Posted by Catherine

We enjoyed a quiet breakfast at the hotel, enhanced by Masala chai.

Perhaps I will be redecorate the bedroom so that I can continue to be treated as a Rani or Queen. Maybe someone (Wally) will bring me the “Hello to the Queen” dessert!

We walked out to view the Batwa River from behind the hotel.

They have a lovely pool at the hotel but it was pretty cold so I decided to not get in, even though I do have my bathing costume with me.

On arrival in Orchha, Manu had said we were supposed to be in tents but had been upgraded to hotel rooms. Tents? Are you kidding? After 16 hours on the train? We had envisioned sleeping on the ground after erecting a two person tent by ourselves, hopefully without killing each other.

We checked out the tents this morning and were pleasantly surprised by the layout. Glamping might not have been so bad as each unit had a double bed, a tv and a private bathroom. And what a view in the morning!

We loaded up into auto rickshaws again to visit the paper making factory which supports local tribal women.

The factory grounds were spotless. We had the same guide as last night who explained the process to us. The group collects cotton scraps from clothing factories then cleans, chops, pulps and presses it into paper.

Once the paper is pressed into sheets by various machines it is hung to dry.

The different grades of paper are made into products such as journals, notepaper & decorative items. We had an opportunity to shop in their display area.

Back into the auto rickshaws, we were whisked off for our cooking class in a local home, led by a lovely young woman named Rajni. She was assisted by her niece.

What a menu! Masala chai, eggplant curry, potato and pea curry, rice with peas, fresh guava chutney, fried mixed lentils and two kinds of bread from the same dough – chapatis and poori. There were also pappadum crackers to start.

Our tour companion Anja assisted with the cooking while the rest of us wrote down the recipes. It probably won’t taste nearly as good at home but we will give it a try!

Rajni did all of this cooking on a 2 burner propane stove sitting on the floor. She has been doing these demonstrations for 12 years and is the official G Adventures cooking lady. Lucky us! We were happy to support this local enterprise! It was probably the best meal we have eaten so far on the trip as everything was so fresh and tasty.

Full and happy, we returned to the hotel to wait for the trip to the train station in Jhansi at 4:00 pm to catch the 6:30 pm train to Agra. We again sang the praises of Manu who organized the porters, got us our tickets, navigated the railway station and found the right platform for us.

The train was surprisingly modern and comfortable and a light dinner was served.

We arrived in Agra around 9:00 pm. A bit of a shock after quiet little Orchha (pop. 10,000) to be in a city of 1.5 million people. There was a more aggressive atmosphere as the porters were arguing with each other about who would carry our bags and the beggars outside were shouting at each other over who would get to us first. We were happy to get on the waiting bus.

Well, happy until we got to the hotel around 10:00 pm and discovered that the hotel had messed up the reservation and there were no rooms available for us. To top it off, there was a doctor’s convention in the city and everything was booked up! Poor Manu! He kept his cool though and after about an hour on the phone he managed to find us a hotel not too far away.

Everyone in the group was tired but no one got upset or angry, we just waited patiently for The Fixer to pull some strings and solve the problem as we knew he would. Manu apologized profusely for the quality of the hotel which was pretty worn out and not too clean but we were all sooooo glad to have a bed! We were certain there were no doctors staying there! A comedown from Orchha but we were sure that the people sleeping outside on the sidewalks at the train station would have thought it palatial!

If this is Monday, it must be Orchha…

Following our bleary eyed arrival around 10:30 am we were able to check into our hotel rooms, grab a shower and have lunch at the hotel restaurant. Feeling human again, we explored the grounds of the hotel and then had a rest.

At 3:00 pm we met up with a local tour guide to visit Orchha. We walked over to the monuments behind the hotel.

Absolutely stunning architecture from the 1500’s.

The area we visited used to be the cremation grounds for royalty and the buildings are called cenotaphs as memorials for the departed.

Perched atop several of the spires were huge nests of vultures, which are revered creatures here for their role in the environment. This particular species was on the endangered list a few years ago but has made a comeback. We thought they were statues until they moved!

Also circling the tops of the buildings were flocks of large green parakeets. Very magical!

The grounds had beautiful gardens with roses and canna lilies and were very clean and uncluttered, which enhanced our appreciation.

We left the cenotaphs and walked over to the Raj Mahal, one of the royal palaces also from the 1500’s.

The main gates had large spikes on it to deter attacks from elephants during times of war. Poor elephants!

Several of the interior buildings had beautiful paintings on the ceilings, which would have been duplicated on the rugs of the palace.

In other rooms there were paintings on the ceilings that depicted stories of the lives of the Hindu gods.

There were also large pools for water which would have been scented with rose and jasmine petals to provide fragrance to the royal court and keep the buildings cool.

One of the courtyards featured a large dance platform from earlier times.

Carvings of elephants encircled the guest courtyard, 108 of them as it is an auspicious number, trunks down in welcome for visitors.

We were able to climb up to higher levels to watch the sunset. More stone steps – just can’t get away from them – but wonderful views! I stayed on the ground and enjoyed everyone’s photos.

