Continental Flight 82 from Newark non-stop to New Delhi is on time and departs at 8:45 P.M., April 21 2006 - the pictures in this album are a blend of mine and Bill's
8 videos from this trip are on You Tube at "Janitorphoto" just click: http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=janitorphoto
In "Slideshow" you can click in and out of captions mode. "Hide Captions" or "Show Captions" So don't let the captions hide the pictures or ruin the show.
Remember "Hide Captions" or "Show Captions" it's your choice on each picture in the "Slideshow" mode.
Arriving Indira Gandhi International Airport 8:15 P.M. local time April 22, 2006 - by about 10:00 P.M. (seen here) we were ready to fall prey to touts and a hotel scam
auto-rickshaw ride first moring in Delhi, going to find our actual hotel after having been bamboozeled into a poor one (shot by Bill)
early morning a fruit vendor pushes his cart past the Astoria Hotel (where we were scammed into spending our first night in Delhi) towards the Paharganj bazzar
Bill Carey with his Lonely Planet guide book awaiting a room assignment at the Yatri House Hotel in Delhi
fruit vendor along street in the Paharganj main bazaar in Delhi - the swasticas behind are good luck symbols
the guidebooks caution, don't eat any fruit or vegetable you can't peel
a main intersection in the Paharganj bazzar
colorful shop in Delhi's Paharganj bazzar
Paharganj bazzar, look closely at all the wires on the telephone poles, there is a huge amount of piracy of electricity in India
wending our way through the Paharganj bazzar
Paharganj Bazzar Delhi
Paharganj bazzar Delhi
street children in alleyways just off Paharganj bazzar in Delhi
interrupting a game of cricket being batted in an alleyway off the Paharganj bazzar (by Bill)
West meets East in the Paharganj bazzar (by Bill)
An outer wall of Jama Masjid in Old Delhi. Near the Red Fort, it is India's largest mosque. I was denied admittance as I was wearing shorts
men moving a small mountain of goods just outside the Jama Masjid
before the Red Fort entrance at Lahore Gate the public is warned
Lahore Gate, main entrance to the Red Fort (Lai Qila) in Old Delhi, a huge walled sanctum of palaces from which the Moguls ruled India
one of many open-air pavilions within the Red Fort in Delhi
looking within another Red Fort pavilion down what would have been a waterway, Mogul palaces had eleborate water courses throughout
an aspect of the Red Fort architecture showing thinly cut translucent marble
another pavilion of beautiful marble within the extensive gardens of the Red Fort
details of the architectural ornamentation of the pavilion in the foregoing slide - you can enlarge
same marble pavilion within the Red Fort
a detail of the fine marble work within the pavilion
young Indian boys touring the Red Fort
a forest of red sandstone pillars shelter a marble throne within the Red Fort
late afternoon sun slants through a small bazzar in corridor leading to exit of the Red Fort
a small portion of the miles of red sandstone walls that enclose the complex of palaces and gardens known as "the Red Fort" in Delhi
a graphics oriented bazzar across the street from the Lahori Gate entrance to the Red Fort in Delhi
breakfast in laid on the marble table within the garden of the Yatri House, our home in Delhi
garden doorway at the Yatri House in Delhi
our contract with Exotic Travel dated April 23, 2006, with travel itinerary - from Delhi, through Rajasthan to Agra by car then on to Varanasi by overnight train -- (picture originally taken as evidence when we thought we'd "been had")
scene from a village between Delhi and Bikaner in Rajasthan
an open air barbershop in a Rajasthan village
a bicycle rickshaw driver and his friends in rural Rajasthan
getting their money's worth... a crowded auto-rickshaw in a village between Delhi and Bikaner, Rajasthan
a type of vehicle you don't see on the streets in the United States (by Bill)
India has the most wonderful jalopies - a highly practical vehicle seen in rural Rajasthan (by Bill)
seen while traveling to Bikaner Rajesthan
a huge statue of the Hindu God Hanuman, (see Bill standing alongside it for scale), in rural north Rajasthan
