We're here!
Difficult to type as I am doing this on Gr M's phone and I can't see what I'm typing and I also have to keep messing about to go to capitals or punctuation.
We were circling above Heathrow before landing and when we looked down it was exactly like the opening credits on Eastenders! But by the time I had found my camera we had flown over it so I didn't get a picture.
So it will be a bit random until I find an internet cafe to sort it out.
We had good flights with Virgin Atlantic. Heathrow to Delhi was a huge plane but very full so rather noisy.
We got our luggage no bother and prepared ourselves for the mad crowds at arrivals - but nothing! All very ordered and civilised - it's a new airport a lot has changed in fourteen years.
Our hotel is good and in a busy little district. We met the rest of the group. Our leader is called Badam and seems very nice. The others in the group Debbie (Bournemouth but originally from Burnley) who we met at the airport, Noel and Lorraine (L is Australian but N is Irish - he was a ten pound Pom [google it!!]), Rupert and Kirsty (also Australian), Andy (London), Anne (British but emigrated to Oz in her teens and never came back), Naomi (and another one!) and Robert (Canada). So that's our group!
(This has been proof read and amended today - Thurs 1 Nov as we have time to spare - see further down...)
This is our first meal - not sure what we were eating but it was very nice - and very cheap - about 290 rupees.
This is the street that our hotel is on - all the lights are up ready for Divali - it looks really pretty (not quite the same in the day time though!!)
Thursday 1 November
Happy birthday Grandad Mike! I think I can safely say that this will be one of his more unusual birthdays!!
We all met early and went to the underground station to visit some temples. We were originally meant to be going into the old part of Delhi but as it is nearly Divali everywhere is very busy and Badam decided that it was too busy and dangerous.
So off we went to a Hindu temple which was dedicated to the god Hanuman. That was quite interesting but we couldn't take any photos inside.
We then went to a Sikh temple - very big and really interesting.
Again we couldn't take any photos inside but we were allowed to take them outside and in the kitchens of the area attached to the temple where pilgrims and visitors can get food after they have prayed.
When we went to visit the Sikh temple we had to cover our heads.
Most of the women had scarves and the men wore small orange bandanas.
The temple was lovely but of course we were not allowed to take pictures inside.
But we were allowed to photograph the kitchens where food was prepared every day for the pilgrims who came there every day to worship.
They were nothing like our kitchens of course but the food looked good - they even had an automated chapati making machine which could turn out 2000 per hour!
We then came back on the metro - its like being at the airport as they do a body scan and bag xray before you can go through to the trains.
And the trains were PACKED - we only just managed to squeeze all the group on!
It was also quite strange outside the station as there was a long queue of taxis - tuk tuks and cycle rickshaws! Very funny.
So we went for lunch - another nice meal - and everyone sang happy birthday to Gr M.
I had taken a small cupcake all the way to India with a candle - and planned to take it sightseeing with us in the day so that we could take photos with it to put on the blog. The cupcake got as far as my bag - it also got carried round all the temples (and xrayed twice!) - but I totally forgot about it until we got back to the hotel. Duhhh...
Lesley had also made a fruit birthday cake for me to take so that we could celebrate on the overnight train journey but it weighed too much so in the end I just took the small cup cake shaped cake and the shortbread that she had made. And the tiny cupcake that I could carry around with me - but forgot!!
This is why the electrics keep failing!...
We were supposed to be taking an overnight train to our next destination this evening but we were unable to get the sleeper tickets - everyone is moving round the country for Divali. We didn't know until the last minute what was happening as we were waiting for confirmation of the tickets - which didn't arrive. So it was a change of plan. None of our group were bothered - we didn't have to do anything but wander off for a coffee or a look round the market - poor old Badam was on his phone trying to sort stuff out - NMP (not my problem)!
So we are having an extra night in the same hotel - not a hardship really - just a pity that we booked out of the rooms and are now having to book back in - ah well! They are struggling to sort out these rooms as the server blew up and now they have no computer systems.
(Gr M says that it was nothing to do with him even though he was on the hotel internet at the time.)
I think that they are going to organise a coach to take us to Varanassi tomorrow but once again NMP!
So we are off for another meal tonight - and have decided to have a party for Grandad Mike so that should be fun. Perhaps I will even take his little cupcake!...
(pic: outside restaurant Kirsty, Lorraine, me)
We had our meal but I forgot once again to take the cupcake so Gr M had his photo taken pretending to blow out the candle of the photo on the camera (if that makes sense!!)
Later that evening...
We booked into our hotel in Varanasi tired and dusty but had a bit of free time before going down to the Ganges to have a candlelight ceremony on a boat.
We were all starving hungry but decided to have a quick chai or coffee and then a shower before eating - so out came Lesley's shortbread which was passed around - everyone loved it and it was just enough to 'put us on'!! So thanks Lesley! (Mike and I had eaten his small fruit cake on the bus!)
And there was a small swimming pool!... So I had a quick dip - just what was needed!
