Our first stop in the region was Jaipur - a six-hour train ride away from Agra.  Unfortunately our unlucky streak with Indian trains continued.  Our train was scheduled to depart at 6:15 am, so we got up at 4:30am and promptly arrived at the station 15 minutes before the scheduled departure.   Upon arrival, we were notified that the train was already running two hours late.  Disgruntled, cold and still very tired, we sat down on the platform with the other travelers and patiently waited....  the two hour delay was then stretched a further 45 minutes, then another hour, etc....  Meanwhile, amongst the group of waiting backpackers, we amused ourselves by exchanging 'war' stories and watching a rather large group of monkeys cavort around the station and on the tracks, trying desperately to steal food from passerbys.

A successful monkey devours his chipati on the train tracks.

In the end, the train did arrive.... almost 6 hours late!!! 
 
Our train journey to Jaipur was fairly uneventful except for the appearance of a hijras. 

Hijras: India's most visible nonheterosexual group is the hijras; they are transverstites and eunuchs who dress in women's clothing.  Some are gay and some are hermophrodites; since it is traditionally unacceptable to live openly as a gay man in India, hijras get around this by becoming, in effect, a sort of third sex.

So, a man dressed (badly) as a woman came through the carriage, talking loudly to people and clapping.  An Indian man (who was sitting next to us) was clearly disturbed by 'her' and reluctantly gave her money to make her go away.  He later told us that the hijras work in organized groups extorting money from people.  It seems to be based on a superstition (no donation means being subject to a curse) but has become increasingly intermingled with a threat of violence.  They 'work' mainly as uninvited guests at important events: births, marriages, etc... and often get large amounts of money.
 
Jaipur
Population: 2.32 million
Region: Rajasthan
Famous for: the capital of Rajasthan; the ‘Pink City’.
 
We arrived in Jaipur during the late afternoon, and took the opportunity whilst at the train station to purchase our train tickets for our journey throughout Rajasthan.  As the Christmas holiday season approaches, train tickets get snatched up in a hurry by the increasing number of holiday tourists.  After a couple of hours of queuing, we managed to purchase the majority of the tickets we were looking for.      
 
We then found a great rooftop room in a nearby hotel.  After a full days traveling, we gladly opted for an early night.  The following day, we made the most of our time in Jaipur by going on a full-day tour of the city and its sights.  We were carted around the city by bus, stopping at various temples, palaces and forts in and around the 'pink city'.

The pink buildings of Jaipur.

 Our first stop was the Birla Lakshmi Narayan Temple, a splendid example of modern marble carving - it was so white, that the sun's rays reflecting off its walls were nearly blinding.  Our main stop was the City Palace, a mix of Rajasthani and Mughal architecture; the palace remains the residence of the current Maharaja today.  We had a quick tour of the costume and armory museums and admired the colorful pink facades of the complex. 

The immaculate walls of the Palace complex.

On the left - the world's largest sundial.  On the right - pigeons compete for a place to roost on the Maharaja's chandeliers.

The highlight of the day was our visit to the Jantar Maatar observatory, home to the world's largest sundial (accurate to 2 seconds!!).  Our guide explained the function of each of the large ‘sculptures’, which turned out to be impressive and working instruments for studying the Zodiac, the sun and calculating eclipses.

The Jal Mahal - the 'Water Palace' on the outskirts of Jaipur.

We toured the palaces of the Jaigarh Fort.

The following day, we caught up on laundry and emails.  We also bumped into some friends we met in Nepal; so we enjoyed a long leisurely dinner talking with them in the hotel roof terrace restaurant.  That night we boarded the overnight train to Udaipur.  The night train turned out to be the cleanest and quietest of our India trip so for.... and even better, it departed on time!!! 
 
Udaipur
Population: 390,000
Region: Rajasthan
Famous for: India’s most ‘romantic city’; setting for the James Bond movie, ‘Octopussy’.

Udaipur is billed as one of India' most romantic cities; nestled around a man-made lake and surrounded by purple-colored hills, the elegant havelis and palaces overlooking the lake make for a truly serene setting.  In the middle of the lake are two 'floating palaces' made purely of marble; one has now been turned into a 5-star luxury hotel (out of our budget range unfortunately).  We soon checked into a charming haveli (Indian mansion/town house), complete with beautiful stained-glass windows and terraces overlooking the lake.  We spent the afternoon taking in the sights and relaxing in some of the towns many rooftop restaurants. 

