Last stop in India: Delhi!

We headed straight to the main bazaar, which is like the traveller centre of Delhi and it reminded us of Khaosan Road in Bangkok. We took it easy the first day, as the next day was Holi and we had planned our whole trip around this colourful festival, so we wanted to be fully prepared. 


Holi:
From the moment we set foot on the main street we were mobbed by Indians and Westerners alike, throwing coloured powder and water at us and smearing it across our faces as they wished us a happy Holi. At times, people got a little rough (and gropey) but overall it was a whole lot of fun! By the time we were done, we were covered in paint from head to toe and not a scrap of skin was left uncoloured. Unfortunately for some (Lauren) the paint mixed  and the resulting colour was that of a stool sample. This was mainly due to the excessive amount of water that was continually thrown at us. 

Before...

After...

Group shot

Happy Holi

After all the excitement of the morning, we took refuge in our hotel room for the afternoon. A long shower and some heavy scrubbing later, blotchy rainbow hair still remained, accompanied by the fear that it may be permanent. 

Hibernating

The next day and some hardcore haggling later, we got a rickshaw to take us to see some sights for the morning. The first port of call was the Lotus temple, aptly named for its lotus flower shape. It reminded us a lot of the Sydney Opera House. The next stop was India Gate. This too was impressive but was rather similar to the Gateway to India in Mumbai! Finally, we visited the biggest Mosque in India and enjoyed the experience of watching them pray.

Lotus Temple

India Gate

Before we knew it, the Grandma of the group was turning 30! There was only one way to celebrate whilst in India...PAMPER DAY! We also ordered a dominoes and then headed out for some drinks in a swanky bar. There was live music from a chinese band that surpassed all of our expectations and they sang happy birthday to Lauren..much to her horror. 

Ooooohhh fancy

Turning 30 with multicoloured hair...seems a bit early for a midlife crisis!

With Kat stuck on the toilet yet again Imy and Lauren decided to explore a few more of Delhi's delights. We started with the Gandhi museum, which is where he was assassinated. It was a really beautiful and tranquil place. It all went a bit downhill after that, as we had to pay to go in the national museum so we opted out and some how ended up at a doll museum instead - freaky and not part of the plan. To calm ourselves down we resorted to some retail therapy.

Gandhi's last footsteps before being shot

After a fantastic, fast-paced and flabbergasting six weeks in India we are now moving on to the greener pastures of Sri Lanka.

Toodles!

Lots of Love Imy and Kat xx

Varanasi: GUEST POST BY LAUREN CLEREY

We arrived in Varanasi somewhat disheveled after our overnight ten hour taxi ride from Agra - flashpacker my arse! Nevertheless, Imy still had enough comic energy on arrival to "tickle" the taxi driver as he unloaded our bags...he loved it! 

Tickle tickle

We saddled up our backpacks and began our trek to the hostel through the heart of the city, but what unveiled itself was an instantly confronting urban experience that none of us were prepared for... a maze of narrow laneways, which encompassed trading, people, rubbish, motorbikes, cows, dogs, monkeys, their excrement and all within a metre or so wide space. The girls especially noted the 'unique' stench which is only possible from the combination of all those things!

We ate in the Monalisa..what were we thinking?

Poo-wee

Having dumped our things at the hostel, we walked down to the Ganges river to explore. Being the holiest place in India, Varanasi was quite confronting, and the religious gatherings on the river of men, who were sometimes dressed in nothing but paint, reminded me of something out of Indiana Jones! However, the architecture, the colour, the noise, the children playing in the water, the boats and the vastness of the river itself were all a pleasure to behold. 

First view of the Ganges

One of the Ghats that line the Ganges

Bathing in the holiest water around

As I have learnt quickly here, card playing and time out from India are sometimes a must and the guys quickly introduced me to their favourite game "Yanif", and their other forms of 'entertainment'...

The KImy show

We returned to the river in the evening to witness the burning of the bodies and the religious ceremonies that accompanied this. We bought some candles from the children on the riverbank and hired a boat which took us down stream. We lit our candles and set them on the river for good karma, before we reached the bodies being burned. It was sad, yet mesmerising, and I have a vivid memory of the noise and singing coming from the people on the riverbank. 