We paused for a snack and wondered what this last item on the dessert menu could be. We opted for a less extravagant ice cream dessert.

We then walked over to the large Hindu temple for the evening prayer service or aarti.

Photo below – another palace on the hillside just above the Hindu temple

We left early to go back to the hotel as the lack of sleep on the train was catching up with us. An auto rickshaw back to the hotel was seamlessly arranged by Manu, bless him.

Posted by Catherine

Today was our last day in Varanasi. We were up very early & in the hotel lobby at 5:30am. It was still quite dark outside so there were lots of sleepy eyes in our group.

We loaded up into motorized auto-rickshaws & headed off towards the Ganges. Traveling through the city at this early hour was much different than at other times of the day. There was far less traffic & we saw lots of people starting their day in shops & in all sorts of vehicles delivering various food & other products to all the stores along the way.

As we got closer to the river the traffic got a bit heavier with lots of people just like us – going to see the sunrise.We arrived at the riverbank just as the sky was beginning to get light.

Manu had us all board the boat he had hired along with his special surprise! He had arranged for two local musicians – a master sitar player and his nephew who played the tabla – to serenade us as the sun was rising.

It was simply beautiful! The sun rose over the far bank of the river & a full moon still hung in the air over the city. (One of our travel group colleagues took the photo below).

Needless to say, there were lots of oooos & ahhhs to the spectacular sunrise complimented by the beautiful music.

Plus there was chai tea served from a metal tea pot into freshly made clay cups! Manu certainly “hit this one out of the park”. Everyone on the tour will remember this for the rest of our lives.

After the sun was rising well into the sky our group returned to the hotel for breakfast. It was still only 8:30am & we had until 12:30 noon to check out of our room.

After enlightenment, the laundry. We saw laundry workers doing the hotel laundry in the Ganges and hanging it up to dry along with several saris spread out on the walkway.

We had the luxury of getting laundry done at the hotel which we were pretty sure wasn’t beaten on a board in the river. It came back crisply folded around stiff sheets of paper.

Better than new! I’m hoping my roommate will do the same thing for me at home but she says – dream on buddy!

The group members all had free time until 1:30pm when the plan was to go out to a nearby restaurant for lunch. I was feeling a little “off” so Catherine & I decided to stay at the hotel & have a light lunch at their restaurant.

After lunch we took some comfortable seats in the lobby & began to check our emails & to start writing this blog entry. Shortly after we sat down there was a commotion in the lobby as large Indian wedding party arrived for a post wedding ceremony celebration in the hotel’s event dining room.

After the main wedding party passed through several smartly dressed teenage boys sat down on the couches adjacent to where we were. One of them came over to us, extended his hand & said hello. When he realized that we were open to conversation with him he politely asked many questions: why are you here, where are you from, what are your names, how old are you, do you have children?

Then his buddies came over for photo ops with us. There was such a happy commotion that the noise & chatter enticed many others from the wedding party to meet & be photographed with us. Grandfather of the groom, aunt & uncle of the groom, nieces, nephews & cousins of the bride & groom. One of the uncles was a minister in the Indian government & another relative was an MP for the region. So many people – it was like a party but it was also like trying to drink water from a fire hose!

Someone behind us sprinkled us with Marigold petals & gave us each a rose which enhanced the photo ops.

Once things quieted down a bit a woman & a young girl, both wearing beautiful dresses came over, sat with Catherine & had a small conversation while many more photos were taken. I wonder if any will end up in the bride & groom’s wedding photo album 🙂

Serenity at sunrise, happy wedding chaos in the afternoon. What could possibly be next? Oh yes, I almost forgot – an 16 hour overnight train journey from Varanasi to Orchha!

It was an epic voyage! The train station was only a five minute walk from the hotel and teeming with people. Our luggage was carried by porters Manu had arranged for us. These men work hard for their wages (100 rupees per bag – $2.00), are proud of what they do and appreciated our business.

There are 5 classes of travel on Indian trains and we were smack dab in the middle.

We were assigned seats facing each other on one side of the compartment. The bottom seats folded into a narrow bed and there was a bunk above.

On the other side of the compartment were benches that folded down into three tiers of bunks, for six beds altogether. The lads from London were across from us

The rest of the group were in other compartments.

We were each given two clean white sheets wrapped in brown paper while there already was a blanket and small pillow on the bunk.

I sat up for awhile but Cath made up her bunk – just like being on the sailboat!

Bedtime was 10:00 pm. People were coming and going all night.

The train was fairly smooth and quiet so we managed a bit of sleep. I have no idea how people knew where they were as there were no announcements, only about 30 stops!

Manu appeared around 6:00 am to tell us that the train was about 3 hours late, and we would arrive in Jhansi around 10:00 am. Give or take. We are on IST – not Indian Standard Time but Indian Stretchable Time.

We got in around 10:00 am, hopped into an auto-rickshaw for a half hour ride to Orchha. This is what greeted us when we got in. Stunning & right beside our hotel!

