Varanasi, India

We arrived in Varanasi and took a tuk tuk with a fellow traveller into the city. We were dropped off on a corner and had to walk down the narrow labyrinthine alleyways to our guesthouse. Varanasi is one of the oldest inhabited cities on earth and you could tell, it felt like it was built in an organic ramshackle way. Cubbies selling confectionary lined the alleyways alongside café's, phone shops and trinket shops. Cows and dogs wandered up and down the streets; I couldn't tell what was what along the path but the brown organic matter was piled up and hard to avoid. 

The Famous River Ganges In Varanasi, India 

The Famous River Ganges In Varanasi, India

We found our guesthouse hidden off a tiny street and climbed to the top floor where our room was, although it was lovely we decided to upgrade ourselves to the room next door for a small extra fee, it had air conditioning and a window looking out over rooftops and a view of the Ganges. Inside the room was beautiful, there was a pretty locally made rug on the floor and statement boutique-hotel style wallpaper, it was the nicest room we had been in in quite some time. After much deliberating I had managed to persuade Craig to continue our travels and visit Nepal for a couple of weeks. Although we had become weary travellers I had been so looking forward to Nepal and didn't want to miss our opportunity to see at least a little bit of it. We headed out onto the characterful streets and found a café for lunch and a tourist office to book our bus to Kathmandu. We found a photocopy shop and had hideous passport-style photos taken in front of a dirty white sheet for visa purposes and exchanged Indian rupees for Nepalese rupees and US dollars for the border. It felt exciting to be gearing up for a new country. After fulfilling all the chores necessary for our imminent trip across the border we took a stroll to a bustling market and along the edge of the Ganges, the sacred river that is an icon in India. We had seen the river once before in Rishikesh, there it was fast flowing with holiday makers making the most of the rapids on rubber dinghies. In Varanasi it was wide and slow and more what I had been expecting before we travelled in India. Children played cricket on the ghats and holy men were sat, cows went to the waters edge to drink and wooden boats lined the shore. 

A Cow In Varanasi In India

The next morning we woke early to take a sunrise boat ride along the river to see the famous burning ghats, where Hindu men and women are cremated. We waited with three other backpackers at a café in town before walking to the river. The streets were wet from rainfall and the sludge of mud and excrement lined the path. Being careful not to slip we walked down the steps to the ghats, unfortunately one of the backpackers did slip ending up covered in goodness knows what. We split into two parties and boarded the little wooden row boats. The river and ghats were already a hub of activity despite the early hour, a sunrise boat tour is one of the most popular activities in the city. The three of us sat while being rowed by a local, it was very peaceful. We saw the burning ghats where two people were being cremated at that moment. Funeral services are so private back at home in the UK that it seems strange that here the actual cremation is conducted in view of everyone. I was disgusted to see tourists in other boats taking photographs of the burning bodies despite being told not to do so, how utterly disrespectful. As our boat turned back it started to rain and we had no way to shelter from it. Children jumped off of a jetty into the water just downstream from the cremation site, laughing and showing off their excellent jumping poses and splashes. 

The Famous River Ganges and Ghats In Varanasi, India

The Famous River Ganges and Ghats In Varanasi, India

Once we reached the shore we paid our rower and dashed up the steps to find our hotel, we were absolutely soaked to the bone. The streets had turned into practically a river of rainwater, rubbish and poo and was impossible to dodge out the way of. It's a memory that is ingrained in me, the coldness of my loose elephant print trousers clinging to my legs, my white converse now a distinctly brown colour absolutely sodden and heavy to walk in, us smiling at locals as we passed, dodging bicycles and cows. Once we reached the sanctuary of our room we peeled off our clothes and showered, our shoes had no hope of drying it seemed. Once clean we returned to the café for breakfast, unfortunately without shoes we had to wear flip-flops and yes, the contents of the dirty street ended up all over our feet and between our toes. We sat with the girl we had shared our boat with, she was near the beginning of her Indian adventure and sounded so excited. We dined at a restaurant in the evening ordering a smorgasbord of local cuisine, our last taste of India which was delicious. The next day we'd be leaving Varanasi and India, our two months travelling the most challenging country we'd come across was at a close. 

🎥 India video:

Have you been to Varanasi? If so, what did you think? Maybe you're planning a trip? I've got tonnes of advice and tips I can share. Let me know in the comments below. 

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Khajuraho, India

I feel like the following post should come with a warning; if naughty stone carvings offend you then look away now! Some of the following images are of a crude nature. 🙈

Western Group Of Temples in Khajuraho, India

Western Group Of Temples in Khajuraho, India

With a minute to spare we caught a bus from Rishikesh to Delhi where we hung out around Connought Place before taking a sleeper train to Khajuraho. We arrived in Khajuraho early in the morning. Unlike most train stations in India that we have been to, Khajuraho was extremely quiet. We took a tuk tuk into town and found a hotel just opposite the Western Group of Temples which we had come to Khajuraho especially to see. The hotel was grim but the owner promised 'good wifi and a cheap price' so we decided to make do. It didn't take long before we noticed a lot of chirping noises, when we looked around the edges of the room we noticed crickets, and lots of them. It was like we'd been cursed with an Egyptian plague! We moved rooms and Craig started to unpack when he realised that most of his clothes were damp from his bag being left in a puddle in the storage boot of the bus, not a great start. We hung his clothes to dry where we could and went next door for for a bite to eat. The restaurant seemed very posh, it was in complete opposition to our hotel. We enjoyed a lovely vegetarian burger in a little air conditioned room with linen napkins and art adorning the walls. 