Flowers

Lighting candles on the Ganges

Burning Ghats

Ganga Pooja ceremony

The following day the three of us got up early, well at 7.30, to go and do a yoga class with a local master... this little guy made it look so easy, and made us realise how inflexible and unfocused on our bodies we were. He was also really entertaining and felt the need to explain his crazy sunnies - he had been bitten in the eye by a mozzie whilst on his moped! It was a great experience which we all really enjoyed... authentic India.

And stretch

We didn't realise how mini he was!

Sleeper train

Lunch and a few card games later, we were preparing to leave Varanasi on an overnight train, with a sense of sadness and relief! Next stop, rape capital of the world - Delhi.

Loz x

Agra: The Taj Mahal

We got a day bus and opted for the luxury of A/C, which even included a free bottle of "Fosters" water. It tasted a bit dodgy, so we chucked it.

Agra is a bit of a one trick pony, as people only really visit for the Taj Mahal. Lucky for us, our hotel was only 500m away from the iconic attraction and it was from here that we had our first glimpse, which really got our tastebuds tingling!

Giddy

We then had to get a wriggle on to Agra airport to pick up Lorun Cleeree (Imy's big sissy). On arrival, we had to go through three seperate armed gates, which was just a tad unnerving. An hour later than expected, Lauren rocked up!! We didn't mind the wait too much though because we made friends with all the other taxi drivers and they absolutely loved our homemade sign. We though we'd ease Lauren into Indian cuisine, so we opted for a Pizza Hut.

One of the locals

An early night was in order for our 5am start the following morning. We were buzzing with excitement as we made our way to the entrance gates. Kat and Imy split into two seperate queues to get in and once again Imy's was quicker...when will Kat learn?

The hundreds of pictures we had seen in no way compared to the breathtaking beauty of the rising sun on the Taj Mahal. It really was spectacular. We got a million  pics from every angle and loved every second of it.

Morning glory

Lads at Taj 2013

Lolz 'Kat we're touching the top of the Taj'

Family portrait

Taj frolick

A we weren't leaving till 9pm, and being the great tourists that we are, we also went to the red fort. It was a very fine fort and gave some more cracking views of the Taj. When we went to leave the fort, there was a group of about 50 school girls entering and they ran up to us shouting "hello" and wanting to shake all of our hands. For a brief two minutes we were like celebs...then they all ran off again.

Another day another fort

Katerina ballerina

Celeb

Next stop Varanasi: flashpacking it in a taxi all the way there!! (slash we're rubbish travellers and forgot to sort trains in time)

Jaipur

We were all a little groggy and had no idea where to start, but Sheikh (a rickshaw driver) and his pal saved the day by taking us to The Water Palace and on a shopping spree. 

Water Palace

They took us to a cloth factory where they dye and print fabric before transforming it into various items of clothing, which are then distributed throughout the whole of India. We bought some snazzy presents for our mums (you're welcome!) and Kat splashed out on some artwork that will probably end up gathering dust in a drawer.

Michael showed off his skills in a quick game of cricket with some local kids, but the fun came to an abrupt end when one of our drivers pelted the ball over a wall - don't worry, they gave the kids some money for a new one. 

Michael getting owned by the Indians

We also casually stopped off to pet some elephants who were tucking into their dinner.

Bricking it

Cool as ice

On the way back, Imy used her dimples to their ultimate effect and managed to wangle a quick driving lesson in the rickshaw. She took to it like a duck to water and is considering a career path in ripping off tourists.

On day two in Jaipur, we trundled off to the Amber Fort, stopping off at another temple along the way.

Templetastic

At some tombs

 As we got out of the rickshaw, a man ran up to us with a cobra in a basket and started tooting his flute as he charmed the snake. He obviously didn't toot too well though because the snake tried to make a run for it! Imy was a tad scared to say the least.

The snake escape

Loads of fat tourists get elephant rides up to the fort, but we felt a bit sorry for the ellies, so we opted for the climb up instead. Yet again, the cost for tourists was 10 times that of Indians, so on principle we refused to pay (slash the curse of being tight strikes again). Instead, we admired the view and had an impromptu photo shoot with a very large Indian family. Kat finally got to actually hold a baby - happy days!

Kat never happier than with an Indian child

Amber Fort with the gang

Next Stop: Agra and finally the Taj Mahal..

