Travelling to Varanasi

6 February 2009

Last night we spent the evening on the rooftop of our gorgeous hotel which overlooked Agra and the Taj Mahal. We ate a wonderful dinner, with lots of courses, which everyone loved and made our night even more special. There was a sitar player who entertained us with his beautiful music all night long. Eventually, we went to bed as we had to get up this morning at 5.15am to start our 10 hour journey to our next destination of Varanasi.


Firstly, we were driven in a coach to Delhi airport where we caught a plane to Varanasi. Even though the journey was quite tiring, we are very excited about being in this Sacred place, and another lovely hotel (with a pool!!!)
On this lovely warm evening, we are going to have dinner in the hotel, and then to bed early as we are going to The Ganges for sunrise tomorrow morning.

Comments:

Mrs Palmer

@ 3572 days ago

Wow what a fabulous place for dinner!

Sounds like you’re all having a wonderful time and making the most of this opportunity. Loving the diary especially all the great pictures.

Trish, I bet you’re not sorry to be missing the wonderful weather conditions here and trying to drive down the M1. Although I could get used to a 2 day working week!

Keep having fun everyone x

Siobhan Garibaldi

@ 3572 days ago

Hi Everyone,

This diary is getting really addictive and a great distraction from my work! I tried to send a message a couple of days ago but it seems to be lost in cyberspace!

I can’t believe you’re fitting so much into every day. James has never been so active in all his life! We’re just a little concerned that the same blue T shirt seems to be cropping up in all the photos!!!!

James, Ben wants you to know that Don Cowie from Inverness and Aleksandrs Cauna have been signed by Watford …. and the game tomorrow is cancelled because of the weather!

Lots of love to everyone x

Siobhan O'Brien

@ 3572 days ago

Hey guys,

Your pictures yesterday from the Taj are so lovely! Girls… you all look beautiful as per usual :D I’m glad you had such a great day! The weather looks so good, especially compared to the lovely rain I am getting here in Canterbury!

Love the picture of you sleeping Gough!! It remindeed me of the lovely Neal… he slept everywhere!!!

I’m praying that you have a better sunrise than we had. Can’t wait to see the pictures tomorrow of Varanasi… look out for the holy men :D

Take care and stay safe

Love to all x x x x x x

Paul O'Beirne

@ 3572 days ago

Hi from a snowy, freezing Croxley!

The artic weather has meant I have only been in school once this week!!
It’s turning into a mini holiday! Everything sounds brilliant. Mum is starting to complain about the lack of washing!

Love Paul.

Samuel Bell

@ 3571 days ago

All looking good! Especially the two teachers!
hope all is well and enjoying yourselves.
Enjoying the updates!

Sam.x

Tina,Paul & Alex Slavin

@ 3571 days ago

Hi Katherine and all,
How wonderful, the sunrise looks spectacularly beautiful how lucky you all are to have experienced this, along with seeing such devoted people at prayer.
Hoping you have all had a good sleep on the train and now ready for the special time with the children at Udayan. We’re thinking of you constantly.
God bless, Tina, Paul, Alex & Nornie xxxxx

Roberta Boxshall

@ 3571 days ago

Oh dear I always seem to be last with my comments! Lovely to see the pictures of you having a lovely meal with the sitar-player and preparing for the journey to Varanasi. Saw your comments on Natalie and Jimmy’s travelpod site today, Anna, and tried to help with a comment about the photo -uploading. We are so proud of you all. Most of the snow seems to have melted in Harrow today, although it’s still lying thick on the ground in Hemel Hempstead and beyond. We are due for another snowfall before the weekend’s out, but today has felt comparatively warm and was quite sunny. Abi and the girls came round for a visit and we had the usual chaotic caperings: playdough, picnic with plastic food on the carpet in the lounge and much innovative dancing. Went to see Damien and Gordon in their latest thespian endeavour at Pendley Manor on Wednesday and it was really funny:two one act plays by Allan Aykbourne and George Bernard Shaw. They pulled it off brilliantly before the courageous audience of 15 or so who had braved the snowy weather to be there. Missing you so much but so happy for you that you are having these once-in-a-lifetime experiences. Love mum and dad x x x

Roberta Boxshall

@ 3571 days ago

PS can’t seem to comment on the Varanasi blog. Maybe it’s too soon and you are still uploading it, but thought I’d mention it in case some cyber-button has been forgotten to be pressed. Love R

Rebecca Rand

@ 3571 days ago

Heyy Trish :)

Still Loads Of Snow Down Here !

Theres Supposed To Be More Tommorow Night Too !

Hope You Are Having A Great Time And Enjoying All The Curry For Breakfast ;)

Keep Having Fun !

Bye For Now :D

Lots Of Love,

Rebecca xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Chris Mann

@ 3571 days ago

Website visitors – we apologise for the technical hitch (no commenting facilities) on the Varanasi page posted on 7th Feb. All has been restored and the article is now available to comment on.

Thank you for your continued interest.

Katherine Oliver

@ 3570 days ago

Well….
HELLOOOOOO
everyone, wow, the pics, the diary its just all utterly, truely fabulous!
I am pretty speechless as it was myself and my year doing this two years ago!! two years! well they have flown by….

I am sure you are all having the time of your life, like they sing in dirty dancing haha, but also experiencing some tough sights that you cannont prepare for but even though it is all still so beautiful. This experience will be something you take with you everywhere and hold very close to your heart forever. Even now, to me it all seems like a blur, a dream. Me and Grace were saying how we are very much jealous of you all haha and we wana go back!!!! just enjoy every moment… Hmmm maybe not so much eating with your hands the consequences of, eer, dehli beli, haha, yes goodluck with that.

I will enjoy keeping up with you all…
take care of each other…
and for what is in store… ENJOY! oo watch out for the Tigers – Hope you are looking after Weldon and Devlin!!
Love to you both.
I will never forget how my 18th bday camera got stolen on the over night train haha oh dear, but Miss devlin gave me a copy of her photos, I have them in an album! Thanks… :)

And i bet you are all really enjoying reading these mesages, Oh god i probably should shut up and log off and go to bed for a long uni week ahead of me, – it is 00:30 here in Liverpool (not that the time difference is different to London but hey haha)

INDIA, ahh wow. Proud of you all…

Lotsa love Katherine…
x hope you are all keeping your own personnal diaries, mine got stolen also. I am proving to be somwhat irresponsible.

oo i remeber the cocktails were also good in that posh hotel, the one we didnt stay in of course haha. and GIRLS be careful when you are walking around the sights you might find you are trying to be sold or bought… and make sure you get a good price

GOODNIGHT.

o and also when at Udayan, if you know of a little girl called Chila, give her my love haha (pronounced like Sila)

Take care, goodluck. x x x thinking of you all.