ANA AND ANDY, VARANASI, INDIA. 4th JAN 2014

Phew!  As you can tell we were glad to see the back of Allahabad and arrived in Varanasi by bus.  We headed for the tourist information centre at the train station to get our bearings and some trusted information from the guy who is mentioned in most of the travel books - he's a travel legend in these parts.  After figuring out where to go and what to do we took a pre-paid auto rickshaw to our guest house (Teerth Guest House).  We were advised that auto drivers are only allowed to go so far in the town and we'd have to get out and walk the rest of the way as the guest houses are up small alleyways which are inaccessible to vehicles.
Luckily for us our driver said that he'd take us to our guest house on foot for a few extra rupees, and in doing so he saved us alot of hassle and an argument which would've happened between us for getting lost :)  So thanks auto rickshaw man, you made our arrival nice and easy.

We stayed in the northern part of Varanasi near Dasaswamedh Ghat (ghats are pretty much like a mooring or area with steps at the side of the river) so once we were installed in our guest house we headed out to see what was what.  First stop- the Ganges.  We made our way down to the river and walked along to see the many different ghats and the nightime goings on.  Once done it was to bed ready for a real explore the next day.

We had breakfast in a place called Brown Bread Bakery and sat crossed legged in a cold room whilst eating our food, was OK but not amazing!  We bumped into a British guy who had come out to India to meet his son who had been volunteering in Nepal for a while and they were both travelling together for a bit in India.  The dad was a sweet guy who arranges tours of regions in the UK and had some interesting stories to tell of his travels so far.

After this we headed down to the ghats to see them in full-swing at daytime.  It wasn't as manic as we thought it would be but there were boat owners touting for business, boat builders, artists selling their work, people doing their washing, people washing themselves and a few cows.

As we walked further along we came across the Manikarnika (or burning) ghat.  This is where families would bring the deceased (or those who are about to die) to be cremated at the side of the River Ganges.  Bodies are wrapped in cloth, placed between a carefully measured amount of wood and then a ceremony is performed by the family and the men whose job it is to burn the bodies daily.  They then set alight to the body at the side of the river and both mourners and passers by can pay their respects.  It takes around 3 hrs for a body to completely burn and was a surreal experience for us both to see.  For those who perform the ceremonies daily, it's a job and for the mourners it's the best send off they could give their loved ones.
We continued on our walk down the river to the Assi Ghat area (in the south) and stopped at a little cafe called the Open Hand where Andy claimed to have his best coffee in India - well done that place, you made one Andy Rotton very happy!  Following this we continued towards the University area of town to see what the campus was like and pretty much had covered where we wanted to go.  On our return we stopped to see the evening Puja ceremony which is a religious ritual performed every evening on the ghats by a few guys and lots of fire, as you can tell we were not 100% sure of it but stayed and watched for the hour.

Dinner called and we ended up in a small place with 3 tables which were full.  One guy was sitting alone so of course we asked to accompany him - mistake number 1.   After ordering our food (too late to escape)we realised that we were sat with an American guy who emmigrated to Ireland and is in India trying to find his inner Krishna.  Each to their own but he claimed to be learning Hindi, practicing yoga, chanting and setting up musical groups... But was not a fan of Indian cuisine (complained that his salad didn't come with dressing) and was unable to speak any Hindi he then continued to smack his lips loudly with every bit of his pizza (of course). All-in-all bit of an oddball but each to their own, who are we to judge ;)

The following day we got up at 5am to make our way down to the Ganges for an early morning boat trip.  It was a bit of a grizzy start with some rain and clouds so finding a boat at a reasonable price was pretty easy and we were paired up with our boat driver - Monou.  He was a young guy who had a lot of energy and enthusiasm for his job, he liked to use the expression '24hr power' which we will see again in Nepal.  Once the sun made an appearance our boat trip was over and we headed out for food and got ready for our 'Varanasi Walk'.  The Varanasi Walk was delivered by a guy called Pappu who took us exploring around Varanasi for around 3-4hrs.  It was good to go to places that we'd not found and also get the local info, history and an update on things to come for Varanasi.  Part of the trip involved a cycle rickshaw, this meant 3 adults totalling around 200kg in the back being pushed by a guy a 1/4 of that size!  Andy nearly fell out on a couple of occasions but we managed to keep hold of him :)

No we're not in Venice, I said Varanasi!

