Well, finally I get the opportunity to update our web page. It's been two weeks and we've done a lot of travelling since the last post. I'll try to capture at least some of the highlights and details of our adventures since June 16th.
First off, we did move to another place in Varanasi, the Hotel Alka, located right above the Ghats where we could see, and hear, all the activities of the devotees bathing, swimming, etc. in their sacred Ganga (Ganges River). The accomodations were a bit spare, dirty and alittle buggy (Courtney would probably describe them in less couched terms) but cheap and ideally located. We navigated our way into and out of the place through cramped, narrow, shit lined (cows are everywhere) paths but amazingly we had fun.
We left Varanasi after a total of 5 nights, bound for Rishikesh by train. We thought our tickets were valid all the way, but when we got to Hardiwar (after 22 hours including a 1-1/2 hour delay departing Varinasi) they disconnected our car from the rest of the train and told us we would have to get off. No worties though, we threw our packs on our backs and set off for the nearby bus stand and got a local bus the rest of the way (about 4) kilometers).
While waiting for the train in Varanasi, one shoed up on the track ours was supposed to depart from at about the time we were supposed to leave. We figured, this is India, so a little late is to be expected, and boarderd the train. Boarding an Indian train, sleeper class, is no simple feat. You have to fight and claw your way past people getting off at the same time. Now I know what you're thinking, "why don't you just wait for the disembarking passengers to get off the train, like a civilized human?". That's what I thought, but the fact is everyone does it this way and if you don't you can't get anywhere. Barbaric? Maybe but it's how it is. Anyway, we got on board, finally, got all our stuff settled and comfortable and sat down. A lttle voice told me I should just check to insure this was indeed the right train. A couple minutes later I bounded back onboard and yelled at Courtney "Get your stuff, honey, this train is going to Bombay." We rushed off board and then the dang thing sat for another 45 minutes before it left.
Stayed at a lovely plce in Rishikesh, the High Banks Peasant Cottage. It's a family owned three room accomodation above their home. It's gorgeous, with a balcony looking out over the garden, valley and across to the steep Himalyan foothills (anywhere else they'd be called mountains).
We loved it there. Met some very nice people: an Australian woman (Tammy) travelling on her way to work in England, an Indian man from Kerala (Manoj) travelling with his Italian companion (Rosie), and a British chap vacationing from his teaching job in Poland (Craig). We also got to an enjoy evening Pooja at Triveni Ghat, and one afternoon found our way up river to meditate away from the madness and close to nature.
From Rishikesh we travelled to Haridwar by shared taxi with Manoj and Rosie. We bought tickets for New Delhi and boarded in the same car as our friends. After several minutes of Manoj haggling with the others in the berth we settled into our 5 hour ride. The most remarkable thing about that journey was the face on the man actross from us. It looked like it was draw by Salvodar Dali. Like those dripping clocks in that famous painting, the right side of the man's face drooped down to where his ear touched his collar bone. It looked uncomfortable and strange, but he seemed to be fully functional, helping his family load and unload luggage, conversing with others, etc.
In New Delhi, Manoj tried valiantly to help us arrange onward transport to Jaipur before he had to give up his quest and catch his train to Bombay. It was a bit of a scramble in New Delhi. Everyone there acts like they are trying to help you but in fact what they are doing is offering misinformation to steer you to there commission producing and costly solution to your travel needs. We had to actually push past 5 teenage punks going upstairs in the train station to get to the Government of India Tourist Assistance Area. They said it was closed for lunch.
We were not able to get a train to Jaipur and had to take the bus, which worked out fine. This hard won information came after first travelling across town to the Old Delhi train station by way of an auto rickshaw that ran out of gas about 150 meters from the station. I am so glad we purchased backpacks for luggage. Once we finally got settled on the bus and about to leave town, we developed some sort of travellers hysteria laughing at all the craziness that had gone on. Then on board came the first of several "pitch men" selling jewelery, etc. in polished monotone sermons. I told Courtney that he rieminded me of a stewardess demonstrating how to use an oxygen mask, that's when we both "lost it". Next boarded a guy who was selling these little plastic spigots used to get juice from an orange. His demonstration was so persuasive that we both bought one at 10RS each (about 25 cents ea.).
Our 6 hour bus ride put us in "The Pink City" at 11pm. We stayed at the Hotel Arya Niwas and were thrilled with the cleanliness of the room. Actually, it spoiled us, as for only $10 US per night it was by far the nicest place we've stayed in our entire trip. The next day we mostly vegged out, went to see the fantastic astronomical instruments at Jantar Mantar and booked a trip to Ranthambore National Park for the next day.
On the morning of the 28th we got up early to go to Sawai Madhopur (closest town to the park) via taxi. The trip was bumpy and a little frightening in the sense that driving in India frequently involves these "chicken" like situations that look like you're going to end up in a head on crash until the last moment when one driver swerves to let the other by. Actually I think it's safe because all the drivers seem to be paying an extraordinary amount of attention to what the other guy is doing. Anyone trying to talk on a cell phone while driving in India would have be compolely out of their mind.
The park at Ranthambore was exquisite. We got wet from a monsoon storm but it did not dampen our spirits. We experienced such beauty and peace there. The country side is rich with flora and fauna with tenth century ruins of Maharaja's palaces and forts spread throughout the place. We did not get to see a tiger but we did see spotted deer, gazelle, summer deer, storks, antelope, peacocks and many other creatures. The day was a little more expensive than we had been budgeting, and the trip was long and ardouous (4 hours each way plus three in the jeep in the park) but was very much worth it. If I ever come back to India I will make a point of staying several days near a park like this and going on several "safaris".
One more day was spent in Jaipur, again basically recovering from the day before. The highlights being; a visit in the afternoon to Pizza Hut, where I actually became homesick and wept because it was so like being back in America; and a trip in the evening to the Ram Bagh Palace (a Taj Hotel) to see a traditional music and dance performance. It was very beautiful there and the dancers amazing. They danced while balancing stacks of bowls and glasses and such on their heads. One guy balanced a big clay pot filled with water on top of four water glasses on top of his head then danced and performed amazing feats such as walking on broken glass and even breaking glass with the heels of his feet. All this was done to a lovely melody and driving beat.
One more bus journey, yesterday, brought us to where we are now Pushkar. A holy town on a sacred lake surrounded by ghats whre people bath and worship all day and apparently all night. The noisy poojas went on well past my falling asleep last night and were there to wake me this morning. The town seems to be a little more easygoing. That is the hawkers arn't quite as voracious as I've seen elsewhere, with a few exceptions. A group of gypsy women shook hands with Courtney, while I was taking a picture of a snake charmer, and started painting mahendi designs in henna without her asking then tried to charge 100 rupees. I told them to stop, paid 20rs, pulled Courtney's hand away and balled the women out calling them very rude. I'm sure I looked ridiculous, but I was so angry. Immediately after that a kidd came up to beg and, poor little guy, I glared at him so fiercely that he shrank away rapidly.
We plan to do some shopping today and leave tomorrow on our longest journey yet: taxi to Meta, train to Pathankot, and bus to McLeod Gang where His Holiness the Dalai Llama lives. We plan to be there for a week and hope to get into a public audience with HH before coming back to Delhi for one night and then on to Copenahgen and the USA. | 
