India - our Rajasthani adventure! VARANASI

Varanasi (25th - 26th March)

After a very long overnight train, we arrived into Varanasi – the most holy city in India.

 

 

We took cycle rickshaws to the Ganges, which was a great experience.

 

 

 

 On the cycle rickshaw

Travelling TT's!

 

A sunrise boat cruise along the Ganges river was a truly interesting experience. Locals bathing, clothes being washed, floating dead bodies and raging fires...

Communal area where prayers are held each morning and evening

 

The ghats of the Ganges

 

Locals doing their laundry for the day

 

Beautiful sunrise

 

 

Cute baby goat along the ghats

 

The area on the Ganges where all cremations take place

 

 

We revisited the Ganges for sunset also, which was equally as interesting.  We watched some of the cremation ceremonies take place and took part in a candle flower ceremony.

 

 



Evening candle flower ceremony

The Ganges at dark

 

The evening call to prayer

 

 



While in Varanasi, we ate at an extremely cheap restaurant – only 55 Rupees ($1.10AUD) for a Thali with flowing Roti and pappadums!

Chef and his kitchen at the local restaurant

 

To finish our time in India, we visited Sarnath – the place where Buddha came, after he attained Enlightenment in Bodh Gaya.

Situated 13Kms to the north-east of Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh, Sarnath is one of the most important Buddhist pilgrimage centres in India and is also an important place for the followers of Jainism.

Gautam Buddha gave his first sermon in the Deer Park in Sarnath to his five disciples after he attained Enlightenment.

 

 

Sarnath

India - our Rajasthani adventure! AGRA

AGRA (23rd - 24th March)

As we only had just over 1 day in Agra, we kept our sightseeing to a minimum, however managed to visit Mehtab Bagh – a lovely garden and lake area situated behind the famous Taj Mahal.  This offered fantastic uninterrupted views of the back of the Taj Mahal and very few people. We were even lucky enough to have a herd of goats pass us by!

*Dont pay 100 Rupees ($2AUD) per person to enter the gardens, just take a right instead of a left turn to have the same amazing views.*

 

Mehtab Bagh

We decided to visit the Taj Mahal early to get there for sunrise and we were lucky it was a nice clear morning, and we also avoided the huge amounts of crowds that arrived as we were leaving!

 

 

The walk through the gates and to the Taj Mahal were lined with pretty gardens and grassed areas, and many cheeky monkeys and locals.

 

 

 

 Locals doing their morning prayers before entering the Taj Mahal

 

This amazing mausoleum took 22 years to construct and was finally completed in 1653.

 

 

 

The entrance gate to the Taj Mahal

The spectacular view from the entrance gates

 Selfie!

India - our Rajasthani adventure! JAIPUR

Jaipur (21st - 22nd March)

While in India, we HAD to see a movie in a traditional Indian Theatre.  With the only movie playing being Ragini MMS 2 (all we knew was that the main actress was an Indian/Canadian porn star) we tried our luck. No english or subtitles, we still managed to get the gist of this corny horror movie. Raj Mandir Theatre was absolutely beautiful, inside and out.

The lobby was classically decorated and the inside of the theatre was constructed with amazing patterned concrete and coloured lights.

 

Entrance of Raj Mandir Theatre

 

Lobby of Raj Mandir Theatre

Cinema of Raj Mandir Theatere

 

Of course... The obligatory Maharaja Mac... Everyone visits a Maccas when they are away don't they??

Maharaja Mac

 

Feeling guilty for the western meal, we had a lassi from the famous 'Lassi Wala' shop in Jaipur.  It was delicious and served in the traditional terracotta cups.
 

 

 

 Lassi from Lassi Wala - 30 Rupees ($0.60AUD)

 

 

We visited Hawa Mahal – the palace of the winds was built in 1799 is smack bang in the middle of a busy street, however very beautiful.

Hawa Mahal – the palace of the winds

 

Jal Mahal - the water palace is in the middle of the Man Sagar Lake in Jaipur and has a beautiful walk way where no bikes/tuk tuks/cars are allowed. This place would be beautiful at sunset.

Jal Mahal - the water palace

 

The Amber Fort was a super impressive fort and full of amazing character. Of all the forts we visited in India, this was by far the most impressive, with our favourite feature being the hall of mirrors.

Amber Fort

 

Hall of Mirrors

It was in Jaipur that we were able to see the famous 'snake charmer'.  Lovely music played while we cautiously watched the cobra!

Local Snake Charmer

 

We rounded out our sightseeing day with a trip to Jantar Mantar – this is where an emperor from the 1700's constructed many time keeping and astrological devices. 

 

It was amazing to learn how accurate the devices were, with our guide able to tell the time all the way down to each 20 second mark of the day.

 

 

Jantar Mantar - this device provides the current zodiac sign and was used for producing horoscopes

 

Jantar Mantar - this is one of the worlds largest sun dials and is able to tell the time to the nearest two seconds.

India - our Rajasthani adventure! PUSHKAR

Pushkar (19th - 20th March)

We arrived into Pushkar – the well known destination for hippies! We were shocked to find that no meat, eggs or alcohol are allowed into this sacred city! 

 

 

 

A mother pig and her piglets!

Cows wandering outside of the hotel

We visited the Brahma temple, one of few in the world, and very special in the Hindu religion.

Brahma temple

At sunset, we visited the holy Pushkar lake, full of people enjoying the sunset and spending the evening together.

Pushkar lake

 

 

 

A sunrise climb to Savitri temple made for some amazing views below, and we also spotted some monkeys watching the sunrise too!

 

Locals made the climb to reach the temple at the top for their morning prayers.

 

 

View from Savitri temple

 

 

Worshippers climbing to the temple

 

 

 

The popular breakfast choice of Muesli was everywhere in Pushkar – not something we saw in the rest of India, but definitely pleased we did. At 90 Rupee per serve ($1.80AUD) you get a serving of oats and corn flakes, topped with creamy curd (yoghurt), honey and a selection of fresh fruits.

 

 

 Fruit, Curd and Muesli - 90 Rupees ($1.80AUD)

India - our Rajasthani adventure! JAISALMER

Jaisalmer (14th - 15th March)

Arriving early by train, this golden city very quickly became one of our favourite cities in India.

 One of many cows on the railway tracks

Walking through the Havelis in the late afternoon was a lovely way to see the beautifully carved buildings. Sandstone is everywhere and contrasts beautifully with the desert landscape surrounding the city.

 

 

 

We visited the Jaisalmer fort, which once again was full of beautifully carved walls and nicely painted homes. You could easily wander through this fort for hours (although the sun was very hot!).

 

 

Jaisalmer fort

View from the top of the fort museum

The view out to Pakistan, only 100 kilometres away!

 

 

At sunset, we visited Gadisar lake and watched many catfish fight for bread from locals and tourists. We bought some bread – 10 Rupee ($0.20AUD) and enjoyed watching them all come to the surface.

 

 

Gadisar Lake entrance

 Catfish being fed on Gadisar Lake

 

 

Jaisalmer really was the 'golden city' and one of our favourites in India.