What do you mean explain?  It's a goat in a cardy, eating a garland why wouldn't we include it?

That Puja ceremony I'd mentioned... Do you get it?

From the middle of the Ganges!

Monou demonstrating his 24hr power...

Following this it was time for the off so we ate and headed back to the guest house to grab our stuff.  Andy was made a lassi by the crazy guest house guy and we did some final admin bits before getting an auto to the train station.  The first one we got in we'd agreed a price and then once we were in he doubled it, so we got out and then got in another who drove like a maniac to the station - lucky us.Of course by this point we expected our train to be late - which it was.  The waiting room in Varanasi wasn't so bad so we sat and waited for several hours for our train to arrive, instead of 12.30am it arrived at around 2pm so once on board it was time for bed and to awake in Gorakhpur.

Gorakhpur.

Just as the guide books had said this place is pretty much a hub for those leaving and those arriving in India.  We eventually found the bus which took us to the Sunali boarder (with Nepal) and joined the locals heading for Nepal.3hrs later and we were dropped in a car park to walk across into Nepal.  The Indian immigration post can easily be missed as it looks like a shop front with a sleeping military officer!  Passports stamped and had permission to leave.  It was then an easy walk across into Nepal to find their immigration point!

Bon voyage India ;)

ANDY AND ANA, ALLAHABAD, INDIA. 2nd JAN 2014

Allahabad, we wish you were here...instead of us... :(

We arrived at Allahabad a little later than scheduled, no real issue as it was 9ish and the city was just waking up. We got off the train and used the maps we had cached on our phones (thanks Al - this tip has turned out to be very handy!) to navigate our way to the hotel I had booked in advance.

We were both looking forward to a stay in a budget room but one that comes highly recommended in the lonely planet. Ignoring the cycle rickshaws and local touts that are a standard part of arrival in any large India city, we made good progress towards 'Hotel Prayag' it looks pretty good on the outside, must have ahad a new lick of paint in the last year or so to look white-ish in this pollution!

Headed into reception to escape the sysle rickshaw who was still insistent he voulf giive us a lift to the hotel that we were now standing outside!! The guys were really friendly and welcoming and were impressed wityh my efforts at Hindi (I am now fluent by the way, I can say thank you, water, bread, milk, what is your name, etc - I may start my own language school soon...) and they had a guy show us to our room.

Now to be very clear, I dont want what  follows to be taken lightly, as we have stayed in some very basic accommodation in India and we have been happy to do so, there are a few minimum requirements but on the whole we are pretty easy going and have stayed in some much cheaper rooms than Hotel Prayag and been very happy to do so....

The room was hideous. Dirty, Grimy, live electrics hanging overhead. Scummy bathroom with mould all over the walls and door and the invasive smell of drain permeating through the door to the room. The toilet stank and had not been flushed, let alone cleaned since the room had last been occupied, in fact - I could well believe that the last occupant may well stil;l be lying around somewhere. The bed had a filthy 1.5" thick matress which I did not even want to put my sleeping bag on. So desicion made, we dropped our bags and went out in search of another hotel. To start with we hunted out the local tourist information office to get some guidance or a recommendation on possible alternative accomodation and things to see and do in the city.

Its probably worth mentioning at this point the allahabad is a bit of an unknown quantitity for us. We added a couple of days here at relatively late notice as we had some addition time to ensure that our visa's lined up with arrival dates in Nepal. Allahabad is between Khajuraho and Varanasi (our planned final stop) and is also the site of the Kumbh Mela, the largest single human gathering on earth.

In late 2013 70 Million people. more than the UK population arrived in this one city for this huge Hindu festival and celebration so there must be something to see here - right?

Our walk to the tourist information office was not promising, 25 minutes of filthy, busy streets similar to some of the other larger cities we have already visited but without any of the redeeming features.

We got into the Tourist info office and the guy was really friendly and helped us find an alternative place (Hotel JMD) a little further out of the city in the 'Civil Lines' area, we agreed to take a look and he even did some negotiating on our behalf unprompted to secure what seems to be a pretty reasonable rate.

