Ellora Caves

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Well, Steph and I have had a hectic couple of days. We took an overnight bus from Udaipur to Amedebad (I don't think I spelled that properly) which ended up taking 16 hours. I am not sure how to describe the journey. A- I was afraid for my life and B- it was soooooooo long. If you can imagine for a second being stuck in a small compartment above the seats in a bus for 16 hours, the two of us, with our bags! The first 10 hours were o.k, after that, it got a little uncomfortable. Especially because we were told it would only take 12. Word to the wise, anytime and Indian tells you it will only take a certain number of hours, add a couple on. If he/she tells you the bus will leave at a certain time, it leaves an hour later. When they tell you it is a deluxe tourist bus, it is really just a step above a local bus, with padded seats and a few tourists. There you have it, a lesson in purchasing bus tickets in India. But, I should not complain, in retrospect, I am only spending about $10-15 Canadian to travel hundreds of kilometers. So, the reason it is such a fearful ride, well, let's just say, we teter close to the edge when we are up on the mountains and passing vehicles get very close to my knees! Anyway, we made it safe and sound to Amedebad only to buy a ticket to leave that evening for Aurengabad. We had four hours to kill so we walked over the the "Big Bazaar" thinking we would eat at McDonald's. We could not do it.... I could not eat at McDonald's. We ended up at a cafe and waited to take the bus at 5PM. We tried to buy food for the bus but it is very difficult after being so sick. Our bus ride meals consist of Lays chips, Sweet Marie cookies and some version of the Ritz cracker. I can't wait to find some good food! I wish I could eat at the bus stops but I am being a bit of a chicken. I'm afraid of getting that bug again and getting stuck in the hospital. Anyway, we made it to Aurengabad at about noon after another gruelling bus ride. The whole trip to Aurengabad was simply to view the Ellora caves. They were absolutely stunning and well worth the journey. We took a local bus to the caves and spent a couple of hours exploring them. They are quite impressive. I wonder how many people were employed, or more like slaved, to carve these monstrous structures. They carved intricate designs and buildings into the caves of Ellora. I can't wait to show you the pictures since words just can not describe what it was like to see them. They have been designated a World Heritage Site, and it is no wonder. After the caves, we booked yet another bus out that evening to go to Mumbai. Another overnight bus. We had booked a guesthouse room to shower and nap in. Unfortunately, we almost missed our bus on account of our nap! I woke up at 10:45PM yelling at Steph to get her ass out of bed. Thank goodness the buses are always late! We made it and actually had some time to wait.

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Comments

[Rania]

Awesome !!! I would have love to have been able to do that with you guys. That looks so cool, so much history there. I'm anxious to hear your comments about this. Thanks for the pics. xox

[Michelle L.]

What amazing pictures!
Can't wait to see all those wonderful pictures you took while on your trip. I know your journey is almost to an end but at least you got to do and experience something out of the ordinary. Can't wait to hear all your wonderful/horrible stories. Take care! Looking forward to seeing you.