Agra fort

Agra is not only the Taj Mahal and the Agra Fort houses some magnificent palaces which are really worth the visit. This photo was taken at the main gate of the fort.

The Taj

Here is the "cliché" photo. Unavoidable I am afraid. But still beautiful.

We got there at 6h45 so only a few people in.



This view is from the east at about 9h in the morning.



We watched the sunset from the other side of the river which lies just behind Taj Mahal.
This picture was taken from there.

Gwalior

Apart from this beautiful palace (Man Singh palace), situated on a fort on a hill 100m above the city, Gwalior did not impress us much. We checked in at the hotel in the morning and decided to leave to Agra in the afternoon.

Orchha

Orchha means the hidden place. I think the name is really appropriate. It is a small (but agitated) village, with a very colorful market and with a significant number of palaces and temples for its size.

This picture shows two temples on the outskirt of the village. These are two temples of a set of four exact copies disposed in a square. The place was almost desert apart from a couple of tourists and the gentleman on the picture which was fighting to keep the grass from becoming a jungle (Orchha is in the middle of a dense forest).

Khajuraho

Khajuraho is a small village with a fantastic set of temples built by the Chandela dinasty. The temples are superb examples of ancient hindu architecture and are famous for their erotic sculptures.

When I visited, the place was full with local and foreign visitors, including students from a local school. The kids were profiting from the lawn around the temples to play games when I took this picture.

People and colours

Varanasi is a great place for people-watching. I leave you with some scenes of the daily life in the Ghats. No comments needed.

Benares

The place to be in Varanasi is the Ghats, long steps that dive into the river. Pilgrims come here for a holy dip in the Ganges early in the morning. This picture was taken from a boat at about 8h in the morning.



Over the Ghats old palaces still reflect their beauty on the calm waters of the Ganges. I took this picture on the same early morning boat ride.



Sunset over the Ganges is perhaps even more beautiful than the sunrise. The sun coming down being the old palaces by the river was the perfect remedy for the stress we accumulated from days of jumping from train to train.



Apart from the rickshaw offers, boat ride proposals, quick massage, occasional gurus, hashish sellers, I have been having a lot of proposals for a beard cut lately, I wonder why...

India

Just a few comments before I post my first pictures of India. It has been a week since we arrived to India through Kakarbita, close to Darjeeling. Due to bad weather, we decided to cancel our Sikkim plans and head southwest to Bodhgaya and then Varanasi. Darjeeling seemed really nice but the fog was so dense we could not enjoy the landscape.

Since then, we have travelled quite a lot by train (1 trip of 12h, 2 trips of 9h and 2 trips of 6h), experimenting the wonders of India railway system (a bit of irony here). We have tried all travelling classes and I would have a lot to tell you if I had the time right now...

After an interesting stop in Bodhgaya, one of the holiest cities for the Budhists, we head to Varanasi, one of the holiest cities for the Hindus.

I think I can say our trip in India starts in Varanasi. To understand this you would have to go there and linger for a few days. For now I leave you with some pictures.

Jungle sunset

Further south in Terai, we left the hills to discover the jungle at the Chitwan National Park. The main attractions are the famous Bengal Tiger (which I missed) and the Asian Rhynos (which we spotted). But the best part was probably the sunset.

Annapurna views

Views from the quiet mountain village of Bandipur, 120km west of Kathmandu. On the back, the Annapurna range surfacing from the clouds. The peacefull hills of Bandipur seem light-years away from busy Kathmandu.

Boudannath

Many Tibetans live in Kathmandu since the period of the chinese cultural revolution when they fled their country. Kathmandu is therefore an important center of Buddhism. The region around the Boudannath stupa concentrates most of the Buddhist temples in Kathmandu.

Durbar Square, Patan

Patan's Durbar square is the most impressive in the Kathmandu valley with the biggest concentration of hindu temples. This photo was taken from a restaurant overlooking the square.