He then went through the list of attractions, top of his list - and I am not joking, was a tree that lovers used to commit suicide by throwing themselves off the top if their families did not condone their relationship, not a great start! It turns out there is a rather cool fort, however this has recently been commandeered by the military and turned into a munitions dump. Apparently (and not suprisingley) this makes it difficult to get in to see!!! I WAS a little suprised when he said that he could still try to get us in but it might be difficult (we decided to sit this one out to avoid being imprisoned as spies like those people you see on BBC news 24 sometimes....)

After a little more discussion and without a real plan we headed off to check out Hotel JMD, it did not disappoint and appears our fortunes are changing, nice guy at reception, clean room, hot water and even a nice confy bed - the works, now thats more like it!

Deciding to give lonely planet the benefit of the doubt we walked to one of their recommended places to eat and decided on the way to stop in at the train station en route and change a ticket to a day earlier and have an additional day in Varanasi and draw a line under Allahabad as a lesson well learned!

Surprisingly, this was the first time we had tried to change our train ticket and I was soon to be grateful we had not had to do it more often...each window we went to just ellicilted blank looks and for some reason even with my now extensive vocabulary of food stuffs no-one understood what we were trying to do and just kept saying - next window and pointing along one. It doesnt take to many queues before this becomers a little tiresome!

We must have been looking a little forlorn (probably me more than Ana) as a local lady came over and explained the system to us, it is as follows:

1/ Go to a specific window and queue up to get issued with a form

2/ Complete the form with what you would like to do, train numbers, times etc.

3/ Take this completed form to another window and queue to get a number token issued (a bit like the deli counter at Tesco)

4/ Wait for your number to be called out and then go to another window to discuss what you wanted to do in the first place.

2 problems: The form window guy has just decided to bugger of on a 1 hour lunch break leaving no-one to give out a form

The form, when recieved does not really fit what we want to do - more of a first time booking than a change of an existing reservation, however we filled out what we could and duly waited.

Whilst we were waiting for our turn at the deli counter-cum-train reservation window some very persitent beggers  who wouldnt leave us alone started tugging at clothes and asking for money.

Another friendly local come over and firmly moved them on and started chatting to us, he seemed like a nice guy and he was quite engaging and spoke impecible English so we waited with him, a few mninutes into the conversation and he mentioned he was a Colonel in the Indian Army and had visited The Isle of Wight, Portsmouth and Gosport as part of his training. He spoke about travelling from Portsmouth to Gosport and Ana asked if he took the Gosport ferry. Apparently not, as an army Colonel, he was flown acxross in an army chinook!

After some more chat with Colonel Sumith, he recommended that for the journey we were trying to change, we might as well catch the bus and not take the train as in the winter the trains are almost always delyaed by fog in the winter (Ah - just like home) whereas the buses run regularly, are cheap and take the about same amount of time. This wasnt the first time this had been suggested so we gave up on the train station and headed out to grab some food at 'El Chicos'.

After what you may be able to tell was not a great day (I know I have hidden it well, but it was not my favourite day) El Chico's was a real western haven so we made the most of it to cheers ourselves up a bit. Downstairs is an in house bakery and coffee shop with cakes and pastries and biscyuits galore all baked onsite. Upstairs is a stylish western style bistro and next door is a formal dining retaurant, something for everyone!

Lamb burger and chips for me and I smiled so much when it arrived - see below!

Ana had Ana had the veggie melt sandwich - giving me food envy believe it or not!

After a great lunch we headed out to the local cinema to watch Dhoom 3, the latest Indian blockbuster action movie - also half price Thursdays so 75p each - bargain.

Spot the wannabie extra!

The film itself was mainly Hindi but had some English thrown in and anyway, it was a cheesy action movie so following the plot was not an issue. It was pretty good fun and a good way to rescue the evening, the film was 3 hours long, including an intermission for you to buy more snacks. It was great to have a real Indian movie experience with all the locals just answering their phones mid film and contantly facebooking each other all over the place - comedy! The movie finished so late that both Ana and I had started to doze off in our seats but I assume the good guy saved the day. Back to the hotel for some well earned rest.