The Venice of India.

Udaipur's modern claim to fame is that it was the main location for the filming of the James Bond film 'Octopussy'.  In honor of this, nearly half the restaurants show the movie in length each night at dinner.  We had a great evening watching the film and recognizing the landmarks - certainly the easiest way to 'sight-see' a new place!
 
For the next two days, we took a break from our 'backpacker' existence and indulged ourselves - all under the great excuse of 'Nikki's birthday'!!  We aimed to spend the day in the 'James Bond' solid marble pool in the grounds of a nearby palace, but unfortunately, it was closed due to a rather raucous wedding the day before.  Instead, we had to make do with a rooftop pool (in another hotel) surrounded by gorgeous cushioned alcoves and a panoramic view of the city.
 

The 'James Bond' pool is located in a stunning lakeside palace.  The pool was closed but we still paused for a drink in the opulent surroundings.

The following day, we dug out the smartest clothes we had and took a private speedboat to the Lake Palace Hotel for a romantic birthday lunch.  Nikki was surprised with a birthday cake, though this was not the highlight of our meal.... we were instead really ecstatic about the fact that the restaurant served real cheddar cheese and 'safe, clean' raw fruits and vegetables!!!!

We were driven to the floating palace where we dined on cake and ...er...cheese.

The sun sets in Udaipur.

We were sad to leave Udaipur, it had proved to be a relaxing break from all the hectic and polluted Indian cities we had visited in the weeks before.  We took a 6.5 hour comfortable bus ride through the desert scrub to the city of Jodhpur.
 
Jodhpur
Population: 847,000
Region: Rajasthan
Famous for: the ‘Blue City’.
 
Jodhpur is situated on the fringes of the Thar Desert, known as the 'blue city' because of the blue-wash walls of the old town houses; Jodhpur is an impressive sprawl below the mighty Meherangarh Fort.  We stayed in a wonderful family-run, red-sandstone haveli guesthouse directly underneath the fort, where we were treated to some great home-cooked meals and a friendly atmosphere.

The 'blue' city lives up to its name.

The Meherangarh Fort looms over the blue city.

We spent the next day exploring the Megerangarh Fort.  The entrance fee included an excellent audio guide which taught us all about the artifacts, architecture and legends.  The fort remains in good condition and as well as having an impressive palace, it has amazing views out across the city.  The city itself spreads out as far as the eye can see; short blue and terracotta-colored buildings crowd between a maze of interconnecting twisting alleyways barely as wide as a small car.

The fort was the location of many battles between the kings of Rajasthan.

We toured the forts palaces perched high above the city.

Did we mention the city was blue?
 
The following day, we explored a pillared marble memorial on the outskirts of the city before braving the maze of streets and investigating the local bazaars and traditional spice markets.  We thoroughly enjoyed Jodhpur, which proved to be far less touristy than most Rajasthani cities.  However, our visit to Jodhpur put back the progress of  Nikki's 'cow therapy' by several months (Nikki has an unexplained fear of cows); the cows of Jodhpur seemed particularly aggressive and tried to head butt anyone in sight (mostly tourists).... even Eric was forced to take cover on a couple of occassions!!
 
Soon it was time to move on from Jodhpur; our alarms went off at an ungodly pre-dawn hour, giving us enough time to untangle the web of strings that held up our mosquito net.  We made it to the train station with little problem (apart from more irate cows).  Our train was delayed (of course), but only by 40 minutes - pretty good by Indian standards!
 
Jaisalmer
Population: 58,000
Region: Rajasthan
Famous for: the ‘Golden City’. 

A throng of touts greeted us at the Jaisalmer train station; luckily, we had arranged (for the first time in our trip) for someone to pick us up... so we easily bypassed the pests!!  Our guesthouse was located inside the city fort and we were given the magnificent 'traditional room' - complete with authentic mud floors, original shutters and a cushioned alcove looking out over the fort and the city. 

The view from our traditional window alcove.

The sand colored fort casts a shadow over the city.