Western Group Of Temples in Khajuraho, India

Western Group Of Temples in Khajuraho, India

After lunch we walked to the Western Group of Temples, just yards away. Craig had read about the temples somewhere and they'd intrigued him. We'd heard that the carvings were quite unique as they displayed scenes of erotica, we thought it would be interesting to come and see them and Khajuraho seemed a little off the beaten track too. The temples which are Hindu and Jain were definitely a sight to behold! According to research only 10% of the carvings are actually of a sexual nature but as we walked around it seemed extremely easy to spot the erotic ones, some were so surprising as they featured scenes of bestiality. The temples were preserved extremely well and the gardens were a delight, it was like a little eden though the high humidity sapped any attempt at a relaxed wander around. 

Western Group Of Temples in Khajuraho, India

Western Group Of Temples in Khajuraho, India

We treated ourselves to pizza on a rooftop in the sleepy town for dinner, the conversation turned to our travels and Craig surprisingly stated that he had had enough of backpacking and was ready to go home. It was a little out of the blue and I didn't know what to think, although I've spent a great deal of time feeling homesick I still felt like I wanted to see a little more after India. I didn't want our journey to end on a low point because travelling India had been such a challenge for us and had worn us down. It was definitely time to have a think about whether to go home or continue on with our trip. The next day we ate at the lovely restaurant next door to our hotel and watched a film while waiting for our evening train to Varanasi, our last stop in India. As we waited to leave a cricket jumped onto my head causing me to screech and jiggle my body to free any other insects that may have invaded my personal space, I won't miss this when we do eventually get home. 

We've seen some temples in our time all across the world so it was very refreshing to see something that was actually different and completely unlike anything we've seen before. Khajuraho had been an interesting stop on the way to much anticipated Varanasi.

🎥 India video: 

Have you been to Khajuraho? If so, what did you think? Maybe you're planning a trip? I've got tonnes of advice and tips I can share. Let me know in the comments below. 

If you enjoyed reading then please click the heart at the bottom, share or better still leave me a comment, I love reading them.

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Rishikesh, India

The bus stopped on the side of the road, outside it was dark and dusty, ramshackle buildings were illuminated only by car and moped headlights and despite the early hour, the roads were chaotic with traffic and people. We departed and grabbed our bags, although the sun had not yet risen the air felt humid and clammy and we weren't quite at our end destination of Rishikesh yet. The road was split down the middle by a corrugated iron fence, we found an opening in the face and crossed the road where we found a bus station. As the sun slowly rose the light transformed the area from something scary to something quite ordinary. With bleary eyes we waited hours for a bus, luckily we met a group of travellers on holiday from south India who were headed the same way. We boarded a bus, got told to get off and did the same again twice, my patience was wearing thin. Eventually, the right bus was ready and off we went. We arrived at another bus station which was really just a bus parking area in the middle of a field and caught a tuk tuk. From the tuk tuk we could see a procession of people scattering colourful petals around with naked men and a band playing instruments, I had to do a double take, naked men in the street?! There must have been a religious festival going on, we were right near the sacred river Ganges after all. 

The River Ganges And Footbridge in Rishikesh, India 

The Sacred River Ganges Framed By Trees in Rishikesh

The tuk tuk dropped us off at a footbridge which we walked across with men on mopeds, cows, you name it. The river was fast moving and brown in colour, groups whizzed down in dingy boats. We found a hotel to stay in and had a lovely lunch at a very modern café. Apart from a walk to a waterfall and a walk to another footbridge along the river, our time in Rishikesh comprised mostly of sitting in a café that we found that overlooked the river and footbridge. We became so familiar with the owner that we could help ourselves to drinks from the fridge and pay up at the end of the day. Our go-to treat was a refreshing chocolate milkshake and a dish known as 'a sizzler' a hot pot of vegetables including fried potatoes in a rich gravy with rice, it was pure carb heaven. 

Taking A Walk Along The Roads Of Rishikesh In India

We stayed in Rishikesh for eight days, longer than intended as we weren't able to get transport to our next destination. Though the town was nice enough we felt a little stuck and our adventurous spirit had dwindled, we could have found several more walks to do, had a go on the river rapids or enrolled in a yoga school but we just couldn't be bothered, which sounds really bad but is true. Travelling had taken it out of us, all those days trying to get from one place to the next had taken their toll and we were starting to feel exhausted. We knew that our two months in India were coming to a close and we were so glad with what we had done but we were ready to move on, either to Nepal or home. One memory I have is speaking to my mum on the phone while sat in the café on a cushioned floor with pillows strewn around and pink and purple fabrics draped across  the walls. The river was in sight, fast and rumbling and I was talking to her about the sacred cows, she asked me to send her a photograph of ones we'd spotted on our stroll. I felt so far from home, in a place so different culturally and the distance really hit me. 

A Painted Gate In Rishikesh, India 

🎥 India video:​

Have you been to Rishikesh? If so, what did you think? Maybe you're planning a trip? I've got tonnes of advice and tips I can share. Let me know in the comments below. 

If you enjoyed reading then please click the heart at the bottom, share or better still leave me a comment, I love reading them.

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