Rajasthan

One last stop before Rajasthan—the palace of Fatepur Sikri. This magnificent fortified ghost city was the short-lived capital of the Mughal empire between 1575 and 1585.

Tim gets creative with the camera and his favourite subject, Sandi. An example of the intricate marble carving inside the Jama Masjid mosque.

Rajasthan, land of princes, is the very essence of India with crenelated forts and impregnable palaces that rise like giant fairytale sets above dusty, sun scorched plains and shimmering lakes. This in India's largest state, similar in size to France. We begin our tour in Jaipur, chaotic and congested, though it still has a way of tickling travellers pink. Stunning hilltop forts and glorious palaces fit like footprints from a rich royal past, candyfloss-bright turbans blaze a trail through brilliant bargain-filled bazaars, and fluttering saris catch the eye like butterflies. Amber Fort in the photo below—a beautiful, wraith-like fort-palace illustrating Rajput artistry in faded shades of reddish pink.

The massive fort walls extend over several hilltops,

with a series of small watchtowers at strategic locations.

The Sheesh Mahal (Mirror Palace) is covered in mirror mosaics and coloured glass and was the private quarters of the Maharaja and his Maharani. It literally transforms into a glittering jewel-box in flickering candlelight.

We spend one night in Jaipur and head to Pushkar located on the eastern end of the Thar Desert. Pushkar is one of the most sacred and atmospheric towns in all of India. Legend has it that the holy lake at its center was created when Brahma dropped a lotus flower from his hand. The tiny temple town that has sprung up from the lakeshore remains an important pilgrimage sight for Hindus. Its population has swollen dramatically in recent years by the hippies who came for a few days and never left. Their presence has transformed the sleepy desert town into a semi-permanent trance party. Bhang (marijuana) lassis (yogurt smoothies) and falafels are on every menu.

Some of the many faces of the colourful people of Rajasthan in the street bazaar that runs along the edge of the lake—the center of all activity in Pushkar and one of the best shopping experiences in Rajasthan where you can pick up some of most gorgeous throw-away gear at bargain basement prices and lots of other treasures (see "Fashion Find" below).

Fashion Find Sweet Tim treats Sandi to a pair of $10-but-only-worth-$5 Indian sandals (he didn't bargain hard enough). He thought they were a step up from her beloved dusty, rubber Havaiana flip flops. What do you think girlfriends...besides the fact that Sandi desperately need a pedicure?!

Birds do it, Chandelas do it

After the smell and dirt of Varanasi, our short 35-minute flight brings us to Khajuraho, a small town of 20,000 inhabitants. Before we expore the erotic temples we decide to clear our lungs from the pollution and lingering smell of burning bodies from Varanasi on a jeep safari at Panna Tiger Reserve, a half hour journey from Khajuraho. Sadly no tigers spotted but lots of exotic birds, deer, monkeys and our own private jeep, full of "jungle love".

The Kamasutra carvings that swathe Khajuraho's temples are among the finest temple art in the world. Legend has it that Khajuraho was founded by Chardravarman, the son of the moon god Chandra, who descended on a beautiful maiden as she bathed in a stream. The Chandela dynasty built the temples, many of which originally rose from a lake, and survived for five centuries before falling to the Mughal onslaught. Most of the 85 temples—of which some 25 remain—were built from AD 950-1050. Why all the sex? The best explanation is that these tantric images are a gratification of the baser instincts - one way to transcend the evils of the world and achieve enlightenment. Physical enjoyment and yoga are seen as equally valid in this quest for orgasm, er, rather, nirvana. Hope you're inspired!

Once up close the exquisite carvings come to life. At first glance, romance blooms.

But it doesn't take long for the action to heat up. Watch your back!

Can you figure out what's going on below?!

There's limited transport options so we're forced to rent a private van to reach the town of Orchha (meaning Hidden Place), smaller than Khajuraho with just 8,000 people. Orchha is one of India's most fabulous Mughal heritage sites but mercifully free of development making this a hassle-free, relaxing stop. Founded in 1531 it was the capital of the Bundela kings and is full of beautiful temples, fortresses and cenotaphs, commemorating Orchha's historic rulers.

Makeup, hindi-style.

Tim researched hotels and found the Amar Mahal, a wonderful discovery at just $75/night. Better still, we are the ONLY guests so they give us an executive suite poolside.

This incredible temple view was take from the loo window. We spend a lot of time in the loo.

After the luxury of private cars we thought we needed to see how the "other half" travelled and boarded the Taj Express train from Jhansi to Agra—not as romantic as it sounds. The air-conditioned coach was OK and a bargain at $8/ticket for the three hour journey. Agra is "agra"-vation, not a must-see destination and with little to offer but with one exception... the magnificent Taj Mahal. We tried to be the first tourists before the sun rose at 6 a.m. but the pollution was so bad our views of the Taj were as blurry as our eyes. Still, absolutely stunning and as magical as the books tell you.