 Jaisalmer is known as the 'Golden City', due to the yellow glow of its angular sandstone buildings basking in the desert sun,  The city’s houses cluster around the mighty fort which stands like a giant sandcastle in the middle of the Thar desert.
 
After a much-needed lunch we headed into the city to visit two famous havelis.  Havelis are extravagant mansions, standing 3 or 4 stories high around a central courtyard.  The Sing-ki-haveli and the Patwa-ki-haveli had great examples of intricately carved lattice stonework, topped with magnificent views of the fort.
 

Golden balconies overlook the markets below.

The sun illuminates the golden city.

We wandered around the streets taking in the local life before heading back to our guesthouse for dinner.  The rest of our time in Jaisalmer was spent wandering the streets of the fort and city and indulging in a little souvenir buying.

Colourful rugs and cloths are draped in the city's streets.

Haveli's tower over narrow alleys.

With our tour of Rajasthan complete, it's time for us to head south in search of sun and sand.

Nepal - India border crossing

After relaxing for a few days at the Chitwan National Park it was time for us to leave the peace and quiet of Nepal and enter India.  A local bus took us from Chitwan to the border town of Sonauli where we would spend the night.  Sonauli is a dirty, dusty, polluted town centered around the main Nepal-India road.  It is fair to describe both the town and our hotel as 'dumps' (our room had dirty walls, filthy sheets, nasty smells, no running water, and looked out onto a noisy street - this was the best hotel we could find); no tourist enjoys their stay here nor looks to make a return visit. 

The border crossing itself was as easy as walking across a road; the controls were so slack we had to seek out the Indian immigration office ourselves and found it nestled between a general store and a street cafe. 

Welcome to India!  ....say goodbye to clean air and clear streets... 

Having obtained our entry stamps, our visit to India got off to a bad start.  We had booked tickets on the 8:30 'tourist bus', but had a bit of confusion identifying the bus as it was not as described, nor parked where we had expected.  Sensing our confusion, the bus tout lept upon the opportuinity to fleece more money out of us.  First he claimed our tickets were from a different bus... but for a 'small fee' he would let us ride his bus; then he tried to charge us an extorianate 'luggage fee'; followed by a claim that we had the right tickets but had underpaid for them and bought them from an unauthorized ticket tout.  Things got a little heated when he got insulted by our 'lies' (playing at his game, we told him that we had bought them at three times the price).  We eventually managed to negotiate our way on to the bus (without paying extra)...... welcome to India!!!!!

After a delayed departure (to ensure we picked up as many tourists as possible), we set off for Varanasi where we latre arrived at about 7pm.

Varanasi
Population: 1.2 million
Region: Uttar Pradesh
Famous for: One of the holiest cities in India, situated on the banks of the Ganges.  Visited by millions of Hindu pilgrams each year who come to wash away their sins in the water or burn their dead to ensure salvation.

We arrived at night and were immediately thrown into the chaotic and polluted heart of the city.  We took a rickshaw to the 'old city' where our chosen hotel was located.  Rickshaws cannot penetrate past the first few streets in the area as they soon divide and narrow into a labyrinth of dark narrow twisty alleyways lit only by the occoasional generator in a city of frequent power cuts.  We marched for about 30 minutes through the intimitating and disorientating patchwork of tiny streets, stumbling and slipping in the dark on rubbish, cow shit and other unmentionables.  Our hotel was right at the water edge, near some of the cremation ghats.  Indeed we did pass at least one dead body along the way being carried down to the Ganges on a stretcher.  When we eventually reached our hotel, we gladly retreated for the night!!

The following morning we woke up to blue skies and enjoyed a delicious banana pancake breakfast on the rooftop terrace overlooking the Ganges.  Lukily for us, none of the ghats immediately below were cremation ones, meaning we didn't have to breathe in any ashes.  The banks were bustling with people doing laundry, morning excercises, prayers and even washing - including brushing their teeth in the smelly murky waters.  The river bank was very colorful and crammed with buildings, in stark contrast to the opposite side which remains completely devoid of any development; presumably due to the large monsoon floods that occur every year. 

The view from our hotel.

Buildings of all shapes and sizes crowd the banks on the Ganges. 

