Destination Delhi

28.04.2012 - 05.05.2012

The final stretch of my journey took me from Varanasi to Delhi, via the towns of Orccha and Agra...

See nothing but dusk-lit plains,
Hear nothing but a whistling train,
Feel nothing but the wind on my face,
Want nothing but this solace.

For some reason this image makes me think of Slumdog Millionaire, good film...

The town of Orccha lies in the state of Madya Pradesh on the Betwa River. There are many atmospheric temples and palaces to explore and a bustling, atmospheric marketplace...

Orccha town centre

The marketplace with Ram Raja Temple in the distance

Orccha riverbanks

Holy men posing by the side of the river, they often ask for a small gift for a photo, I thought it would be money well spent

Yet another overcrowded vehicle

So many questions...

Street foods are everywhere in India, some more appealing than others...

Goat doing some window shopping

Ram Raja Temple

Inside Laxmi Narayan Temple

Looking out from Laxmi Temple, the surrounding landscape is very dry and flat

Music in the central square

Goodness knows what's going on here

No trip to India would be complete without seeing the Taj Mahal - my next stop was Agra, home to surely the most famous sight in India...

I booked into a 5 star hotel in Agra for the equivalent of about £45 a night.
Upon arrival at the hotel gates I was saluted by the hotel security guard - “Namaste”. As I had my hands full he called his friend and a golf buggy rolled up to take me to the entrance. As I entered the lobby I could smell flowers and hear soothing music being played. A friendly lady greeted me and proceeded to place a flower necklace around my neck. Not a bad welcome!

The room was big enough for four people, two double beds, mini bar, large tv and a view of the courtyard. There was a big swimming pool, bowling alley and many atmospheric restaurants and bars. The rooms were cleaned and stocked up at least twice a day and I was given chocolates for all my hard work...

View from my window

Chocolates given to me by the cleaners

The swimming pool which was delightfully uncrowded - it was especially nice when lit up at night...

Oh yes, my main reason for being here was to visit the Taj Mahal. It was impressive, but so busy that it lost some of its allure. The best time to go is either sunrise or sunset...

I'm not sure what it was - whether it was because I was travelling alone or because I hadn't shaved for two months, Indian people kept coming up to me and either telling me how handsome I was or asking if they could get a photo, either of them, or of them with me...

Back at the hotel...

A meal I had in one of the Indian restaurants in the hotel. I had the place to myself and a music group came out to serenade me. The chef then came to ask me if he'd done a good job, could get used to this...