I had about a week from the end of my volunteering in Calcutta to the start of my new volunteer job in Ahmedabad, so I made plans to visit Varanasi, Delhi and Udaipur as I made my way west.
Varanasi
I clearly remember being young and reading a long article in National Geographic magazine about Benares (as Varanasi was then known as) and being totally fascinated by it and always hoped to visit it some day. In 2008, on my first trip to India with Bob, we did visit it for a day along with our then new friends (who are now our dear friends) Jo, Doreen, Djenane, Maggie and Wendy. We arrived late at night and after a few hours rest at Hotel Buddha, we got up and made our way to the ghats for a sunrise boat ride on the Ganges with our frazzled tour guide, Kalpana. The light, the sounds, offerings of candles and flowers floating, the men, women and children bathing, praying, swimming, washing clothes... it was magical. We also visited an akharas (wrestling arena) with a bunch of men wrestling in the mud, which I think I enjoyed more than anyone!
For this trip I planned to spend three days. I took a sunrise boat ride my first morning and it was as wonderful as I had remembered, it was just different being alone, but not in a bad way. All the memories of my first visit came rushing back and made me smile. I missed Bob and the ladies, but it almost felt like they were there with me. That evening I took a sunset boat ride to Dasashvamedha Ghat to watch the evening aarti (evening prayers). This is the main ghat where each night there is an elaborate ceremony and boats pull up along the edge of the ghat to watch from the water and hundreds of people watch from the ghat itself. It was great to see it from the water (I returned the next evening on foot to watch it from the ghat side). It was pretty amazing with live musicians and singers, priests, billowing incense, twirling flames, sweeping fans and conch shells being blown. A real treat for all the senses.
It was extremely hot while I was there (111 degrees during the day), so for my second and third days I got up early both mornings, just before sunrise, and took long walks along the ghats. It was so peaceful...but not for long. With each passing minute devoted Hindus come to the edge of the Ganges. From every conceivable doorway, alley and corner people make there way down the ghats to the river's edge. There are also "burning ghats" with funeral pyres. I witnessed two bodies being burned on pyres. And on my last morning I saw a dead body, all bloated, just floating down the river. Some young boys were swimming nearby and one started to swim out to the body. I was happy to see him stop half way there and turn around. I had heard about bodies floating in the Ganges, but this was my first time actually seeing one, so I now know it's not just a tall tale! I did the same walk my last two nights as well. The light is amazing at both morning and evenings and there is a never ending "spiritual buzz" about the place...it's hard to explain. It's a place that probably isn't for everyone, but it's a place I happen to love and hope to visit again.
Delhi
I left Varanasi and took an overnight train to Delhi. The train departed and arrived a few hours late. If you read my last post, you will know that with the help of Nina, Suresh and Suresh's sister Poonam, it was arranged to have a car pick me up and take me to see a few sights that I wanted to visit. I only had the one day as my train for Udaipur departed that evening. I first visited Delhi in 2008 and this was my first time back. One place I wanted to visit that I wasn't able to the first time was the Baha'i House of Worship, aka The Lotus Temple (as it is shaped like a lotus). It was designed by Iranian architect Fariburz Sahba and completed in 1986 and seats up to 1,300 people. The driver took me there first. It was as beautiful as the photos I had seen. A gleaming white marble lotus flower surrounded by well-kept green lawns and nine pools. It was very hot and you have to take off your shoes well before you get to the temple so they had rolled out jute mats to walk on as the stone walkways were so hot. Once you are actually at the temple, they hold you in a small group (thankfully in a shaded spot) and a guide tells you about the Baha'i belief (the Baha'i sect originated in Persia and is based on a view of humanity as one single race. The temple is a place for silent prayer, meditation, reflection for any and all religious faiths). The first guide spoke in Hindi then a tall, young dark-haired American guy with a scary permanent grin on his face gave a frighteningly upbeat version of the talk...never once letting that wide grin leave his face. It kind of creeped me out. Anyway, then they let you into the silent hall. I was really interested to see it for it's architectural uniqueness, but there really was a wonderful sense of calm as soon as you entered that was just as interesting. I think the building is a complete success in many ways and certainly one of the most unique buildings I've ever visited. I am so happy I was able to finally visit it.
After that I went to Poonam's for a quick freshening up, quick nap and delicious lunch. Then it was off to central Delhi for a drive up and down Rajpath to see the President of India's residence, the Parliament building and India Gate. Again, places I had visited before, but loved seeing again. Then it was off to e train station for my overnight train to Udaipur.
Udaipur
I arrived in the morning and a car was waiting to take me to my hotel. Udaipur is a lovely jewel in the hills of Rajasthan. My hotel, Madri Haveli, is a 300 year-old heritage hotel. It was absolutely beautiful. My room was amazing and the have a rooftop restaurant with gorgeous,views of the city. I spent hours up there just relaxing and taking in the view, watching the sunset and listening to the peaceful sounds of the city. There is even a view of huge City Palace and the lake with it's "floating" palaces.
Varanasi
I clearly remember being young and reading a long article in National Geographic magazine about Benares (as Varanasi was then known as) and being totally fascinated by it and always hoped to visit it some day. In 2008, on my first trip to India with Bob, we did visit it for a day along with our then new friends (who are now our dear friends) Jo, Doreen, Djenane, Maggie and Wendy. We arrived late at night and after a few hours rest at Hotel Buddha, we got up and made our way to the ghats for a sunrise boat ride on the Ganges with our frazzled tour guide, Kalpana. The light, the sounds, offerings of candles and flowers floating, the men, women and children bathing, praying, swimming, washing clothes... it was magical. We also visited an akharas (wrestling arena) with a bunch of men wrestling in the mud, which I think I enjoyed more than anyone!