Next day, checked out the buses to Varanasi, 1 pound each for a 3 hour journey and they leave every 15c mins - perfect! Off to El Chicos again for a farewell brunch, stocked up on travelling snacks and goit the bus around 2PM Hurrah. Goodbye Allahabad, some bitter sweet memories... :-|

ANDY AND ANA, KHAJURAHO, INDIA. 31st DEC 2013

So after a very long delay on our train we arrived at Khajuraho around 9pm on 31st Dec.  We ended up being on the train for around 22 hours! A whole day on the train, I'd like to say that it flew past, but it didn't :)
We took an auto rickshaw from the station to our hotel and was kindly informed that our hotel was fully booked by the driver, how nice of him.  We informed him that it was ok that it was full as we'd got a reservation, bloody scamming Indians!  To our surprise there were only around 10 people max in the hotel Harmony and booked into our room.  Dinner followed suit and by this time we were not too far from the new year!  Andy celebrated with some Indian whiskey and I had some pineapple cream biscuits (only 5 rupees) from the train station.  There were a few fireworks going on outside so we had a look and then went to sleep ready to be bright eyed for our first morning in 2014.

The main reason for going to Khajuraho is to see the 'erotic' temples (Andy informs me that they are Hindu and Jain temples that happen to have erotic carvings on them ...) and be reminded of the Kama Sutra!  There are several complexes throughout the town and we visted the Western group which is the largest and most visited.  There was so much to see in terms of the buildings themselves and the locals all attending morning prayers at one of the local temples.

See the images below as they are far better than any description that I could write.  Please note that the following content may be offensive, you must be over 18 to view these images and don't look too closely if you're easily offended (or if you like horses).

Dobbin regrets accepting the party invite...

They're not doing that right!

My body's too bootilicious for you India

Now if you just hold that pose whilst I carve...

Smut from a distance

Team Kama Sutra explorers

The photo below was meant to act as proof that I'd not forgotten my mums 60th birthday card.  Andy kindly photographed the moment of posting said card only to realise that I'd posted it in the 'national' rather than 'international' post box! Whoops... Hope you got the card mum.

If you zoom in just above the letter ... the mistake is clear

After this we ate lunch and dinner and then headed off to Mahoba to catch our train to Allahabad.  This involved getting a taxi at around 9pm in the evening through the backstreets, side-roads, dirt tracks and some main roads of Khajuraho.  We were introduced to our trusted driver and set off on our way...  To cut it short the driver was a bit bonkers, first off he stopped in the middle of nowhere to see if his mate would like to come along for the ride, after him getting in and out of the car his mate decided not to come with us to Mahoba.  Andy was a little nervous at this point and I was just hoping for the best.  We then continued on with the journey in the pitch black with the Indian Michael Schumacher who liked to say 'yes' and 'good road' alot and not much else.  He also kept asking for directions from anyone in his path and we stopped at a farm at one point to find out where we were heading.  His driving was atrocious and we could only think that the only person who would've enjoyed being in the car was Alex (maybe Amy if Al was driving).  So Al, we suggest that you take the Pug to Khajuraho to blow off the cobwebs. Oh on a similar subject Al, we have been trying to recall where we have heard the train announcement fanfare used at Indian rail stations before.  It's the same noise your laptop makes when it boots up! Ta-dah! ... Honestly, it's identitcal.

We arrive in Mahoba at a dark and dingy station where our train is late and the floor is full of sleeping people and rabid dogs (at this point ALL dogs around the world are assumed rabid so I'm not going near them even though we've had our jabs!).  We head to the waiting room where a group of men play a card game we couldn't quite get our heads around but it was entertaining for a few hours nonetheless :)  Our train arrived and we boarded around 2.30am ready to head to Allahabad and the next leg of our Indian adventure.

ANDY AND ANA, UDAIPUR, INDIA. 24TH DECEMBER 13

Udaipur

Arrived on Xmas Eve at Jaiwana Haveli, our little piece of luxury for Christmas only to find that it was being run by descendants of 17th century royalty (Yash and Harsh- very cool young business men)! This place is in the popular area of Lal Ghat and right on the Pichola Lake.  Great views at breakfast overlooking the lake and the goings on at all the Ghats.