Hanuman statue in Rajasthan. To realize Hanuman's significance go to... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanuman
at a cafe adjacent to the Hanuman shrine I espy our whereabouts on a map of Rajasthan (by Bill)
village scene in rural north Rajasthan on the road from Delhi to Bikaner
young men giving me a good-natured hard time at a juice stand in a Rajasthan village in the Thar desert, notice the sugar cane press
the same young guys being patient with me, holding a bowl of freshly squeezed sugar cane juice
fruit vendor in the same Rajasthan village between Delhi and Bikaner (by Bill)
Bill made a study of the colorful women of Rajasthan's Thar desert - this is the first of several
by Bill
another by Bill
another of Bill's shots
another by Bill, my favorite - this Thar desert women seen between Delhi and Bikaner
a camel convoy in the Thar desert in rural Rajasthan
Bill's picture of me taking pictures
late afternoon, the women go for water, they'll walk the water home in those clay pots balanced on their heads
sweet-natured and patient, posing for a picture (by Bill)
boys in that same Thar desert town
a great tie-dye sari seen in a village on the edge of the Thar Desert in Rajasthan on the way to Bikaner
an ancient Mogul fresco on an exterior wall of that same Thar desert town
Breakfast our second day on the road in Rajasthan at the Raj Vilas Palace Hotel in Bikaner, Bill and Raj
touring Junagarth Fort in Bikaner, northern Rajasthan
a 16th-century Maharaja's throne (complete with large human-powered fan draped above) a Junagarth Fort in Bikaner
a very blue shrine room in Junagarth Fort at Bikaner
ceiling detail, blue room, Junagarth Fort, Bikaner (by Bill)
a statue within the blue room of the Junagarth Fort at Bikaner (is it Brahma and Saraswati?)
some handsome Indian tourists on a roof-top promenade in the Junagarth Fort at Bikaner
the great hall - throne room - at Junagarth Fort in Bikaner, Rajasthan
brightly attired Indian women at Junagarth Fort museum
a worker at Junagarth Fort maintains (reverences - performs puja) at a small shrine to Ganesha - the Hindu god Ganesha graces the entrances to many many buildings in India
the marriage wall at Junagarth Fort... the bride and groom place their hands on the white marble hands and the members to the wedding on the sandstone ones
I'm standing here (Junagarth Fort) with our driver Raj, who drove us from Delhi to Agra, through our entire tour of Rajasthan (by Bill)
unemployed teachers protesting the government's failure to give them positions - outside a courthouse in Bikaner
woman and child at Deshnok south of Bikaner in Rajasthan near the Karni Mata Temple, a Hindu shrine to rats
beautiful saris in Deshnok, Rajasthan (by Bill)
Women at Deshnok, between Bikaner and Ranakpur, near the Karni Mata Temple (by Bill)
Women outside the Karni Mata Temple at Deshnok in Rajasthan (by Bill)
Karni Mata Temple at Deshnok in Rajasthan
inside the Karni Mata Temple at Deshnok in Rajasthan
Hindu religious care for the rats who inhabit the Kari Mata Temple at Deshnok
men under shade tree in Deshnok, check out sign for www.karnimata.com (by Bill)
a cigarette advertisement showing a man and woman joining hands (I believe in a weddding ceremony) from rural Rajasthan
at a roadside open air restaurant and rest stop waiting for Raj to fix the car - we had at least three breakdowns
ice cream vendors in a small Rajasthan town between Bikaner and Ranakpur
not sure exactly what this vehicle is, but it's wired for sound
a grain truck along the road to Ranakpur in Rajasthan... many were more heavily burdened than this one
traveling through the Thar desert, a "desert ship" moored to a shade tree (by Bill)
enjoying a tall bottle of chilled water at an open air shop while waiting for the car's cooling system to be fixed (by Bill)
in the S.T.D. booth making a phone call home - the cots are typical features at Rajasthan roadside rest/shops (by Bill)
after a hot day in the car Raj checks us into the Heritage Hotel in Jodhpur, a former residence of the British during their rule, the attendant is very proper military with mustache (by Bill)
early morning in Jodhpur, Rajasthan, a mother seeing her children off to school
awaiting breakfast on the lawn, in a shady spot before the full heat of the day (by Bill)
