After enduring another traumatic 5am wake up call this morning, we met our new guide and the coach took us down to the River Ganges where we had a boat ride at dawn.rnrnrnrnUnfortunately the weather was overcast and foggy which meant we couldn’t see the sunrise. However, we were able to get a feel of the Hindu lifestyle along the Ganges. The Hindus believe that they have four mothers, their biological mother, Mother Earth, Mother Cow and Mother Ganges. To honour their Mother Ganges they light candles surrounded by flowers and place them into the river. Many Hindus come down to the banks of the Ganges to bathe and wash their clothes. As well as using the Ganges for their everyday chores, the river also has spiritual meaning to them. Every Hindu wishes for their ashes to be scattered into the Ganges. During our ride we passed the crematorium, where a funeral pyre was burning and a woman was about to be cremated. We also saw the Holy Men of the city who live in tents on the riverbank. These men give up all their worldly possessions in order to live a simple and spiritual life. rnrnrnrnAfter our trip down the river we visited a Hindu temple which was beautifully decorated.rnrnrnrnLater in the day, we visited Sarnath, which is the place where the Buddha preached his first sermon and which is therefore known as the birth place of Buddhism. We first visited a museum full of ancient Buddha stone statues, and then went on to the excavation site at Sarnath where they have uncovered the ruins of the ancient Buddhist monastery. We then went on to a Buddhist temple. In the garden there was a tree symbolising where Buddha was supposed to have sat while delivering his first sermon to his five disciples. rnrnrnrnWe have been given the afternoon to catch up on some much needed sleep and will be going out for dinner tonight in what will be our last night in Varanasi. rnrnWe would all like to say thank you to everyone who has taken the time to visit the website and leave us a message. It is really motivating to read your messages and know that you are thinking of us. A special thank you to Sam Bell, who has kept up his promise to leave us a message everyday. We would really appreciate it if you could continue sending us messages and promoting our website to both friends and family as the hardest part of our journey is yet to come.rnrnA special message from Katherine: From reading the comments on my scarves: ok if you know me you will think it perfectly normal for me to be wearing a scarf wherever and whenever! They keep me cool ok?

Our apologies for the delay in getting this entry to you; unfortunately the hotel in Agra did not have an internet connection for us to upload our diary onto the website and today’s travelling has be rather hectic.rn rnThis morning was a challenge as we had to be out of the hotel by 5 am to catch the train to Agra. The train journey was pleasant and quick. rnrnWhen we arrived we made our way to our next hotel, the Howard Palace Plaza. The temperature reached 30 plus degrees as we travelled through Agra to visit the 7th wonder of the world: the Taj Mahal. We approached by camel ride and were all amazed with its beauty and outstanding architecture. The Taj was built by Emperor Shah Jahan in the 17th century in memory of his beloved wife. It took 20,000 men over twenty two years to create this masterpiece. The Emperor rewarded them by chopping off their hands as he did not want them to create anything as beautiful again. We posed on the bench that Princess Diana famously sat upon. rnrnrnrnrnrnrnrnNext we drove to the Agra Fort where Emperor Shah Jahan was imprisoned by his own son as he believed his father was wasting the family’s wealth and fortune. rnrnrnrnThis evening we had planned to dine on the hotel rooftop patio over-looking the Taj Mahal unfortunately due to the smog we were unable to see it!rnrnTomorrow our adventure continues as we are to be up at the crack of dawn for a long coach ride back to Delhi in time to catch our flight down to Varanasi. rn

rnAfter our first day we were all still in awe and wonderment but had an early start Monday morning, approx 9am (3.30am GMT). Our guide Sanjeev took us on a tour of Old Delhi; firstly we visited Mother Teresa’s Shishu Bhavan Home for abandoned Children. It was an emotional experience however we all enjoyed interacting and playing with the children. We left 50 of our teddy bears that we had brought from England at the home as gifts for the little ones and they were very excited.rnrnrnNext we visited the largest mosque in India built by Emperor Shah Jahan, who also built the Taj Mahal. It was an impressive site and what made it more amazing was that 20,000 people worship in the mosque on a regular basis. rnrnOnce we left the mosque we embarked on our own formula 1 race around Old Delhi in rickshaws. All rules of the road were ignored as we raced around to the soundtrack of beeping horns and crowded streets in 30 degrees centigrade heat. Much was at stake in the hands of one driver and his bike!rnrnrnFinally we visited Gandhi’s memorial site where he was cremated in 1948, the day after his assassination. The atmosphere was both calming and tranquil which was a very peaceful way to end our second day in Delhi.rnrnOur stay in Delhi was fantastic largely due to the impressive and informative knowledge provided by Sanjeev our tour guide. We appreciated all his efforts and the rest of our trip will not be the same without him!rnrnrnDay 3 in India will start at 5am (11.30 GMT) when we take the train down to Agra!

It is with great excitement and anticipation we leave for India tomorrow. Most of us have an idea what we are taking though getting it into the suitcase is proving to be a struggle! I don’t think any of us can actually believe that we are off to India to visit Udayan – the place that much effort has gone into raising funds for. It will be great to see the work of the home and how our money has helped the children.rnrnWe aim to send you a diary entry most evenings, obviously depending on the technology and whether we are in transit! Please keep checking for updates. It is anticipated that our first diary entry will be available on Sunday afternoon.rnrnAll that remains is to say see you in India!rnrnWe look forward to hearing from you through the comments feature.rn