A "wow" moment—we REALLY were there!

Holy Cow!

We can't resist one last photo of the stunning Annapurna mountain range. This one of Manasa on the left and Peak 29 on the right was taken from the window of the plane on our flight from Pokhara, Nepal back to Kathmandu.

As we arrive in Varansi, India, the highway gives way to the narrow streets of the city until our car can go no further. We go on foot, dodging cow pats, the last few streets which are no wider than a motorcycle. Then we emerge on the Man Mandir Ghat at our hotel located 50 feet from the Ganges River—now reputed to be the world's most polluted river. The air quality isn't much better.

Rules of the Road: here's how it works. Keep driving at a constant speed; never slow down but never accelerate; always go with determination; puja (pray) to Shiva. Tata trucks take precedence, then 4x4s, smaller cars followed by bigger cars, auto rickshaws, pedal rickshaws then pedestrians. Somewhere in the middle is the new means of transport for the upwardly mobile in India—the motorcycle. Drivers use their dexterity to move with the traffic and dominate where they can. Then comes the sacred cow, confused and always moving slowly BUT never hit or kill one or you're in big trouble. Incredibly the system works most of the time but it's a constant stream of near misses and game of chicken. The horn is more important then the brake.

The brilliant colours of the women's elegant saris are in stark contrast to the dusty, dirty colours of other locals on the streets.

On our first evening we attend the Ganga Fire Arti where young Brahmin priests perform age-old prayer rituals with conch shells and burning braziers accompanied by drummers while children hawk candles for tourists to light and set adrift on the river. It's a surreal experience with tourists co-mingling with pilgrims from all over India.

We rise at 5:30 a.m. to hire a rowboat along the ghats of the Ganges in the magical early morning light. It's a strange mix of pilgrims bathing in the river while tourists gawk and take photos. The hour-long ride takes us from Asi Ghat in the south to Manikarnika Ghat, the cremation ghat.

In all the colourful confusion some still manage to sit quietly and meditate in front of the Holy River.

Our boat guide explains that hotel laundry is washed in the Ganges. Sandi panics and asks him to hurry back to the hotel as she had dropped her laundry off to be done that very morning and wants to save her expensive Italian undies... but alas, it's too late. She is HUGELY relieved and pleasantly surprised as later that day she spots a washing machine in the hotel and the laundry is returned looking fresh and fragrant.

It's hard to believe during the monsoon season the Ganges River level rises 25 feet up to the level of the bottom windows of these buildings in the photo above.

Relaxed, away from the bedlam on the riverbank along the Ganges ghats.

The cremation ghat operates 24 hours a day with approximately 150 bodies burned daily. There are many types of wood used, some more expensive than others, depending on the wealth of the family. Sometimes families cannot afford to purchase enough wood and the body in not entirely consumed by the fire—not good as body parts are often spotted floating by on the river! The smell of burning flesh fills the air day and night. Our hotel, the Rashmi Guest House, is just 200 meters upwind which led us to this...

Not our best look but the best $4. we ever spent! Our masks cause much amusement for the locals as we pass by in our auto rickshaw.

Early morning boatloads of tourists replay our experience from the day before. We're now heading to Khajuraho, Orchha and finally Agra where we will meet our driver guide for a 15-day tour of Rajasthan.

Om Mani Padme Hum

On a flight from Paro, Bhutan to Kathmandu, Nepal then connecting via a Twin Otter for spectacular views of Mt. Evererst, Sagamatha, in the Himalaya to Pokhara, here we cuddle (see photo below), at 6 a.m. without java, on Cloud 9. The view of the Annapura Himalaya from Sarankot is almost a religious experience. From Dhaulagiri Mountain to the west at 8167 meters to the perfect pyramid that is Machhapuchhare (Fishtail) Mountain at 6997 meters and the rounded peak of Annapura II in the east at 7937 meters the vista is stunning.

We've been in Pokhara, Nepal's second largest city, for two days chillin' with the trekkers to the meditative beat of "Om Mani Padme Hum" which reverberates from shops everywhere. Compared to the chaos of Kathmandu, Pokhara is a laid-back haven surrounded by incredible views of Himalayan mountain peaks. We hire a rowboat to float across the serene lake of Phewa Tal and hike up to the tranquil Peace Pagoda built by Buddhist monks to promote world peace and are about to head to the Fishtail Resort to order appetizers and lay by the pool. From the short time we've been here we see Nepal is a land of yaks and yetis, stupas and sherpas, some of the best trekking on earth and the closest thing that backpackers have to Disneyland. A place we would definitely come back to. Enjoy the photo montage.

Tomorrow, October 16th, we fly to Vananasi, India. We'll try to post again after Agra sometime in the last week of October.