Khajuraho to Varanasi

When Michele and I re-planned our trip we found a non-stop train from Khajuraho to Varanasi, what a treat no transfer.
Varanasi, what a trip. This place was crazy in a cool way...... Mad windy streets, that make it easy to get lost. The ghats are full of magical energy; celebrating life and celebrating death. Pujas (prayers) for the health of the planet on one ghat, while on another the are discharging dead human remains into the river. Floating down the other side of the river in a row boat, Michele and I witnessed a human body being torn apart by a dog. The head had been removed and was laying on the ground close by, the ribcage showing fresh meat......I have flashed this image a few times since - how precious this human birth is.....
From Varanasi we spent the day in Sarnath, where the Buddha gave his first teaching. Very quiet and peaceful and a sense of respect for the Dharma and a feeling that Bodhgaya is the right place to be traveling to.....

Nov 23rd: Agra to Khajuraho

So we cancelled a bunch of trains and re-booked 3, the first one we decided to treat ourselves to an a/c sleeper ( 3 times the price of regular sleeper). We are waiting at the train station at B1 our spot to board was B2 and the light next to B1 was out. So the train pulls in and no B2, I asked a policeman and he said in was at the other end of the train - we started moving fast and the train started pulling out, so we jumped on and got stuck in general class for the next 2 and 1/2 hours. The people were very welcoming though and we were ok with the mishap......you gotta love India. The day before we had arranged a pick-up and a hotel in Khajuraho. This fancy jeep picks us up at the new train station and whisks us down this brand new road to our hotel, which was very nice at rs300 a night. Life was good again! We rented bikes and cycled around the temples and local villages - Khajuraho is an excellent place to visit in India.

Agra and The Taj Mahal

Nice ride to our hotel..... Hotel is ok, but a little dark and dingy (best roof top views of the Taj though). The area if front of the Taj is a slice of India - noisy, dirty, packed little streets with cheap breakfast every where (Rs30 - eggs, toast and tea). The views of the Taj where amazing, but nothing like the experience of actually going inside the walls and being up-close and personal (even in the rain). We had planned to spend 3 nights in Agra, but we had started to get tired of traveling and Agra did not have much more than the Taj to offer, so we cancelled 8 trains and booked 3 new ones leaving Agra a day early and skipping out on the Tiger Safari we had planned (which was turning out to be a way overpriced scam). Next stop Khajuraho......

Jaisalmer via Jodphur to Agra

We had a night train on the 19th to Jodhpur. This is one of the situations that Michele and I find difficult. Hanging out in a town for the day with no place to retreat to. Before we left Jaipur we rented our room all the way up to the night (one hour before our train left) we were leaving and this made a big difference in our stress levels. The morning and afternoon where fine in Jodhpur, but as soon as we left the hotel area in the local business area, the noise and air pollution level sky rocket and it's hard to take when you are tired and want to escape - live and learn.

Jodhpur to Jaisalmer, Rajasthan

We arrive in Jaisalmer Nov 16th in a bed of sand (I guess no surprise taking a train through the desert). I meet a man the night before and he offered us a free ride to his hotel at half the price (rs200) of our Lonely Planet pick. I agreed - so we had a quick jeep ride to this hotel that seemed a little to good to be true. The room was great, the roof top social floor seating with a grass hut was amazing. After the initial hammering us to buy one of their overpriced camel treks, our stay was excellent. Michele and I loved hanging out on the roof, chatting to fellow travelers and eating good food at a good price ($3 for dinner for two). Just for the experience on the third day we took a jeep 42km to sam dunes and experience a 5km camel ride, that was enough and we enjoyed the energy when all the locals gathered to watch the sunset.
The fort is the highlight of Jaisalmer, still very much a business center, with narrow winding streets, it was fun to view form a distance and to walk around inside.

Jaipur to Jodhpur, Rajasthan

Jodhpur was a breath of fresh air after Jaipur. The town is mad, but you don't experience it in the hotel area. We got a hassle free rickshaw ride to the hotel. Great room for the price and a relaxing couple of days walking around the fort. The usual mix of cows, goats, dogs, monkeys, (they have been in nearly all places that we have traveled to), chickens, donkeys, the odd elephant and camel and who knows what else - oh yeah, green parrots. Local people everywhere are lovely if they are not looking for something from you. Next stop the desert.....

Udaipur to Jaipur, Rajasthan

We left Udaipur after a very relaxing time there on November 9th: night train heading to Jaipur. Bang! Jaipur was a shock (train station pressure was high), we had a guy follow us down some side streets and we could not lose him. Finally I started telling him I was going to call the police and he left just before we entered our hotel (they are just looking for a commission, if they walk into the hotel with you then the management have to pay them a commission) that was recommended to us by a fellow traveler in Udaipur (nice spot also).
We could not get away from the dirt and pollution (including noise pollution) and Jaipur is on the high side. Michele and I started to realize that you can't escape India while you are in India, there are just different levels of the Glory and Wretchedness. A trip to Amber fort the next day was full of glory and when we got back to town a cycle rickshaw sight seeing trip to fake cottage shop-fronts was on the wretched side. After a long walk back to our hotel we were ready to stay close to home for a day. This has really helped Michele and I, when India gets to be too much have a down day. The following day we were fresh and we enjoyed our experience of the city center/old town.