We went down to the banks of the Ganges by motorised rickshaw - it was a drive of about half an hour.
This was the most chaotic ride we have ever experienced and should probably have been quite frightening but we found it great fun - there were three of us wedged in the tuk tuk so we weren't going to fall out unless we all fell out together!
The river was HUGE and very wide. Varanasi is one of the most holy places so it was very busy. Lots going on - washing, eating, burials, singing - all at the same time and at the same place.
(pic: Rupert and Naomi lighting candles)
We boarded a boat to take part in a candlelight ceremony on the water and then we went along the river to look at everything from there. It was very beautiful.
The gentleman in charge of the boat was 85 years old!
We popped into a silk shop on the way back to look at the scarves - all gorgeous so we made a few purchases. And of course we were there for ages and had a soft drink or a nice cup of chai!
After our evening meal we rode our tuk tuk back with Naomi - a very eventful ride and we couldn't stop laughing (probably hysterical with the driving!) as it was all really funny.
First of all the police tried to stop our driver for something (not sure what) then we went past an electricity pole which was on fire - blackout for that area for a while! We were in four tuk tuks and kept passing each other every so often so we told our driver to put his foot down as we wanted to win the race. He understood us and did!! And we won!!
Difficult to type as I am doing this on Gr M's phone and I can't see what I'm typing and I also have to keep messing about to go to capitals or punctuation.
We were circling above Heathrow before landing and when we looked down it was exactly like the opening credits on Eastenders! But by the time I had found my camera we had flown over it so I didn't get a picture.
We had good flights with Virgin Atlantic. Heathrow to Delhi was a huge plane but very full so rather noisy.
We got our luggage no bother and prepared ourselves for the mad crowds at arrivals - but nothing! All very ordered and civilised - it's a new airport a lot has changed in fourteen years.
Our hotel is good and in a busy little district. We met the rest of the group. Our leader is called Badam and seems very nice. The others in the group Debbie (Bournemouth but originally from Burnley) who we met at the airport, Noel and Lorraine (L is Australian but N is Irish - he was a ten pound Pom [google it!!]), Rupert and Kirsty (also Australian), Andy (London), Anne (British but emigrated to Oz in her teens and never came back), Naomi (and another one!) and Robert (Canada). So that's our group!
(This has been proof read and amended today - Thurs 1 Nov as we have time to spare - see further down...)
This is our first meal - not sure what we were eating but it was very nice - and very cheap - about 290 rupees.
This is the street that our hotel is on - all the lights are up ready for Divali - it looks really pretty (not quite the same in the day time though!!)
Happy birthday Grandad Mike! I think I can safely say that this will be one of his more unusual birthdays!!
We all met early and went to the underground station to visit some temples. We were originally meant to be going into the old part of Delhi but as it is nearly Divali everywhere is very busy and Badam decided that it was too busy and dangerous.
So off we went to a Hindu temple which was dedicated to the god Hanuman. That was quite interesting but we couldn't take any photos inside.
We then went to a Sikh temple - very big and really interesting. Again we couldn't take any photos inside but we were allowed to take them outside and in the kitchens of the area attached to the temple where pilgrims and visitors can get food after they have prayed.
When we went to visit the Sikh temple we had to cover our heads.Most of the women had scarves and the men wore small orange bandanas.
The temple was lovely but of course we were not allowed to take pictures inside.
They were nothing like our kitchens of course but the food looked good - they even had an automated chapati making machine which could turn out 2000 per hour!
We then came back on the metro - its like being at the airport as they do a body scan and bag xray before you can go through to the trains. And the trains were PACKED - we only just managed to squeeze all the group on!
It was also quite strange outside the station as there was a long queue of taxis - tuk tuks and cycle rickshaws! Very funny.
So we went for lunch - another nice meal - and everyone sang happy birthday to Gr M.
I had taken a small cupcake all the way to India with a candle - and planned to take it sightseeing with us in the day so that we could take photos with it to put on the blog. The cupcake got as far as my bag - it also got carried round all the temples (and xrayed twice!) - but I totally forgot about it until we got back to the hotel. Duhhh... Lesley had also made a fruit birthday cake for me to take so that we could celebrate on the overnight train journey but it weighed too much so in the end I just took the small cup cake shaped cake and the shortbread that she had made. And the tiny cupcake that I could carry around with me - but forgot!!
This is why the electrics keep failing!...
We were supposed to be taking an overnight train to our next destination this evening but we were unable to get the sleeper tickets - everyone is moving round the country for Divali. We didn't know until the last minute what was happening as we were waiting for confirmation of the tickets - which didn't arrive. So it was a change of plan. None of our group were bothered - we didn't have to do anything but wander off for a coffee or a look round the market - poor old Badam was on his phone trying to sort stuff out - NMP (not my problem)!
So we are having an extra night in the same hotel - not a hardship really - just a pity that we booked out of the rooms and are now having to book back in - ah well! They are struggling to sort out these rooms as the server blew up and now they have no computer systems.
