Finally managed to get ourselves to Agra for the Taj Mahal, although not without upset!
On the train from Delhi I managed to get a nasty bout of Diarrhoea, so had to resort to using the train toilets - quite a nasty experience. Basically just a toilet with no seat, and just a hole below straight on to the track!
As well as this, on the train, on the opposite beds to us, were an Indian couple - one guy and a girl, both about our age. Throughout the whole journey they were staring at me, constantly. I'm not normaly self conscious, but these two made me feel pretty uncomfortable. I tried to sleep and just ignore them, although i was still well aware of the attention. Anyway, as I ventured (sprinted) to the toilet they revealed their motives. Apparently they claimed I was "beautiful"!
Anyway, once we arrived in Agra, we both headed to bed, as a result of us both feeling crap. We had only intended to stay for one night, see the Taj at sunrise the following am, and then get a train to Varanasi, on our way to Nepal. However, with us both feeling totally drained and me needing to use the toilet every hour, we decided against it, and booked the room for another night. This meant changing our onward train but we figured it would be worth it. We ventured to the train station and managed to change it to the same train but for the following pm.
The next am we visited the Taj at 6am - in time for sunrise at 6:30am. It certainly didn't disappoint!! It was absolutely amazing, and certainly the most perfect example of architecure either of us has ever seen. (Even compared to the Humber Bridge!!) We were the first people in, and as a result managed to get some brilliant photos, although we haven't had chance to put them on to cd yet, so we're guarding the cameras like they're made of diamond! It was definitely one of the highlights of our trip so far. Another highlight was to greet us in Varanasi.......
After a 13 hour trip on an overnight train to Varanasi from Agra we stumbled into our hotel exhausted and starving. A quick bite to eat and 3 hours sleep and we were ready to venture out. We headed down to the River Ganges and wandered along passing all the pilgrims bathing and doing their washing in some of the most polluted water in the world. This was a sight in itself. However, the sight of bodies being burnt on funeral pyres on the river banks further up hit us really hard. The bodies were clearly visible, and the intoxicating, noxious smell of burning flesh hung heavy in the already warm, humid air. We had read all about this practice, but nothing could have prepared us for the realtiy of it. It was certainly an experience. Apparently this is the most auspicious place in all of the Hindu world to die, and to be cremated on the banks of and then floated down the Ganges means an escape from the Caste System that is such a massive part of Hindu life. The locals didnt seem to even bat an eyelid though - just metres behind, a massive group of young lads were playinmg cricket, cheering and shouting as if nothing was happening! Definitely one of the most memorable experiences of the whole trip so far, and probably, I would wager, of the trip as a whole.
Anyway, tomorrow we catch an early am bus to the Nepali border. I can't wait!! We're going to be doing a week long trek along part of the Annapurna Circuit so we'd better make sure our cameras are fully charged!! We're both looking forward to some fresh (if a little thin) air and are expecting breath taking views.
Love to all,
Rich and Sho
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