Breakfast is served, with coffee and mango juice
buying a Frooti (our favorite cold mango beverage) and other treats from a vendor along a busy street in Jodhpur
Mehrangarh Fort looms over Jodhpur.. a most impressive fort
the great Mehrangarh Fort which towers over Jodhpur is still owned by the Maharaja.. it was the most impressive fort we saw in India
school children lined up for a tour of the Mehrangarh Fort, small Ganesha shrines can be seen at the foot of the fort's walls
a gigantic elephant door, strongly reinforced against attack, to catch the scale check out the human-size door in bottom left fifth of the picture... the overall door is enormous
Mehrangarh Fort is so vertical, it's really "up there"
red sandstone architectural ornamentation within the Mehrangarh Fort at Jodhpur, the detail was fantastic
schoolboys waiting for the next sight within the Mehrangarh Fort
and their female counterparts
a boys plays hauntingly beautiful music on a instrument I can't name. I've got a video you should see and hear of this at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1C7DzdDMJE4
smoking opium in a hooka within the Mehrangarh Fort
viewing Jodhpur from the Mehrangarh Fort one sees why Jodhpur is called "The Blue City" (major Rajasthan cities have color associations - Jaipur - pink, Udaipur - white, Jaisalmer - golden, etc.)
a throne room / pleasure room, within Mehrangarh Fort, the Maharaja's had "lifestyle" going on
an inner courtyard within Mehrangarh Fort... see the architectural details above the windows, designed to resemble desert tents
in a museum full of such at Mehrangarh Fort, a cradle for a young maharaja
a fresco within the Mehrangarh Fort depicting a Maharaja on his throne
the very throne depicted in the fresco of the last slide - in Mehrangarh Fort
three pretty young English women sit below great architectural detail in an inner courtyatd at Mehrangarh Fort
interior detail at Mehrangarh Fort
Leaving Jodhpur we stop by the High Court, a "busman's holiday"
along the highway from Jodhpur to Ranakpur, a load of sticks
along the same stretch of highway, tractor pulling hugely burden wagon-loads of grain or straw
sandal-clad tractor driver
shepherds driving their flock along a busy highway on the way to Ranakpur in Rajasthan
roadside refreshments in a small village between Jodhpur and Ranakpur in Rajasthan
an ox powered water cart on the road to Ranakpur
smiles can be seen behind veils as women carry the evening water supply home along a road to Ranakpur
young woman with child in a village near Ranakpur
highway lined with eucalyptus near Ranakpur in Rajasthan (by Bill)
craved ornamentation around doorway to a smaller Jain temple at Ranakpur
carved dancing girl, architectural ornamentation on smaller Jain Templer at Ranakpur in Rajasthan
another sculpture on smaller Jain temple at Ranakpur
yet another Jain sculpture in Ranakpur
the main Jain temple, Adinath Temple, at Ranakpur (built in 1439) near sunset, would have to wait until morning to visit
the entrance to our hotel in Ranakpur
very early morning at the Roopam Hotel in Ranakpur, the porch to our room with the arid Aravalli mountains visibly ringing the town, a beautiful atmosphere like the very best of California
the open air dining room of the Roopam Hotel in Ranakpur, waiter preparing for breakfast
the very friendly proprietor of the Hotel Roopam in Ranakpur, who the evening before had plied us with prodigious amounts of Rajasthani "tequila" (by Bill)
our young guide (child on the right) and a family living in a windowless one-room stone house just over a hill, by a lake in Ranakpur
the family inhabits this small house, the opening are in the "foyer" or front "room" which has no door against the outside, the only enclosed room has no windows at all
women and children taking water home from the community well in Ranakpur
a turbaned goat-herder drives his flock along a road in Ranakpur (by Bill)
old goat-herder walking along the road near Ranakpur in Rajasthan (by Bill)
road biking in Ranakpur, solid brake rods, no cables, no clip-on shoes... (by Bill)
beautiful saris are apparently not to fine a garment for dirty manual labor in Rajasthan (by Bill)
two very handsomely attired ladies hard at work digging in the dirt along a road in Ranakpur (by Bill)
