January 2005 Archives
I'm sitting in Varanasi in the internet cafe in the hotel we're in - the first time I've managed to get online so far. At 50 rupees for 90mins works out at less than 1p/minute and as today is a free day, I'm making the most of it. Oh yes - before I forget, Elke also showed me the Clinic Beaucare website.
But back to Varanasi....
We were up at 5.45 to go on a boat ride on the Ganges to see the sun rise over the ghats (the steps where people come to wash/pray/cremate) .... but all we saw was lots and lots of rain and about 5 people instead of the hundreds shown in the postcards, the magnificent palaces built by kings and princes, which rise majestically above the ghats, looked rather rundown and forlorn in the daylight.
We've been really unlucky at times with the weather - overcast and cold in Delhi and Jaipur where the morning fog made it cold too, and not so good for taking photos :( That said, Jaipur and the Amer/Amber Palace still managed to impress, as did the camel carts and colourful local life as well as the buildings and scenic settings of Rajasthan.
We've just had 2 hot and sunny days, in Agra (so good pics of the Taj Mahal, which is every bit as amazing as you'd expect, and the Red Fort, which was equally stunning), and then travelling on an overnight train to Allahabad (11pm departure, 5am arrival, confluence of 3 sacred rivers, and lots of pilgrims). After three hours of recuperation in an Allahabad hotel (not sure why we needed 3 hours...) we continued on by coach through sunlit rural villages, and in one we had an impromptu stop at the village school (which proved to be less voyeuristic than I initially feared), in addition to the programme's scheduled stops at a temple (where I felt we weren't really very welcome...) and the old fort at Chunnar. The rest of the day was spent relaxing on a tranquil 4 hour boat cruise down the Ganges to Varanasi, where we arrived under cover of darkness and so were able to see the evening prayers in full effect.
BBC Country profiles: India and Nepal
Royal Nepalese Embassy, London - Visa information
(No need to get there early, well in January at least....! I didn't see more than 10 people there when I applied for and then returned to collect my visa the next morning. If you ignore the hour I waited from 9am to 10am for the Visa section to open, during which time I was joined by 5 other "queue-beaters", the waiting time was less than 5 mins.)
Lonely Planet Guidebook to Rajasthan
Lonely Planet - India map
Lonely Planet - Delhi details
Lonely Planet - Delhi map
Lonely Planet Guidebook to Nepal
Lonely Planet - Nepal map
Lonely Planet - Nepal details
Lonely Planet - Kathmandu map
BBC weather forecasts: Delhi, Allahabad, Varanasi, Kathmandu
Nepal Weather Report
The Pioneer
The Kathmandu Post
Itinery and map
I've just booked the Exodus Delhi to Kathmandu trip I spotted earlier this week - paying extra for business class/premium economy flights but what the hell, travelling is why I work!
So next step is to sort out visas for Nepal, and possibly India (Grrrrr - I can't believe that I may have to get another visa because the Kerala one expires on 03 Feb!!! Why was I so organised about getting my India visa for Kerala sorted out???), and to check out books and background info. Oh, and to transfer some
Well, having provisionally arranged to start at Norton Rose on 07 February, I met Sue Hobson today and fixed my leaving date for Friday 21 January..... so this evening I have been checking out holiday options, and in the wee small hours (well past 1am on 06 Jan), I found this Delhi to Kathmandu trip with Exodus:
Delhi, the booming capital of modern India, has had many rulers and contains a wealth of buildings and culture that bring to life its rich and turbulent history. Safe in its natural mountain fortress, the fabled city of Kathmandu was virtually cut off from the rest of the world until the last half century. Smaller, but no less fascinating, this city has been described as having more temples than houses and more gods than people. To travel between these two very different cities is one of the most beautiful and fascinating journeys in Asia. For culture vultures the Taj Mahal, the 'Pink City' of Jaipur, the holy city of Varanasi or the Buddhist Stupas of Kathmandu may be the highlight; for those more interested in nature's treasures, spotting rhino on an early morning elephant ride through Chitwan National Park may feature as high on the list as their first view of the mighty Himalaya, towering 8000m. (26,000 ft.) above the plains on the India/Nepal border. On any journey however it is often the friendliness of the people you meet on your way that lasts longest in the memory.Travel: Private bus, train, boat and elephant.
Group & staff: Min. 8, max. 16, plus leader, driver, local guides for sightseeing.
Accommodation: 11 nights hotels, 2 nights jungle lodge, 1 overnight train.
Food: All breakfasts and 1 lunch included; full board at Chitwan.
Travel dates: Fri 21 Jan 05 Sun 06 Feb 05
Cost: TBC
.... that I'm leaving. Part of me feels awful, but a bigger part feels relieved.