Hello Finally !
So so much has happened I will get right in to it. Varanasi was amazing! Anything you have heard read or have seen can not compare to the utter awe the city of Varanasi gives you. If you have not heard of the city before please look it up and see some pictures as I am unable to post any at the moment. We left Hyderabad on a train headed to Varanasi and spent four days there. This was our first Northern Indian city that we had experienced at this point in the trip. The north is very different from the South as it holds all of the history and cultures that we are normally aware of in Canada. The south was an amazing experience but I am so excited to be in the history-filled North and to experience all the things that I had been reading about before the trip. Varanasi is known for the river Ganga. The river is a very holy river for Hindus and bathing in it is said to bring one much fortune. Unfortunately the river has become very polluted over time as it was the sole spot for all bathing and excrement for so many people over so many years. On a positive note, we were told that there is a lot of work going on now to clean the river by the local government. The river is also the hub for the dead of idea. The burning ghats (steps leading into the water) are located along the river where bodies are burned and placed in the river. As you can believe Varanasi is a very holy city for all Hindus. It was an amazing experience to be on the Ganges and see the sun-set and watch the many religious ceremonies happening, and that happen every night. I wish I could have been there longer or had more time to expand on my experience in Varanasi but unfortunately time is not on my side.
After leaving Varanasi the group headed to Jaipur where we were to start the second portion of our schooling. It is here in Jaipur that we are all placed with local families and attend school. I was placed in an amazing home with two of my friends on the trip Paul and Lauren. We were placed at the home of Delilah and Yogesh who are the head of a large family home of one of the coordinators (her sister) of our time in Jaipur. I unfortunately got sick after arriving in Jaipur and was therefore unable to complete this post as I had hoped. Fortunately though my family has been very kind and did a great job of helping me get better. I was out of school for a few days but returned on Friday. I completed school on Friday and that night (at around midnight) or group was leaving the train station and headed for Jaisalmer.
Jaisalmer is located on the North-western portion of the Indian subcontinent near the Pakistan border. The landscape again had changed and we had now been transported into an Arabian desert. It is like nothing I have ever seen. There is sand absolutely everywhere, it is like this town is out of a movie. It is centered around a very old fort. The fort is amazing and although it has many shops now catering toward all of the tourists, the architecture is like nothing I have ever seen. I spent the first day in Jaisalmer exploring the city and the fort. Our second day we had some free day in the morning and early afternoon before we headed out to the desert! We took a bus out into the absolute middle of nowhere and pulled up to a few dozen camels lying at the side of the road waiting for our arrival. I must note that although it was beautiful the sand was blowing hard and we all had to bundle up our faces to provide some protection for the harsh winds. Anyways e got out, hopped on our camels and headed for the desert. This experience, although not entirely comfortable, was amazing and something I had been looking forward to. We were able to see some sand dunes and other camels and took a short stop to race our camels before arriving at our tent city where we were to stay the night. Some of the girls and our professors stayed in plush rooms with outfitted bathrooms and TVs while another group of us faced the night out in tents. After brushing off the sand on our beds, our accommodations were quite comfortable. Our night consisted of a show with live music and dancing, a busy buffet-styled dinner, and a night of talking and more music. In the morning we had breakfast and promptly headed out back to our hotel in Jaisalmer to wash away the sand of the night before.
Today is our last day in Jaisalmer and tomorrow we are headed for Jodhpur. I am not sure what to expect next but I am sure it will be amazing! Hope everyone is doing well at home and I will hopefully be making my next blog post sooner then the previous.
Talk Again Soon :)
So so much has happened I will get right in to it. Varanasi was amazing! Anything you have heard read or have seen can not compare to the utter awe the city of Varanasi gives you. If you have not heard of the city before please look it up and see some pictures as I am unable to post any at the moment. We left Hyderabad on a train headed to Varanasi and spent four days there. This was our first Northern Indian city that we had experienced at this point in the trip. The north is very different from the South as it holds all of the history and cultures that we are normally aware of in Canada. The south was an amazing experience but I am so excited to be in the history-filled North and to experience all the things that I had been reading about before the trip. Varanasi is known for the river Ganga. The river is a very holy river for Hindus and bathing in it is said to bring one much fortune. Unfortunately the river has become very polluted over time as it was the sole spot for all bathing and excrement for so many people over so many years. On a positive note, we were told that there is a lot of work going on now to clean the river by the local government. The river is also the hub for the dead of idea. The burning ghats (steps leading into the water) are located along the river where bodies are burned and placed in the river. As you can believe Varanasi is a very holy city for all Hindus. It was an amazing experience to be on the Ganges and see the sun-set and watch the many religious ceremonies happening, and that happen every night. I wish I could have been there longer or had more time to expand on my experience in Varanasi but unfortunately time is not on my side.
After leaving Varanasi the group headed to Jaipur where we were to start the second portion of our schooling. It is here in Jaipur that we are all placed with local families and attend school. I was placed in an amazing home with two of my friends on the trip Paul and Lauren. We were placed at the home of Delilah and Yogesh who are the head of a large family home of one of the coordinators (her sister) of our time in Jaipur. I unfortunately got sick after arriving in Jaipur and was therefore unable to complete this post as I had hoped. Fortunately though my family has been very kind and did a great job of helping me get better. I was out of school for a few days but returned on Friday. I completed school on Friday and that night (at around midnight) or group was leaving the train station and headed for Jaisalmer.
Jaisalmer is located on the North-western portion of the Indian subcontinent near the Pakistan border. The landscape again had changed and we had now been transported into an Arabian desert. It is like nothing I have ever seen. There is sand absolutely everywhere, it is like this town is out of a movie. It is centered around a very old fort. The fort is amazing and although it has many shops now catering toward all of the tourists, the architecture is like nothing I have ever seen. I spent the first day in Jaisalmer exploring the city and the fort. Our second day we had some free day in the morning and early afternoon before we headed out to the desert! We took a bus out into the absolute middle of nowhere and pulled up to a few dozen camels lying at the side of the road waiting for our arrival. I must note that although it was beautiful the sand was blowing hard and we all had to bundle up our faces to provide some protection for the harsh winds. Anyways e got out, hopped on our camels and headed for the desert. This experience, although not entirely comfortable, was amazing and something I had been looking forward to. We were able to see some sand dunes and other camels and took a short stop to race our camels before arriving at our tent city where we were to stay the night. Some of the girls and our professors stayed in plush rooms with outfitted bathrooms and TVs while another group of us faced the night out in tents. After brushing off the sand on our beds, our accommodations were quite comfortable. Our night consisted of a show with live music and dancing, a busy buffet-styled dinner, and a night of talking and more music. In the morning we had breakfast and promptly headed out back to our hotel in Jaisalmer to wash away the sand of the night before.
Today is our last day in Jaisalmer and tomorrow we are headed for Jodhpur. I am not sure what to expect next but I am sure it will be amazing! Hope everyone is doing well at home and I will hopefully be making my next blog post sooner then the previous.
Talk Again Soon :)