the same well dressed women along a Ranakpur roadway (by Bill)
Some women boldly approaching us along a road bordered with eucalyptus trees (by Bill)
the rather spirited young women display their henna-dyed hands (from a wedding celebration?) near Ranakpur in Rajasthan
Sajjan Raj Prajapat, a weaver near Ranakpur from whom I bought a durry rug
inside the Jain shrine of Adinath Temple at Ranakpur, built based on the number 72, the temple is 72 by 72 yards held up by 1440 pillars (a divisor of 72) inside are 72 shrines
the intricately carved ceiling over the main space near the entrance of the Adinath Jain Temple temple in Ranakpur
me sitting in front of the Parsvanatha plaque showing the 23rd tirthankara protected by a multi-headed cobra in main Jain temple at Ranakpur: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tirthankara
a close-up of the 23rd Tirthankara sculpture in the main Jain temple at Ranakpur
in my admittedly limited understanding, this is the Jain equvalent of a Shivalingam with, instead of a lingam in the yoni has the footprint of a Tirthankara... maybe, no offense intended
this sculpture graphically represents the origin of all the myriad things created by the original sound, Om, which reverberated throughout the universe creating everything at main Jain temple Ranakpur
one of the 72 shrines within the main Jain temple at Ranakpur, being reverenced (puja) by a devotee, note the face mask he wears, a mark of a commited Jain unwilling to harm even an insect that might be breated in
my personal favorite symbol at the Jain temple in Ranakpur, a yoni with footprint of the deity
yours truly at Adinath Temple in Ranakpur wearing a discarded necklace from a wedding party (a woman's ornamentation I was told) (by Bill)
driving from Ranakpur to Udiapur we saw a herd of buffalo taking shelter from sweltering heat under a shade tree
just over the first mountain ridge from Ranakpur we came upon a village, here the inhabitants shelter from the heat under a flame tree
a bus so crowded with members of a wedding that the roof is as full as the interior, note the band at the front of the roof
open air village barbershop on road between Ranakpur and Udiapur in Rajasthan
colorful guy on road between Ranakpur and Udaipur (by Bill)
Driving into Udaipur in the afternoon, I stop at an STD to call my kids (Sarah & William) back in the States (by Bill)
Udaipur seemed much more opulent, like a resort town, palaces on lakes, a beautiful part of Rajasthan
enjoying a very expensive beer at The City Palace before getting aboard the boat to traverse Lake Pichola to the Floating Palace in Udaipur, Rajasthan (by Bill)
on Lake Pichola at Udaipur, boating out to the Floating Palace
Palace in Lake Pichola at Udaipur, Rajasthan
relaxing in Floating Palace on Lake Pichola in Udaipur, Rajasthan (by Bill)
looking across Lake Pichola to the City Palace in Udaipur, Rajasthan (by Bill)
Lake Pichola Udaipur, I never ordered (by Bill)
The City Palace at sunset, Udaipur, Rajasthan
the dining room on the roof of our hotel, Hotel Rampratap, in Udaipur, overlooking Lake Pichola
rooftop diningroom panorama at Hotel Rampratap, our Udaipur hotel overlooking Lake Pichola
Lake Pichola from the Hotel Rampratap rooftop dining room
breakfast in style at Hotel Rampratap in Udaipur
a sweeper-woman in the "Girlfriend Garden" at Udaipur, a large enclosed garden / pleasure ground created by a maharaja for the exculsive use of his daughters and their friends
in the "Girlfriend Garden" at Udaipur
An elaborate fountain at the heart of the Girlfriend Garden in Udaipur (by Bill)
a sign on the outskirts of Udaipur about a Jain temple complex nearby, note the swastica symbol for good luck and the masks to prevent accidental harm to small lifeforms
in Nathdwara, a village between Udaipur and Jaipur, outside a famous Krishna Temple (the second richest temple in India), women with baby carried on a stick
"Use Dipper At Night" means the equvalent of our "Dimmit Dammit" and the request "Horn Please" is asking for the curtesy of blowing the horn to reveal your presence and intention... horn in India means a polite "excuse me"
blowing your horn (excuse me please) is a nice thing in India, it's being polite
