India is like walking through a dazzling kaleidoscope, which we've loved almost every minute.
After enduring what was a noisy and uncomfortable 25 hour bus journey across the border from Nepal we finally arrived in Varanasi. Our first stop in India. It was just as we'd imagined; an assault on our senses. Litter, flies, spices, cattle, beggars grabbing our arms and of course horns being sounded from every moving vehicle. Varanasi is one of the holiest places in India where Hindu pilgrims come to the ghats (steps) lining the river Ganges to bathe in the sacred water, perform pooja (offer blessings to deities), wash their clothes or buffaloes or to cremate loved ones. A visit here is not complete without a sunrise boat trip down the river.
Our first train journey in India was not as bad as we were expecting. We slept in our bunks for 13 hours as we headed west to Agra. There we found a simple guesthouse with a 1st class view of the Taj Mahal from the rooftop restaurant, couldn't believe how close it was! The next morning we visited the Taj, so beautiful. We challenge you not to come over all mushy and sentimental as you gaze at this monument to love.
Jaipur 'the pink city' was our next stop, 5 hours by train this is the gateway to Rajasthan. It is a chaotic and conjested city though still manages to draw you in. Despite the hassling tuk tuk drivers, inside the old city walls there are some beautiful palaces harking back to India's majestic past. The city palace and Hawa Mahal (a palace built for the ladies of the royal household to watch over the city) were well worth the visit.
A contrast to Jaipur, Pushkar was a serene escape. The town and milky-coloured temples curl around the sacred lake where Lord Brahma was said to have dropped a lotus flower when on his search for a tranquil location. It was lovely to relax in the pool and do a bit of people watching sown by the lake where we saw sitar players and sadhus (wondering holy men). Pushkar has been our favorite place in India so far.
Hopefully our next and last 2 weeks of India and our trip will be just as good as these.
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