VARANASI TO DELHI. Wednesday 4 April, 2012. We were woken at 5 am by the next throng of Pilgrims making their way to the Ghats to pray and make offerings of Ganges water to the Sun God. Much chanting and ringing of bells went on for about an hour. After this we managed to go back to sleep and have a bit of a lie in. Today was a travelling day so not a lot to report. We sat in the cell, D read the newpaper while M wrote a few blogs, until our pickup time at 12.00 noon. We lugged our backpacks through the stinky alleys until we reached the car - which had managed to get down to the Ghats at this time of the day (no Pilgrms!). The drive to the airport took ... read more

KHAJURAHO, MADHYA PRADESH, INDIA. Monday 2 April, 2012. After a good nights sleep in the Taj Hotel we were collected by yet another guide at 8.00 am. Our destination today was the resplendent Hindu temples of Khajuraho. These have been immaculately restored after almost a millennium of neglect and abandonment and are now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. These temples are famed for the delicate sensuality, forthright eroticism, and everyday detail of the sculptures that decorate the facades of the temples. They were built between the 10th and 12th centuries AD and have been hailed as the greatest architectural achievement of the Chandella Dynasty. By the 16th century the temples had fallen out of use and were engulfed by the surrounding jungle, until the British 'rediscovered' them in 1838. Although it appears to be fairly accessible ... read more

TAJ MAHAL, & THE RED FORT, AGRA, UTTAR PRADESH, INDIA. Saturday March 31, 2012. The phone woke us up at 6.15 as were being collected by Sachin and Mr Berun at 6.30 so we could get to the Taj Mahal and be inside before the sun came up. Apparently, the Taj Mahal looks completely different throughout the day as the sun moves around the building and sunrise and sunset are the two best times of the day to see it. We queued for our entry with all the other early birds - mainly white tourists. There were four separate queues to get in. Two for foreign men and women, and two for Indian men and women. Sachin had warned us the night before not to bring anything except a small bottle of water, wallet and a ... read more

RANTHAMBORE NATIONAL PARK, RAJASTHAN, INDIA. Wednesday 28 and Thursday 29, March 2012. We were collected at 8.30 am by Mr Barun for our drive to Ranthambhore National Park which was about 4 hours away (with a following wind) as we needed to arrive before our first game drive which was scheduled for 2.30 pm. We drove though the countryside to the town of Tonks, where we turned off the main highway towards our destination. We arrived at our hotel, the Ranthambhore Regency, at about 12.30 in plenty of time for lunch. The hotel was well appointed and we were staying here on an all inclusive basis. Lunch was a buffet style affair and was of good quality. The room was large, modern, clean and airy. There was a good size swimming pool with a bar and ... read more

PUSHKAR & DRIVE TO JAIPUR. Monday 26 March, 2012. Mr Barun collected us from the hotel at about 9.00 am and we set off in the direction of Jaipur. It was a long drive on bad roads and we passed many camels and witnessed much more of daily life in the rural areas. We passed fields and fields of Khejri trees, which, Mr Barun informed us, are used as camel feed. We bounced along as fast as we could go as we needed to reach Pushkar and pick up our guide before the temple at Pushkar closed at 1.00 pm. We arrived at about 12.50, collected our guide and after parking and taking our shoes off were inside the temple with 5 minutes to spare. This was long enough for us. We caught a 30 second ... read more