on the way out to Amber Fort we saw this guy with his elephant along the road
Amber Fort on high, seen as we approach from Jodhpur (by Bill)
elephants coming down from Amber Fort outside Jaipur
elephants at Amber Fort
having just climbed the hill into Amber Fort
Palace entrance within Amber Fort
garden at Amber Fort
looking down from Amber Fort to what was the Old Capital of the Rajput until the water ran out, then the move to Jaipur
a nicely ornamented dome atop Amber Fort
screens delicately carved from single sheets of marble in Amber Fort at Jaipur
a closer view of the intricacy of the marble carving creating those screens at Amber
mosaic ornamentation within Amber Fort
450 rupies for an elephant ride up the hill to Amber Fort
waiting for the next tourist at Amber Fort
shopkeeper doing some washing in the business district of Jaipur
vegetable stand in downtown Jaipur
Jaipur vegetable vendor
reverse view of the last shot, vegetable vendors in Jaipur, this one is... (by Bill)
butcher shop in Jaipur, Rajasthan
Jaipur bedding manufacturer / vendor
loading on a great pile of bedding in Jaipur, those bicycle rickshaws are flexible vehicles (by Bill)
the "Enjoy Corner" refreshment stand and its proprietor
neatly uniformed school girls on the streets of Jaipur, Rajasthan
tasty fried food for sale in an open air stall in Jaipur
Jaipur street vendor
a row of clothing shops in heart of Jaipur, Rajasthan
The City Palace in downtown Jaipur "The Pink City"
Jaipur street scene
flower vendors outside of a temple in Jaipur
wife holding her baby leading her blind husband begging for alms
flowers for sale outside a temple in downtown Jaipur
in the Jaipur bazzar a shop selling very colorful silk saris
man rides a motorcycle through the incredibly tight Jaipur bazzar
discriminating shoppers at the bazzar in Jaipur
busy sari shop is a blur of color in Jaipur bazzar
ladies our saris are of the finest material
another section of the Jaipur bazzar
Jaipur bazzar
a men's shop in Jaipur
in Jaipur bazzar a shop selling wedding supplies
among the wedding supplies, garlands of paper money, rupies
shop selling dried fruits in busy heart of Jaipur
street vendor in Jaipur, don't know what it is but it looks good
selling food from a push-cart kitchen in Jaipur
a bangle shop in Jaipur
bangles for sale in the Jaipur bazzar
every kind of padlock on the street in Jaipur
a fruit-stand in Jaipur
Jaipur shoeshop
most Indian businesses seem to operate out of a hole in the wall, like this tiny textile shop in Jaipur
a "feel good shop" in Jaipur selling that king of stong beers, Godfather 10000+
welding / blacksmith in Jaipur
a religious man on the streets of Jaipur, again swasticas are simply a symbol for good luck
elephant returning home from a day's work in Jaipur - street scene video of Jaipur at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U3v5UxiY1QQ&feature=user
two school girls stopped to have some fun with me, late afternoon in downtown Jaipur
an air of bemused skepticism
the aristocratic proprietor of our hotel (the Umaid Mahal) in Jaipur who seemed to spend a large part of the day in his pajamas, standing before the hotel's impressive entrance (by Bill)
world famous Jaipur lassi wala
served in terracotta cups which were discarded for recycling after use, these lassi were delicious
roadside sales of flowers and water jugs
lots of water jugs to choose from as we drive out of Jaipur on a dusty morning
roadside flower stand on dusty morning leaving Jaipur (by Bill)
seen outside Jaipur as we drive to Agra, roadside crowded with vegetables, people and litter
a feral pig or boar roots through the garbage rotting alongside the main road through a village between Jaipur and Agra - much of the garbage, not being plastic, is biodegradeable
a village wedding procession on a busy highway in Rajasthan between Jaipur and Agra: a video of this scene at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OeUqeH0E35E (by Bill)
You Tube video of this which music and movement at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OeUqeH0E35E (by Bill)
along the road we often saw women doing manual labor of all sorts, often while nicely attired in colorful saris (by Bill)
