under black light, to the way the towers are built to keep the main structure in tact during an earthquake.

We took over 500 photos, and even a few videos (which you aren’t supposed to take withing the grounds – sorry). It was easily one of the most surreal experiences of my life, and it definitely did not disappoint. Here are a few more of my favorite pictures from the morning.

After touring the grounds, we headed for breakfast at a local restaurant in Agra – Masala Dosa (potato crepes) and Chai. Then we toured the Agra Fort, which is over 2.5 km long. The Fort itself was very impressive – but I have to say it’s hard to compare anything to what we saw in the early morning.

Following the visit to Agra Fort, we headed across the river to a viewpoint from a local garden. There I finally got my photo (with my finger on top of the Taj).

Next we headed back to Delhi and relaxed for the evening. More new foods for dinner and another night fighting to stay awake until 9pm. Tomorrow we head to the oldest city in the world: Varanasi.

India – Day 2, Delhi to Agra

October 10, 2016 by Justin Kerby

We spent our morning in Delhi, enjoying an amazing breakfast at the Hyatt Regency Delhi before watching the American Presidential debate at 630am.

After breakfast we headed to the India Gate in Delhi with our driver guide. We spent a long time taking pictures of the Gate, and posing for pictures with curious locals who must have thought we looked pretty interesting. Here are my 4 favorite photos from the day.

We also came across a snake charmer, who really seemed to want me to get closer.

After the Gate and a short drive through Delhi, we headed east to Agra. The drive was four hours long, which wouldnt have seemed nearly as long if our driver wouldn’t have been falling asleep at the wheel for the second half of the trip. That was quite the experience as he didn’t speak English.

We arrived in Agra safe and sound at another great hotel, the Courtyard Marriott. Fell asleep at 7pm, but that we had to be up the next day at 4am to see the Taj Mahal, so it wasn’t so bad.