We spent the next few days taking walks along the riverside and exploring the ghats and streets of the old city.  The banks were usually teaming with people - merchants selling food and religious objects, children flying kites and playing cricket, locals washing in the river and pilgrims making religious offerings.  The city was also full of cows who are free to roam as they please.... a nice idea but also problematic when they block alleyways or lie down for a nap in the middle of a busy roundabout, heedless of oncoming traffic.

Cows wander the roads causing more chaos to some already alarmingly erratic driving.

The alleys of the 'old city' were often blocked by cows. ...just when you thought you'd escaped them, another one appears around the corner.

Every available space (not blocked by cows) is used by merchants to display their wares - in this case the vegetable market.

At night, many ceremonies take place at the ghats; we were not always sure what they were in honor of, but usually all involved lots of inscense, candles, swaying, chanting, as well as the throwing of flowers into the river. 

The ghats were crowded, every evening you could watch a ceremony of some sort.

One of the best ways to see Varanasi is to take a dawn boat ride along the river.  This was a great way to view the varied architecture and skyline of the old city.  It was also a good opportunity to observe the morning bathing rituals of locals and pilgrims alike. 

The Ganges at sunrise.

The early morning sun enhanced the different colors and shapes of the buildings.

Whilst some perform daily bathing rituals on the ghats....

...others take the plunge and swim across the filthy polluted river.

After 3 days in Varanasi it was time to head to Delhi.  We had a late dinner on our hotel terrace (guarding our plates carefully against the local monkeys who were particularly partial to chapati's - Indian bread), before heading back out through the alleyways to catch a rickshaw to the train station.

The rickshaw driver drove like a maniac, what we had first taken as a speech impediment turned out to be the slurring of a drunk.  Our 'ride of death' involved bumping into bicycles, the metal-on-metal scraping of passing cars and nearly driving under the wheels of an oncoming truck.  We sat in the back, wide-eyed, gripping our bags and daring to say nothing.  3kms from the station, the driver was forced to stop due to a passing wedding parade - loads of bright lights, loud music, marching bands, dancing and large shiny metal carriages.  The driver chose this opportunity to extort more money from us by claiming he couldn't go any further..... but could 'find' a detour if we paid extra.  We knew this was a lie and told him so, things got a little heated until a passing stranger intervened to calm the situation, whilst whispering to us to 'be careful' due to the driver's inebriated state.  Faced with the only other option of trying to haul our luggage out of the rickshaw and into the dark alley, we relunctatly agreed to a small increase in the fare.  This calmed the driver and we made it to the station unscathed, though a little shaken after our drive. 

Once at the station we were faced with crowds of people; many were stretched out on the floor in a random fashion, seemingly trying to sleep where they lay.  This being India, there were of course cows roaming around...inside, outside and on the platforms.  Making no sense of the train departure board, we found a place to wait on the platform and soon got talking to other travellers.  Our group of travellers gradually grew to 9 strong, there seemed to be an implicit need to find safety in numbers.
Our train along with several others was severely delayed, with no informative announcements over the loudspeaker, it became increasingly difficult to determine the destination of each arriving train.  Some travellers, fearfull of missing their train approached passengers, unfortunately these locals seem to think it far more amusing to lie about the destination or simply try to steal their tickets. 

After three hours of waiting on the cold platform, during which we were subject to a 20 minute power cut, our train finally arrived.  The train was heaving in the lower classes, in each carriage people were pouring out into the corridors, we were glad we had paid for more expensive seats.  Our sleeper carriage was an open design, split into areas of 3 two-tiered bunks.  It wasn't clean, had no privacy and no luggage storage space - certainly the worst train of our trip so far.  We chained up our bags (a necessity due to theft), then settled down to sleep.

The 'expensive class' sleeper carriage was more crowded and dusty than we expected.

Delhi
Population: 12.8 million
Region: Delhi
Famous for: the capital of India.

We finally arrived at the New Delhi train station at 4pm the next day.  Ignoring all the rickshaw touts outside the station, we headed to the main backpacker area.  We settled in at a budget hotel a few minutes up the main road in the Puganj district. 
Having been warned by other travellers and our guidebook that the numerous hassles, scams and the heavily polluted envoronment make Delhi an unpleasant long-term place to stay, we decided to spend no more than a couple of days in the captial city. 

