North India

Distance covered since last blog: 600km

Having been so dark upon my arrival in Orchha, I was determined to make the most of it in the morning and enjoy everything that the town has to offer. I sprung out of bed at 9am, and purchased a 'tourist ticket' which gets you into all the main attractions in town. My first port of call was the Raja Mahal - a 17th century Islamic palace. To quote the guidebook - "the zenith of 17th century Islamic architecture". I was loving it, but unfortunately it got unbearably hot and I was starting to visablly sweat through my t-shirt, so I had to climb down from the ramparts and take refuge in a air-conditioned restaurant.   

The view from the top of Raja Mahal - looking back at Orchha

The inside of Raja Mahal

Sadly it was at this moment, 34 days into my travels, that I fell ill. I was sitting in the restaurant, drinking a bottle of water and reading my book, when I started to feel a little queezy. I assumed it was the fact that I hadn't eaten for 24 hours, but it started to get worse and worse until I had to run to the toilet to be sick. Just to add to the moment:

a) There was a waiter in the toilet when I came charging in

b) I ran into the womens cubicle

Obviously I called time on my day of sight-seeing and retired to my bedroom. Bad use of my 'tourist ticket'! As mentioned in my previous blog, I had a truly terrible hotel room. What's worse than being ill in India? Being ill in India in a hotel that you hate, with no TV and a toilet that won't flush. I tried to make the most of the situation by reading, sleeping, and watching the pair of gekkos I shared the room with scurry about. I started off a bit apprehensive about them, but by the end of the day we were all mates.

The toilet in Orchha - scenes of some moments in my life I never want to think of again 

April 1st - officially the start of the Indian summer. The time of year tourists are not recommended to visit because it is so hot! I was feeling well enough to rouse myself from bed and make my way to Lucknow - the capital of Uttar Pradesh, and the 'home' of the byriani; my favourite Indian food. The journey wasn't a problem - mainly because my travel companions were 4 elderly women who had no interest in staring at me. 

I suppose the next day was the very reason I decided to come to India in the first place - the World Cup Final. India vs Sri Lanka. I started off watching a bit in my hotel room, but for the second innings headed out to soak up a little bit of local atmosphere. I found a nearby bar, which was packed, and managed to squeeze in at the back. The game itself was fantastic, and the Indian captain won the match with a majestic straight six. Obviously everyone in the bar went bloody mental.

Post-victory euphoria

The party spilled out into the street, where I was adopted by a young Indian lad (of course), and whisked away on the back of his motorbike to a street party outside his house. It was some of the most fun I have had since being away - I had indulged in one or two shandies, so was really milking the attention I was getting; dancing, flag waving, starting chants, getting involved in a powered-chalk fight etc. Being in a country full of 1 billion cricket fans on the night they won the World Cup (at home) was truly a once in a lifetime experience. I was motorbiked home, and passed out shortly afterwards.

Street party

Losing a powered-chalk fight 

The next day was a bit of a non-event really. I woke up at 8 feeling rather fragile, ordered a cheese and onion omlette, then went back to sleep. When I awoke properly, I realised that it was Sunday, and the big museum I was keen to visit was shut. I had a little sulk, then got over it with a room service chicken byriani.

For some strange reason I was totally unable to sleep that night, so when my alarm went off at 5am I had literally not slept at all. I made my rather bleary-eyed way down to the train station, and got the 7am 'Express' to Varanasi. Varanasi is one of Hinduism's most holy cities, because it is on the banks of their most holy river - the Ganges. Going out on the river is the highlight of any tourist visit, and I did one at both sunset and sunrise. It is quite spectacular, and every evening their is an elaborate ceremony on the river banks to give thanks to 'Ganga'. No photos sadly because my budget new camera doesn't respond well to the dark!

It is also completely true that Indians light funeral pyres on the banks of the river. It was a rather disturbing thing to see, especially because there were kids bathing naked about 20ft away. For both reasons, I decided that taking a photo was rather inappropriate!

Sunset on the Ganges

Sunrise over the Ganges

Varanasi brings India to a close for me, and tomorrow I will be embarking upon a 21 hour journey to Pokhara in Nepal.

India is the most remarkable country I have ever been to. It has the capacity to inspire, amaze and frustrate in equal measure on an almost daily basis. Its people are forever trying to assist you (and maybe turn a small profit at the same time), and in many cases will go out of their way to help, even when not asked. I can't even begin to guess how many Indians I have been rude/grumpy/short-tempered with in the last six weeks; but I honestly can't think of a single one who has been rude to me. A lovely people and a lovely country.