Jaisalmer: The Golden City

Upon arrival, we were hounded by rickshaw drivers (standard) when one guy caught our attention with an offer of a ride for 20 rupees..despite everyone else demanding 100. Finding the prospect of not getting ripped off quite unnerving, we chose to stick with what we know and paid triple...After all, in India if it seems to good to be true, it probably is.


We got to Paradise Hotel, which was suitably named as for the first time in 4 weeks we had a hot shower!! It was situated within the fort which, unlike the fort in Jodhpur, is a fully functioning community and not just a museum. A quick nap later and we were ready to explore. Jaisalmer seems to be an exception to the standard Indian city; there was a severe lack of rubbish and defecate lining the streets, making it a pleasant experience to walk around.

Inside the fort

Crazy Kidz

Sociable Michael was due to meet up with some more lovely ladies: Ailsa from Canada and Aifric from Ireland. We were starting to question their existence when their bus was three hours late but they finally rocked up and we all booked onto a three day camel trek.


DAY 1: Excitement

We were all very excited to get ourselves out to the desert and get onto some camels. When we first got there we were ambushed by huge groups of children wanting sweets, school pens and our scarves. To be honest, they wanted anything and everything we had. Most unusual request: Imys half used bottle of Wilko's sun cream. 

Wishing they would fit in her suitcase

The camels:

Radgey - as nicknamed by Imy due to his psychotic tendencies and foaming mouth.

Johnny - the perfect prince charming for princess Kat.

Simon - a closet homosexual that Ailsa struggled to control.

Raj - a strapping chap that Michael fears has been sent to the chophouse.

Kalu - the greediest camel to ever walk the Indian desert, much to Aifric's dismay.

Ramel - the most antisocial camel who liked to have Maria to himself!

Johnny and Simon

Imy swapped onto Johnny second day...couldn't handle Radgey

Within half an hour of being positioned atop our respective camels, we all started to question why we opted to do this for three days and two nights! Lunch was a welcome break and with just a fire and 2 pots Abdullah, our camel man, rustled up some of the tastiest Indian food we've had so far. 
 

Getting back on the camels was an effort for our already aching behinds, but when we reached our destination for the night, watching the sun set over the sand dunes made it all worthwhile! One campfire and a couple of beers later, we bedded down to sleep under the brightest stars we've ever seen.

Desert sunset

DAY 2: Regret
 
Fresh fruit and boiled eggs for breakfast were a slight distraction from the prospect of another three hours straddling a camel's hump. We all manned up to the challenge and got back on like the badass camel trekkers that we are. 


Pulling up for a break in a tiny village, where the houses were made from cow poo and straw, we stretched out our aching limbs in a shack filled with flies and freshly shorn wool. Lush.
After a few minutes we started to wonder why we had been abandoned here and hunted down Abdullah, Ali and Salem (the cutest 11 year old we ever met). We found them enjoying a nice cup of chai in Salem's crib and were lucky enough to be invited in to see the inside of the house.

Raw

 

We stopped for the camels to get some water and they had to draw the water up from the well. So Michael and Kat stepped up and helped. While this was going on Aifric was shat on by a bird, adding to her woes, and Imy ripped her hareems by sitting down (no more McDonalds for her). 

Drawing water for the camels

On the final leg of the day's trek we all got more adventurous and started trotting along, getting some serious camel speed up. The brief moments that we were mid air were a lovely break for our bruised bottoms. 

Setting up camp for the second time, we started to get a little nostalgic about our time in the desert and the initial regret of choosing two nights subsided into happy memories as we played cards by moonlight.

Act natural

DAY 3: Relief

Forfeiting our free lunch, we asked to get Picked up as early as possible. It's not that we don't feel extremely privileged to have been on a three day camel trek, but there's a limit to the bashing that one's bottom can take. We were slightly delayed when Ailsa saw a goat on its own, and we quote, 'Honey where's your family? Guys we can't leave it without any friends'. The poor distressed goat. 

The poor distressed goat

While waiting for our car in the blistering heat a stray dog came up to Ailsa and being the precious honey that she is, she gave it the last of our water.. Unfortunatly Maria nearly died from dehydration but at least the stray dog was well watered.

The well-watered dog

Next stop: Jaipur (the pink city).