(Gr M says that it was nothing to do with him even though he was on the hotel internet at the time.)
I think that they are going to organise a coach to take us to Varanassi tomorrow but once again NMP!
So we are off for another meal tonight - and have decided to have a party for Grandad Mike so that should be fun. Perhaps I will even take his little cupcake!...
(pic: outside restaurant Kirsty, Lorraine, me)
We had our meal but I forgot once again to take the cupcake so Gr M had his photo taken pretending to blow out the candle of the photo on the camera (if that makes sense!!)
Later that evening...
Our plans changed again when we weren't able to get our tickets for the sleeper train.
Instead of staying the extra night in Delhi we got a coach to travel overnight - a 15 hour journey but at least we weren't doing it all in the heat of the day!
So we loaded our luggage onto a couple of cycle rickshaws and walked round to find our bus... The coach was a large one so we could spread out and the seats reclined a lot so it wasn't too bad. Gr M and I were near the back which proved not to be a good decision - more of that later...
There was no loo on the coach and when we had a toilet break Debbie was appalled to find that her choices were a unisex squat loo or a bush! Welcome to India!
The reason we couldn't get our sleeper train was because half the country seemed to be on the move from one place to another because of Divali. Everywhere was covered in lights for the festival - it was very pretty - even the motorway petrol station was lit up like a christmas tree!
So we loaded our luggage onto a couple of cycle rickshaws and walked round to find our bus... The coach was a large one so we could spread out and the seats reclined a lot so it wasn't too bad. Gr M and I were near the back which proved not to be a good decision - more of that later...
There was no loo on the coach and when we had a toilet break Debbie was appalled to find that her choices were a unisex squat loo or a bush! Welcome to India!
The reason we couldn't get our sleeper train was because half the country seemed to be on the move from one place to another because of Divali. Everywhere was covered in lights for the festival - it was very pretty - even the motorway petrol station was lit up like a christmas tree!
This is the view from the hotel...
The roads were very busy - and very noisy and chaotic! Quite mad really. Well roads is a very loose term as most of the time it was like driving along a country road - or even like driving through roadworks!! The drivers undertake each other, they overtake each other, they swerve round each other and the cows - and every manoeuvre is accompanied by several VERY LOUD BLASTS of the horn. Lots of horns, each with its unique musical notes so very, very NOISY!
And if the traffic starts to build up on one side then they just transfer to the other side - remember that this is on the motorway so there is a concrete barrier down the middle. Our driver did this and got about half a mile down the road and then met a very big lorry coming the other (correct) way so he had to reverse all the way back and rejoin the queue on his own side. But no one seems to bother about it and they are all quite good natured with whatever happens.
So the journey wasn't too bad even though it was long - plenty to look at and some very interesting toilet breaks! That was until the driver went over a HUGE bump in the road and Gr M shot up into the air off his seat and hit his head on the overhead air con/light system. He really went with a crack and was quite stunned when he dropped back down into his seat. He was ok but still has a mark on his head now nearly a week later.
I didn't see what happened as I was sitting across from him with my legs up across two seats and was fast asleep - the bump shot me up into the air and deposited me in the footwell which was where I was rudely awakened! I had no idea what had happened so I just sat there. It was all quite funny as the rest of the bus were all ok - and I just popped out into the aisle on all fours! My camera also went shooting down the bus!
Saturday 2 November
Saturday 2 November
We were all starving hungry but decided to have a quick chai or coffee and then a shower before eating - so out came Lesley's shortbread which was passed around - everyone loved it and it was just enough to 'put us on'!! So thanks Lesley! (Mike and I had eaten his small fruit cake on the bus!)
And there was a small swimming pool!... So I had a quick dip - just what was needed!
 |
We went down to the banks of the Ganges by motorised rickshaw - it was a drive of about half an hour. This was the most chaotic ride we have ever experienced and should probably have been quite frightening but we found it great fun - there were three of us wedged in the tuk tuk so we weren't going to fall out unless we all fell out together!
The river was HUGE and very wide. Varanasi is one of the most holy places so it was very busy. Lots going on - washing, eating, burials, singing - all at the same time and at the same place.
(pic: Rupert and Naomi lighting candles)
We boarded a boat to take part in a candlelight ceremony on the water and then we went along the river to look at everything from there. It was very beautiful.
The gentleman in charge of the boat was 85 years old!
We popped into a silk shop on the way back to look at the scarves - all gorgeous so we made a few purchases. And of course we were there for ages and had a soft drink or a nice cup of chai!
After our evening meal we rode our tuk tuk back with Naomi - a very eventful ride and we couldn't stop laughing (probably hysterical with the driving!) as it was all really funny.
First of all the police tried to stop our driver for something (not sure what) then we went past an electricity pole which was on fire - blackout for that area for a while! We were in four tuk tuks and kept passing each other every so often so we told our driver to put his foot down as we wanted to win the race. He understood us and did!! And we won!!
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