We had our own private terrace!  We did only use it to dry Andy’s pants, but we made some use of it :)  Had a sleep and then mid afternoon headed out to get bearings, palace and lake.  Getting to our room was like walking through an Escher drawing! Up and down and down and up, something like that.  But beautiful place for 25 pounds per night :)  Now thats how you get a soft mattress in India - you have to pay to get it.

Andy wanted to mention that I have poor negotiation skills.  We bought two santa hats and I was willing to pay no more than 50INR for two (so that’s 50p in real money).  The guy said they were 20INR each so I said “I’ll take two”.  Shocking skills apparently but in my mind they came 20% under budget and therefore a saved bartering session with the stall holder :)

Christmas Day

We looked at exploring the palace but was crazy busy so went on a boat trip around the lake instead.  A beautiful sunny day and perfect for being on the water (in our Santa hats).   We then walked for around 6km getting a bit lost on way to Shilpragam fair- good fun day out for Indians and tourists alike.  Plenty to see and do and lots of performances and food.

Once we got back we finally found an appropriate connection to Skype with respective family members.  I think Lisa was first with Jord, Becks and Gary and then we got hold of Mum n Dad Rotton.  Following that it was the turn of Kerri, Shan, Jem and Mum Baker.  Good to see and speak with them all from far away (again in our santa hats).

That evening we ate in Hinglish restaurant (the rooftop of a Lonely Planet recommendation), quiet but nice food and overlooking the city palace.  An end to a very different Xmas Day but a memorable one for us.

Boxing Day

Today we took the government (local) bus to Ranakpur to see an amazing Jain temple. It is around 90Km from Udaipur and a 3 hour local bus to reach it.  This in itself was an experience being the only two westerners on the bus and a novelty for the locals. It was a cramped and bumpy affair with no personal space (I had two Indian women sat on me at one point) but a great way to see everyday India.  All for 2.40 round trip for us both!  Bet you can’t get a mega-rider for that Mum!  

Although being female and a lesser species here in India (specifically in Rajasthan) I did get a ‘womens discount’ on the bus, saving me 30% off the male fare… Hmmm...

The temple at Ranakpur was pretty awesome.  I know this will be one of many (thinking Al and Amy and Stace will all be smiling at our appreciation of this one temple in month one!) that we will see so have a look at the photo to see why we liked it.

We stopped for chai and biscuits on the way back, where we thought the bus would stop and checked with a guy who told us that no buses stopped here so we’d have to take a local taxi, scammer!... Then asked an Indian artist who spoke fluent french and he kindly told us we were in the right place.

Back to Udaipur for dinner and to move onto our next place.  Our helpful hosts at the Haveli put us in touch with a friend of theirs who owned a Homestay locally.  We went to see the Little Garden guest house and were overwhelmed by how great this place was! So we didn’t hesitate and managed to secure a half price rate per night and would be moving in the next morning.

Before we ate we played connect 4 - as you do.  I whipped Andy’s arse 7:1!  Gotta beat him at something :) Again Andy tucked into meat and had tandoori chicken…  I don’t think we’ve got a photo of any of the sad mangy chickens that live on the side of the roads but if you would’ve seen them then chicken wouldn’t necessarily be your first choice for food :)  I opted for a Thali, yum.

Christmas is now over

Next day we went to the city palace, with the rest of India!  We started with another boat tour to Jagmandir island and around the lake.  The palace is a big place and not that much to see inside but the grounds were a nice place to be.  That evening we had arranged dinner with Chris and Alex (an Aussie couple staying at the homestay). We met on the roof of our place before and had a few drinks and then went to a swish place (Ambrai) where we had a great view of the lake and best seats in the house!   Great dinner and even cocktails (not for me you lot!).

 Piccola Lake from the water

 A cool little island where only birds hang out

 The famous hotel in Udaipur - used in the James Bond Octopussy movie

 City Palace frrm the water

 'Selfie' on Jagmindir Island, we're starting to get the hang of them now!

 Where did Ana Go? She was just here a minute ago....