The narrow streets of Puganj (Delhi's infamous backpacker neighborhood) are lined with guesthouses, cyber cafes and travel agents. 

Our sightseeing included India's largest mosque - Jama Masjid.  The scene outside the mosque was a hectic picture of the hustle-and-bustle of traffic and people, accompanied with the usual side-stepping of rubbish, cows and touts.  Inside the mosque grounds, however, we were treated with a serene and calming atmosphere.  The mosque itself was architecturally spectacular; so we wondered around the courtyard admiring the views...

The polluted, busy streets of Delhi's old city surround India's biggest mosque. 

The mosque was an impressive building.

The faithful and tourists alike gather in the courtyard.

From the rooftop of the mosque, we had a great view of Delhi. 

After the mosque, we battled through the crowds of a small market to reach the 'Red Fort'.  The Fort comprises of impressive towering red walls surrounding marble palaces. 

The local and very colorful spice market.

The walls of the Red Fort are a visible Delhi landmark.

The palaces inside the Red Fort proved to be a great place to escape the maddness outside the walls.

With our full day of sightseeing complete, we returned back to our hotel.  We were both pleasantly surprised and happy of our brief tour of Delhi.

The following morning, we ran the gauntlet of touts, traffic and cows back to the station to catch our train to our next destination - Agra.  Unfortunately, our second experience in dealing with Indian trains was also disappointing, as our train arrived 4 hours late.  While we were waiting we had a chance to observe the local 'train boarding' practices.  As soon as the train pulls in, people locate their carriage and cling to the window bars to ensure they're first in line....with no fear that the train is still moving and one slip will mean that they are dragged along the platform and possibly under the train.  If the train doors don't open immediately, people lift the bars on the emergency window and climb in, throwing bags, boxes and trunks in too.  People punch, kick and push their way in, with elderly women and children getting crushed in the process.  Once everyone is onboard and they have stored away their belongings, they sit there quietly waiting for the train to depart as if nothing happened. 

Ahh! that's why we carry such big packs...so we have comfortable seats on the platform!

Thank god we upgraded.

Agra
Population: 1.3 million
Region: Uttar Pradesh
Famous for: Taj Mahal

We finally arrived in Agra in the early evening, we grabbed a rickshaw to our hotel - which was located only minutes away from the Taj Mahal.  After gobbling down some dinner on the rooftop restaurant, we went off to get some sleep. 

According to the locals, the best time to view the Taj Mahal is at sunrise.  So we got up at the crack of dawn at 5:30am, and walked down the road to the Taj.  The sun was creeping over the skyline as we approached the Taj and we joined a small but growing group of tourists taking photos of the building and its beautiful reflection in the fountains below. 

The Taj at sunrise.

The classic Taj Mahal photo.

...and here's another....

After an hour and a half photo session and 50-plus pictures later, we walked through the gardens to explore the Taj and surrounding mosques.  The Taj itself is a spectacular piece of architecture.  Its immaculate symmetry and intricate marble carvings and inlaid stone designs visible on its inner and outer walls make this mausoleum an extraordinary sight. 

We tried desperately to take different photos of the building....

We wandered around the Taj for nearly two hours, before returning to our hotel's rooftop restaurant to enjoy a hearty breakfast.

We couldn't escape the Taj, as seen from our hotel restaurant as we sat having breakfast.

In the afternoon we took a rickshaw to the Agra Fort - another historic and impressive complex in the city.  The towering protective wall surrounding the fort was suprisingly well-preserved, as well as the impressive red sandstone and marble palaces inside.

Intricate carvings were present throughout the fort palaces.

...that building in the background looks familiar..?

As the sun began setting, we were treated to a display of local life often missed by tourists.  Pigeons or 'kabootars' fly in circles above the rooftops as men and young boys whistle and wave sticks below.  The pigeon fanciers of Agra (kabootar baz) do not race their pigeons but fly them in flocks and control them with whistles and calls.  The excercising of pigeons is almost as big a part of life to the Muslims of Agra as the muezzin's call to prayer.

The kabootar baz exercises his pigeons as the sun sets in Agra.

One full day in Agra was all the time that was necessary to visit the highlights of the city.  The following day we were back on the road.... this time we were heading to the province of Rajasthan - 'the land of kings'.