Ahoy all;

We are in Jaipur today. Sorry that we are falling behind in our blog posts. The last few places we have stayed at have had very slow internet connections – much too slow for all the photos we want to share.

We have been writing up our stories each day & have lots of photos to post as well.

Don’t give up on us! We will be in Delhi tomorrow – our last stop on this adventure & should have a much higher speed connection at that hotel.

Cheers!

Wally & Catherine

We had a great sleep at our hotel & a leisurely breakfast. The program for the late morning & early afternoon was to visit the silk weaving sector of the city.

We were transported from our hotel to the silk sector by gas powered tuk-tuks. That was a pretty exciting experience all in itself!

The silk industry has been a part of Varanasi for centuries, primarily through the Muslim community. There are over 700 working looms still in the area, off of narrow alleyways and winding streets in a concentrated area of the city.

Manu had arranged for a local guide to take us through the manufacturing area where the silk threads are woven into a variety of colours & patterns.

The majority of the silk fabrics made in Varanasi are sold to retailers all over the world. Very little of their output is sold directly to the end customer in India.

Our first stop on the tour was to see one of the shops where the loom programming cards are punched out. This process has been around for well over 100 years. You could say that these looms were among the first programmable computers.

A separate design team lays out a pattern for the loom to weave. The pattern is converted into a series of holes punched into hard rectangular paper cards & the cards are then tied together into long series & are fed into the loom which uses this information to weave the threads into the fabric.

The small spools of silk threads are loaded onto a device that wraps the threads onto a single large spool that is then hooked up to the loom & ready for weaving.

Hundreds of spools of silk are rolled onto a big rack

Then all of the silk threads are fed onto another much larger wheel

Finally the threads are rolled onto a single large spool the feeds the loom. The spool is covered with cardboard to protect the silk while it is being transferred to the loom.

Once the design cards are complete they are fed into the loom & the threads a fed into the loom.

The sound of the looms in operation is deafening! It’s like something out of Dickens – small cramped workspaces, pieces of metal machinery whirling around, hardly any light. The looms work almost too fast to see the weaving process take place.

After visiting a few of the electric motor driven looms we were taken to a room where silk fabrics are woven by hand, using a manual loom. Our guide explained that these looms are used for very elaborate patterns & it could take a weaver over a month to make a meter of top quality & very expensive fabric. These looms are generally used for special orders only.

After touring the manufacturing operations our group was taken to a fabric display room where the manager of the co-operative showed us a variety of absolutely gorgeous finished products ranging from bolts of fabric for making clothing as well as finished bedspreads, table cloths & scarves.

The “silk guru” held the ladies’ full attention during his presentation

He did an excellent job explaining what makes different quality & value of silk and wool fabrics as compared to synthetics. Of course there was an opportunity to make purchases at very reasonable prices. The group really appreciated the fact that there was no pressure to buy anything. We were offered chai as part of the presentation ritual! Several of us made purchases, to support the local economy and buy Fair Trade products. Luckily they take Visa!

After the tour we returned to the hotel by tuk-tuks again & had a few hours to rest up before our next activity of the day.

At 4:30pm we assembled in the hotel lobby. Manu explained that we would be traveling by bicycle rickshaws to the banks of the Ganges River for a brief walking tour & then a boat ride on the river to watch the sunset. We would get a chance to watch a sunset ceremony or “aarti” performed by 7 Brahmin priests.

Manu did an excellent job describing the history of Varanasi & the importance of the Ganges to Hindus. There are 84 ghats or sets of stone steps leading to the water spread out along about a two kilometer stretch of the western shore of the river.

This site has been performing ritual cremations for many centuries. The fires that are used to light the funeral pyres have also been burning continuously for several hundred years. Cremations take place 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

While we were waiting to board the boat, a holy man came along offering blessings to us. Manu assured us that he was the real deal so for 100 rupees each ($2.00) we received the tika red mark for the third eye chakra and three horizontal stripes of sandalwood paste denoting a blessing from Lord Shiva for a long life. Om Namah Shivaya.

Our boat was a large rowboat with no engine that could hold about 15 passengers. It was rowed by one person!

We went past one of the main cremation sites, where several huge cremation fires were burning. Our boat stayed about 100 meters from shore & Manu asked the group to kindly not take any photos of these particular activities as respect for the grieving families.

Once our boat had gone past the cremation ghats we proceeded to head towards the main “stage” on shore where the priests performed the evening ritual ritual accompanied by conch shells, bells, incense, lights, peacock feathers and chanting.

There were probably more than 100 boats like ours that came close to shore to witness the service. We had chai tea on board and then we each sent a small offering of a candle and marigolds on a little paper plate into the water. It was a fascinating & very moving evening, especially with the pink sunset & a full moon that rose dark red in the sky framing the spectacle.

The ceremony went on for about an hour & then we returned to our rickshaws to go to a restaurant nearby our hotel for a late dinner. We were delighted to find “dosas” or large thin pancakes that we had enjoyed in South India on the menu. Then, back to the hotel for bed.

The next day we had a 5:30am start to go back to the same place to watch the sunrise over the Ganges.

Namaste 🙏