Road to Rajasthan

              Day 9

              Our first day in Ranthambhore we departed the hotel at 0645 for a safari in the Ranthambhore National Park this is one of the prime examples 

               of project Tiger’s conservation efforts in Rajasthan.

               The forest around Ranthambhore was once the private hunting grounds of the Maharajas of Jaipur and is one of the largest national parks in 

                northern India.

                Ranthambhore National park is renowned for its tiger population the park also have other animals such as Leopard,Nilgal, Wild Boar,

                Samba, Hyena crocodile and Sloth Bear.

                In the morning safari deer monkeys and tigers where seen along with a lot of bird life,back at our hotel around 1000 am for breakfast 

                And a laze around the pool lunch and out for the afternoon safari no tigers but bird life monkeys deer wild boar crocodile and a sloth bear 

               were  all seen

                a great day and a change from not seeing Temples Pagodas and Mahals.

Wild life in the Ranthambhore National Park.

Monkeys in the park.

The local sightseeing taxi in Ranthambhore 

Big buck and the leader of the heard.

Crocodile next to the waterhole.

Sunset over the Ranthambhore National park.

Love 

Len an Val

Road to Rajasthan

             Day 8

             Today was a 0515 wake up and departed the hotel at 0545for the Taj Mahal, the gates open at 0630 and we got in at 0750 and was in there till 

              1000 o’clock a short drive back to our hotel breakfast freshen up pack our bags and on the bus by 1115 and to our first stop at Fatehpur Sikri 

              to visit the ancient capital city for and hour sightseeing.

              We then passed through the little village of Kiravali and stop at Gulista for lunch, after lunch we started our 6 hour drive stopping at Gangaur for 

                a comfort stop arriving at Ranthambore at 2015 and had dinner.

Val and I at the Taj Mahal.

Jodhabai’s Palace at Fatehpur Sikri.

Traffic along the way at a small village.

Love

Len and Val

Road to Rajasthan

               Day 7.

                After a long day yesterday it was a lay in with a 1000 o’clock start to the Red Fort ( Agra Fort) then our next stop for a change was

                 a marble work shop not a weaving place.

                  Then back to our hotel to freshen up and to a Bollywood show about the Taj Mahal.

The Red Fort ( Agra Fort)

Val and I at Agra Fort

Val at Agra Fort 

Locals at Agra

The Taj Mahal in the back ground from Agra Fort.

The show we went to in Agra.

Love

Len and  Val

Road to Rajasthan

            Day 6

             This was a early start up at sunrise for open drive in a four wheel Jeep to Khajuraho Sanctury for two and a half hours back to 

              Our hotel for breakfast a quick freshing up the a four and a half hour drive to Agra with a stopover at Orchha to seethe Sheesh Mahal.

              Then continued to the railway station to board the Shatabdi Express train to finish our trip to Agra.

Early morning ride.

Sunrise over Khajuraho Sanctuary.

A monkey watching us.

Khajuraho gorge in the wet season would be water.

Local road freight traffic 

The Jahangir. Mahal.

Jahangir Mahal 

Val and I at the Jahangir Mahal 

Local playing cricket in the grounds of the Jahangir Mahal 

The sunset at the Jahangir Mahal 

Train porters with our baggage.

Love 

Len and Val

Road to Rajasthan

             Day 5

             A leisurely start to the day with a 0930 departure from our hotel to the airport for a 1200 flight to Khajuraho via Agar.

             We then went to lunch at a small family run restaurant.

              Then it was onto the Khajuraho a small village know for its UNESCO World Heritage listed sculptured temples dedicated 

               to Shiva Vishnu and Jain religions.

               The Khajuraho Temples were built by the Chandella rulers between AD 900 and 1300 and are scattered over 23 km sq.

               Originally a group of 85, they are the largest group of Hindu and Jain temples in the world, although only 25 of them remain today.

              We toured the western group of temples the most important is the Kandariya Mahadevo Temple dedicated to Lord Shiva.

              We also see the Varanasi Temple dedicated to the Vamana or dwarf incarnation of Lord Vishnu as well as the Javari Temple.

               Then later in the evening we enjoyed a cultural dance performance.

Arriving at Khajuraho airport 

In the grounds of Khajuraho Temples 

More of Khajuraho Temples 

Some of the carving on the Temples 

The Temples and grounds are the best Val and I have ever see.

The culture dancing 

Culture dancers.

Love

Len an Val.

(Backup) Road to Rajasthan

             Day 4

              Today was a early rise up at 0430 for a 2 hour cruise on the River Ganges to view the ghats at sunrise,we had a vantage spot to watch 

              the devotees perform their ablutions.

              Then visited the Asian Banaras Hindu University. It was the onto the Bharat Mata Mandir a unique temple dedicated to Bharat Mata 

              (Mother India) which houses a relief map of India caved out of marble.

               It was then back to our hotel for breakfast and a rest.

                After a late lunch our first visit was to a silk weaving factory where silk is woven by the same method as it was 600 Years ago by 

               A master weaver who is only one of ten here in Varanasi, then we visited the local Hindu museum.

               Our next stop was Sarnath is the fabled place where Lord Buddha delivered his first sermon to his disciples expounding the

               principles of Buddhism. The ruins date back as far as the 3rd century BC.

               And our last stop was the Sri Lanka Buddhist Temple.

Early morn ritual on the River Ganges 

Devotees gathering for the morning bathe in the river.

Devotees washing away their sins with a morning bathe.

View of the ghats from the River Ganges

Val and the sunrise over the River Ganges 

Silk and silver thread weaving 

Evening peak hour traffic in Varanasi 

Sri Lanka Buddhist Temple.

Love

Len and Val

(Backup) Road to Rajasthan

             

             Day 3.

             Departed the hotel on time at 0830 for our forty minute drive to the airport which we accomplished which is no mean feat in Delhi peak

             hour traffic.

             Got through security and straight on to the plane for our flight to Varanasi, and transfer to our hotel.

            After dinner we had a rickshaw ride through the streets of Varanasi to the ghats of the River Ganges which are the long stretch of steps

            leading down to the water on the western banks of the River Ganges. Most are used for bathing,but there are some ‘burning ghats’

            Where public cremations are held. To watch the Puja ceremony of Ganga Aarti.

            The Puja Ceremony of Ganga Aarti is an evening ceremony conducted on the banks of the River Ganges every night, Aarti means divine light,

            and this ceremony is filled with song, prayer and ritual.

             Varanasi is the religious capital of Hinduism, Varanasi is the oldest living city in India as well as one of the worlds most ancient cities.

              Colourful and chaotic, Varanasi is a fascinating city to discover.

              Located on the western banks of the Ganges, devoteestravel to the city to pray and wash away their sins in the holy river.

              Then it was a rickshaw ride back to our coach.

Part of the crowd close to 100,000 people

Part of the crowd no the banks of the River Ganges

Some of the rituals performed in the Ganga Aarti.

The Ganga Aarti

The Rickshaw ride through the streets of Varanasi.

Love

Len and Val