 Beautiful Green courtyard - Palace is nicer higher up - the ground floor is a bit decrepit...

Rajhastan loves a peacock - not sure why i'm afraid but this one looks pretty cool

Mount Abu

Next morning we took the early government bus to Mount Abu (now experts in local transport and getting womens discounts).  A 4 hour trip to Abu road and then another hour to get up the 27Km long road that takes you to the top of the mountain (around 1500m).  We stayed at hotel Shri Ganesh and got there just in time for lunch (pizzas and a curry dish).  We met Tillman and Jessica (a German couple travelling around India after 3 months in Africa!)  there who had also arranged to head out on our planned trek around the mountain.  Our guide for the trek was Charles he was great fun and an informative guy.  The four of us trekked around for a couple of hours and had chai at the top! Great views, watched the sunset and then descended back down in time for the light to fade.   We headed out to dinner after trek with Jessica and Tillman and Charles (who came so we could write in his review book).

Photos below

After dinner we stumbled across an Indian rave (winter festival).  This was a big marquee set up for a festival the next day and had loads of people dancing to a DJ.  We saw a few dance offs and then Tillman was in the middle of one, we all then ended up dancing and being entertained by the Indian guys who can really dance!  Andy Rotton got his special dancing face out and showed the Indians how it’s done in the UK (insert drunk uncle at a wedding picture here).  At one point I thought we may have lost Tillman to the crowd but he came back!

Back to the hotel for a night in the ice box.  It was bloody cold!!  The roof was not actually attached to the room so it was letting in a constant cold draught, it was so cold we could see our breath,  so we spent the night with our heads under the cover so our noses didn't fall off.

Next day we awoke to a brilliant view, albeit a chilly one!  So staying on the roof in the icebox really did pay off... sort of.  

Penthouse View, Just without the penthouse heating. Ceiling was dripping as the sun melted the ice on the corrugated roof!

We headed into Mount Abu to check out what was going down - not alot.  So had food, looked around Nakki Lake and headed up to 'toad rock' - not too sure if it is well named, you can be the judge!

Then it was time for the bus back. This time via 'tourist' bus, which was crap! So more money but less service. Andy did feel a little queezy on the way back down the winding,bumpy mountain as he started to eat his lunch... woops.

We arrived back in Udaipur to be dropped off in the middle of nowhere so flagged down a rickshaw who took us back to our place and even picked up a random Indian man who i think may have been off his face whilst trying to sell his 'guide' services to us! That would've been an interesting guide around town to say the least. Out for food where I had an 'accidental' chicken soup, so broke my meat fast, but back on it! Who would've thought that chicken noodle soup had chicken in it?! Scandal.

Our last morning in Udaipur was spent having breakfast with Chris and Alex whilst our host family served and watched  - good food and good company! Paratha, chickpea yogurt, corriander paste, fruit and chai.

We then caught up with admin and a spot of shopping (I bought some shit trousers - sorry Rob, they nearly fall into the Ali Baba range, but not quite. Andy says that I look like Aladdin in them, but I don't have a waistcoat so there!). We then arranged to meet with Jessica and Tillman at a cafe for a drink and catch up (they left mount abu in the morning before we did, so said we'd meet for a drink in Udaipur the following day) before we departed company.

As a last night’s entertainment before the day-long- train (20 hours :( ) we went along to a cultural show at Bangore Ki Havelli. The show was an hour long and consisted of some fun musical interludes on an accordion box thing. There was a puppeteer, some folk dancing examples performed by women who worked in fields and dances that were performed sitting down whilst performing daily chores. It was all pretty cool, the crescendo was an older lady dancing with 2 large pots on her head, she really did look unsure about how stable they were, I saw her coming on stage and she looked panicked!

Then they added another pot, and another - you get the idea - see the photos below - and no, they are not stuck on, genuinely impressive!!!

 Fire Dancing - Hot Stuff!

"It's a puppet" (In the voice of brian connolly)

 They are heavy pots - and she has managed to get down there without dropping them!

 And up again - with another pot - wow!

 Dear god - that's just silly - but good on you!

I am pretty sure if they fall, they're gonna hit me......I reckon she could manage a little cherry on top too

Bon voyage Udaipur