For this trip I planned to spend three days. I took a sunrise boat ride my first morning and it was as wonderful as I had remembered, it was just different being alone, but not in a bad way. All the memories of my first visit came rushing back and made me smile. I missed Bob and the ladies, but it almost felt like they were there with me. That evening I took a sunset boat ride to Dasashvamedha Ghat to watch the evening aarti (evening prayers). This is the main ghat where each night there is an elaborate ceremony and boats pull up along the edge of the ghat to watch from the water and hundreds of people watch from the ghat itself. It was great to see it from the water (I returned the next evening on foot to watch it from the ghat side). It was pretty amazing with live musicians and singers, priests, billowing incense, twirling flames, sweeping fans and conch shells being blown. A real treat for all the senses.
It was extremely hot while I was there (111 degrees during the day), so for my second and third days I got up early both mornings, just before sunrise, and took long walks along the ghats. It was so peaceful...but not for long. With each passing minute devoted Hindus come to the edge of the Ganges. From every conceivable doorway, alley and corner people make there way down the ghats to the river's edge. There are also "burning ghats" with funeral pyres. I witnessed two bodies being burned on pyres. And on my last morning I saw a dead body, all bloated, just floating down the river. Some young boys were swimming nearby and one started to swim out to the body. I was happy to see him stop half way there and turn around. I had heard about bodies floating in the Ganges, but this was my first time actually seeing one, so I now know it's not just a tall tale! I did the same walk my last two nights as well. The light is amazing at both morning and evenings and there is a never ending "spiritual buzz" about the place...it's hard to explain. It's a place that probably isn't for everyone, but it's a place I happen to love and hope to visit again.
Delhi
I left Varanasi and took an overnight train to Delhi. The train departed and arrived a few hours late. If you read my last post, you will know that with the help of Nina, Suresh and Suresh's sister Poonam, it was arranged to have a car pick me up and take me to see a few sights that I wanted to visit. I only had the one day as my train for Udaipur departed that evening. I first visited Delhi in 2008 and this was my first time back. One place I wanted to visit that I wasn't able to the first time was the Baha'i House of Worship, aka The Lotus Temple (as it is shaped like a lotus). It was designed by Iranian architect Fariburz Sahba and completed in 1986 and seats up to 1,300 people. The driver took me there first. It was as beautiful as the photos I had seen. A gleaming white marble lotus flower surrounded by well-kept green lawns and nine pools. It was very hot and you have to take off your shoes well before you get to the temple so they had rolled out jute mats to walk on as the stone walkways were so hot. Once you are actually at the temple, they hold you in a small group (thankfully in a shaded spot) and a guide tells you about the Baha'i belief (the Baha'i sect originated in Persia and is based on a view of humanity as one single race. The temple is a place for silent prayer, meditation, reflection for any and all religious faiths). The first guide spoke in Hindi then a tall, young dark-haired American guy with a scary permanent grin on his face gave a frighteningly upbeat version of the talk...never once letting that wide grin leave his face. It kind of creeped me out. Anyway, then they let you into the silent hall. I was really interested to see it for it's architectural uniqueness, but there really was a wonderful sense of calm as soon as you entered that was just as interesting. I think the building is a complete success in many ways and certainly one of the most unique buildings I've ever visited. I am so happy I was able to finally visit it.
After that I went to Poonam's for a quick freshening up, quick nap and delicious lunch. Then it was off to central Delhi for a drive up and down Rajpath to see the President of India's residence, the Parliament building and India Gate. Again, places I had visited before, but loved seeing again. Then it was off to e train station for my overnight train to Udaipur.
Udaipur
I arrived in the morning and a car was waiting to take me to my hotel. Udaipur is a lovely jewel in the hills of Rajasthan. My hotel, Madri Haveli, is a 300 year-old heritage hotel. It was absolutely beautiful. My room was amazing and the have a rooftop restaurant with gorgeous,views of the city. I spent hours up there just relaxing and taking in the view, watching the sunset and listening to the peaceful sounds of the city. There is even a view of huge City Palace and the lake with it's "floating" palaces.
I spent some time just wandering the hilly city, went for a boat ride on the lake, ate apple pie at the German bakery and lounged around my palace of a hotel. One morning I hired a car to take me to two nearby towns to see a complex of 108 Hindu temples (no photos allowed) and another 11-century temple complex, the Sas-Bahu Temples. It was well worth the trip. I visited the City Palace Museum and Bagore ki Haveli, an 18th-century palace that is now a museum of arts and crafts.
I really loved Udaipur and highly recommend it for any couples... it's a very romantic place!
I departed on an old, slow train that night for Ahmedabad. It was more than an hour into the trip before it gained enough steam to turn the air conditioning on. There was just one young Indian woman and me in the compartment (could have been up to four people), but it was still crazy hot! and uncomfortable. Eventually the AC did come on and made things a little more bearable. i was eventually able to fall asleep. I arrived in Ahmedabad at 4:12am and was picked up and brought to my rather luxurious hotel for some real air conditioning and a real bed. Ah! It was so nice. More on my time in Ahmedabad later...
I've said it before and I'll say it again -- WOW.
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