India - Week 7...I think! And some Week 8 photos...

Before leaving Delhi I was a bit anxious about travelling alone and spending so much time by myself but, since I stepped onto the Delhi-Jhansi train I have not been alone for a whole week! Sitting next to me on the train was a wonderful older Indian woman who, in her broken English and my non-existent Hindi, told me her life story and wanted my advice on what she should do from here onwards in life. By the end of the journey, she told me that she regarded me as her daughter (even though all I really did for the 6 hours was nod and smile while I listened to her) and that she would love me to come and visit her home. Unfortunately, I already had plans for the rest of India, so we parted ways. When I reached Jhansi I fatefully bumped into a Polish couple, Emi and Memo, and we all managed to save money and stress by sharing a taxi to our destination, Khajuraho. Khajuraho is a quaint little town far away from everything but what draws its tourists (and Emi, Memo, and me) is its ancient temples covered, inside and out, with erotic engravings and sculptures from the Kama Sutra! Architecturally, it has similiarities to Angkor Wat (including the idea that the spires of the temples represent holy mountain peaks - in this case the Himalayas, where the Hindu gods were/are believed to live and the numerous carvings of apsaras, or celestial dancers), but when you look a little closer you realise that those little figurines are NOT just doing incredibly acrobatic yoga positions and that that man is NOT just saying hello to his horse! The erotic carvings are interspersed with depictions of daily life and battles and parties - the jury is still out on whether the erotic figures were just meant to be another (very prominent) aspect of daily life or whether they were meant to serve as some kind of guide or learning tool...Nonetheless, it is a very intruiging place, as the photos will hopefully illustrate. From Khajuraho I travelled with Emi and Memo to Varanasi, via Satna, on bus then overnight train. Varanasi claims to be one of the oldest living cities in the world and is a holy pilgrimage site for Hindus, being situated on the holy Ganges River. It is a truly beautiful and fascinating city with a labyrinth of winding streets and numerous ghats (areas along the water with steps leading down to them) where people wash their bodies and clothes, meditate, swim, and bathe and burn their dead (there are different ghats for different activities)! Every morning that I have been here we have woken up at 5am to watch the city and the Ganges wake up at sunrise and we have been to one of the burning ghats to observe the open-air cremations several times as well. It sounds a bit bizzare, or creepy even, but it is really an amazing process to watch. Yet, even just walking down the street here is an experience (and a wonderful photo opportunity for camera crazy people like me), especially with the eclectic mix of people this city attracts: from long-haired, painted sadhus (holy men) to Hindu-curious foreigners to cows, cows, and cows (and a few goats) all of whom share the tiny 1.5 metre wide roads! It is a very addictive place and I will be sad to leave it tomorrow, but so many other places beckon. Tomorrow I head to Kolkata (Calcutta) where one of Tara's friends has kindly agreed to meet me at the station and show me around. Emi and Memo left earlier this evening headed for Mumbai followed by Goa and I do not envy the 28 hour train ride that they have ahead of them! It was a bit odd saying goodbye to people that I have only known for 1 week but have spent almost 24 hours a day with, but I guess that is the way it goes with travelling! Will try to upload some more photos over the next few days.