The Ajanta / Ellora Caves

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The flight from Fort Cochin to Mumbai was great. We flew "King Fisher" airlines, which also happens to be India's leading beer company. I would never fly "Miller High-Life" airlines in America.....well, maybe I would....if it was a cheap flight. Anyway we landed in Bombay and jumped on an overnight train to Aurangabad. We arrived at 4:30am and took a tuk-tuk (Ha!) to our hotel. The next day was spent exporing the Ajanta Caves. We booked our bus late so we had to get a tour-bus package, including a tour-guide. I asked the guide if it was allright to explore on our own and he instructed me (michael) how this would be very bad. He said we won't learn anything from our guidebook and I'll probably get lost. We immediatly left the group. Overlooking the Waghora river gorge, the Ajanta caves have detailed murals and amazing scupltures (2nd-1st century BC and 5th-6th century AD). The only downside to the day were all of the vistors moving from cave to cave. Hundreds of tourist, school students, and locals everywhere.

Today we saw the Ellora Caves. The guide book says "The 34 caves at Ellora, hewn from a 1.3mile long escarpment, are among the most splendid examples of rock-cut architecture in India". No tourist, no school kids (except in cave16)....it was paradise......I felt like a real life Indiana Jones. We spent the day taking our time moving from room to room, and cave to cave.....each one different from the next. How did they build this? What was it like to live here? Why didn't I stay with the tour-guide? All questions I'm still thinking about. The day ended with a climb up to Fort Daulatabad. It was a nice hike that ended with me running thru a bat-filled hallway. Once I reached the top of the Fort, a wild monkey almost attacked me........Ade was cracking up the whole time. It was a fun couple of days here and we wished we had more time to explore.

Tonight we catch an overnight train back to Bombay. Tommorow we will fly to Dheli and then head North to Shimla.

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Photos

Ellora Caves
All of this was sculpted out of a mountain.

Ellora Caves
Smile!

Comments

[Aunt Ina]

Your Trip Seems to Get Better By the Minute
What will I read when you get back. Everyday I look so forward to your emails and Zaydie to. So happy your trip is getting better by the minute. We miss you and keep the emails coming! Love you and Happy New Year if I don't get to email again!! Love, Aunt Ina

[Liza]

rock it
thanks for the photos you guys...it's pretty cool how each country, each place, has its own version of another but is so so so different. those caves you saw are so amazingly unique yet are 'replicated' in other cultures in varying formations and versions--like cambodia's angkor wat or new mexico's Bandelier....it is a refreshing reminder that no matter where we came from and no matter who we were, we all had the urge to carve our way into a rock and proclaim our presence. have we lost that creative ambition? why is it so hard to finish anything now that we have TOOLS??!! life is freakin great! happy hannukah! p.s. i saw josh and julie today--they are cute and totally snowed in at their new house! love to you both from the blizzard New Mex!

[Mom]

Greetings!
Hi guys, wanted to touch base and say Happy Hanukah late and Merry Christmas early! Also though I gushed all over Adrianne on your announcement I wanted to say how happy I am Michael. Though we haven't met yet, I'm so glad you make Adrianne happy and anybody who's been a clown and loves magic sounds like a great guy to me. Can't wait to actually meet you! Love to you both, Sharon