International Highway to Nepal

Saturday, July 27

We boarded the bus in Varanasi at 5:00 in the morning to get out of town before the traffic got insane.

It was 200 miles of the most horrible highway--a rough road full of giant potholes,
huge trucks (here they say "lorries") going in both directions. Many lorries were parked on the side of the highway. they may not drive in cities in the daytime.
Motorcycles were weaving in and out of the narrow traffic lanes.
There were people on bicycles and  pilgrims walking along the side of the road.
Many children were walking to school.


It was too stressful to watch so we entertained ourselves by reading, braiding hair and playing charades.

Marissa and Chris French braiding Audra's hair.
'

A truck playing music for the Pilgrims who were
walking home after collecting water in the Ganges.

Pilgrims with decorated float carrying 

Statues of Lord Shiva.

Notice the bare feet. 

They have been walking for days without shoes.

Cows in India and Nepal Are the Best

In India and Nepal,
COWS ARE SACRED
They received this special status because they gave milk which was necessary for life

After leaving Delhi, where the cows are not allowed on the streets, we have seen many, many great cows.

Stopping in to see what's to eat.

Dinner in India

Cow with pig companion enjoying some green leaves.

Walking down an alley in the Silk Area of Varanasi.

Sarnath, Site of Buddha's First Sermon

Afternoon of July 25
Traveled by auto about 20 minutes out of Varanasi to Sarnath.
In the 6th century B.C. Buddha preached his first sermon here after receiving Enlightenment.

Sapling of the Bodi Tree where Buddha
received Enlightenment.
The original Bodacious tree was located in 

A "stupa" built by the ruler Asoka in the 2nd Century
to mark the place where Buddha preached his first sermon.

A statue of Buddha in the Tibet Temple located in the same area as the stupa.

Ganges in the Evening and the Early Morning

Evening July 24 and early morning Friday, July 25
Our train arrived in Varanasi about noon and we walked a block to our hotel.
Porters in rickshaw so carried our bags. (Thank goodness)
We all checked in for a much needed bath and rest time

In the early evening we went on the wildest auto ride ever
To the Ganges River.
The Ganges is the most holy river in India.

Ganges River at Sunrise

Picture for Audra's Mother. Audra ( far left) looks like a model.

According to the Hndu, it is the mother goddess and was created by Lord Shiva himself.
Gants (stairs) go down to the edge of the river for people to bath or dip in the water

Residence going down to the Ganges

Leaning temple on the edge of the Ganges

Offering flower petals to the Ganges. A little votive light was in the middle .
These tiny lights flickered all over the rive.

Over Night Train to Varanasi

After a long day of visiting temples and a school, cooking class and paper making, we took an hour ride to the train station.
On the way we stopped at a market to buy snacks for the 11 hour train ride.
They had kinder Eggs in the tiny market.

Train station in the early evening.
It was super busy.

After getting settled In our assigned births, the train pulled out of the station around 10:00.
Each passenger gets one pillow, a blanket and two sheets.

In our compartment, the bunks were stacked three beds high.
I was lucky to get the bottom bunk.
A very large Indian man had the top bunk.

Each of the compartments were painted
Different  colors.

View outside.my window when we pulled into Varanasi.

Making Paper from Rags

Yes, I am still on the same day.
After a very delicious lunch of freshly made Indian food,
We traveled by auto to the Paper Making Factory.

Rags waiting to be sorted and hand shredded.

Finished sheets are stacked between sheets of muslin.
Next the water will be compressed out.

Hanging up to dry, large black and white sheets of paper.

Cooking Class

After our wonderful school visit, we walked a short distance to the home of our Orchha guide.
Inca's wife, Rajni's had a cooking school in her home.
We started off the class making Dosa.

The dosa are being fried in soy oil.

Cooking puri on the electic cook top.