cow manure, or dung, called "cow butt" by Raj our India driver, huge stacks in country villages, sometimes moulded into shapes resembling buildings
a dust storm over the Thar desert had kicked up a dusty day for our trip from Jaipur in Rajasthan to Agra in Uttar Pradesh
necessity is the mother of invention (by Bill)
adding to the dusty day were numerous large chimneys spewing smoke as local clay / mud was fired into bricks
appears to be a festive float in search of a parade, along the busy highway between Jaipur and Agra
the border of Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh
a monkey and his trainer just over the border into Uttar Pradesh
religious symbology being carted to some festival somewhere in Uttar Pradesh
Taj Mahal
yours truly standing before one of the world's most iconic scenes, the Taj Mahal at Agra in Uttar Pradesh (by Bill)
a much visited icon
detail of the fine marble work on the Taj Mahal
the front face of the Taj Mahal, showing the script decorating and ornamenting the building, which is a huge tomb
rear corner of Taj Mahal
In India open shows of affection between the sexes in frowned upon, but is accepted between members of the same sex. Male friends or male family members holding hands is a common sight
lovely ladies in beautiful saris at the Taj Mahal
a religious fellow in traditional dress at the Taj Mahal (by Bill)
the Taj Mahal is a complex of buildings and this is the grand entrance of a large building to the left of the Taj, red sandstone used to great effect
Taj Mahal side view
the Taj Mahal seen through trees in the surrounding park
building in the Taj Mahal complex
In Agra, a muscian from a wedding band seen near the Taj Mahal
another member of that same wedding band
after a 14 hour ride we de-train pre-dawn at Mughal Sarai Junction, the train station south of the Ganges at Varanasi - we were unsure whether it was Varanasi, until we saw the corpses (by Bill)
unattended corpses at the Mughal Sarai train station, awaiting cremation on the banks of the Ganges at Varanasi
fresh fruit for sale as the train from Agra stands in the Mughal Sarai station (by Bill)
walking through the station at Mughal Sarai we see passengers who've overnighted there on the floor
this elderly pilgrim at Mughal Sarai looked very much like he's passed over during the night - we were sure he was dead
the early morning at Mughal Sarai as seen from our auto-rickshaw upon arriving at Varanasi
our auto-rickshaw driver stops to buy some kind of stimulant wrapped in a leaf from a street vendor at Mughal Sarai
seen from the bridge as we come in from Mughal Sarai station the sun rises over the Ganges at Varanasi (by Bill) [if you turn the captioning off there's a rowboat in the foreground]
my breakfast table on the roof of the Palace On Ganges at Varanasi, Hindustani Times on the table
The Palace On The Ganges hotel thoughtfully provides a book written by a Hindu Swami the hotel's proprietor considers auspicious
At Asi Ghat in Varanasi, near our hotel, a man performs puja on one of the numerous shiva-lingams surrounding a peepal tree, Ganesha is there too
looking downstream to Reewa Ghat from Asi Ghat in Varanasi
a Hindu ascetic walks towards the Ganges near Tulsi Ghat at Varanasi (by Bill)
yours truly, on but not in the Ganges near Tulsi Ghat at Varanasi (by Bill)
bathing in the Ganges from Bhadaini Ghat at Varanasi
Washing with the water of the Ganges along the ghats at Varanasi. A video at this spot can be seen by clicking: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y40PscwpOOo&feature=user
cow pies drying in the sun along the Ghats on the Ganges at Varanasi, among other uses cow manure is a good fuel for cooking or heating
a boatload of locals navigates the Ganges upstream at Varanasi
a quaint little Hindu shrine enclosed in a tiny building on one of the ghats along the Ganges at Varanasi - the significance of which is unknown to me
along one of the ghats a picture of the Hindu god Shiva with cobra around his neck and the sandscrit symbol for "om" to either side with Shivalingam centers
to beat the heat of midday water buffalo take to the Ganges at Varanasi
fabric (saris?) just washed in the Ganges is stretched upon the Ahilyabai Ghat to dry in the sun at Varanasi
a Hindu ascetic on a ghat along the Ganges at Varanasi (by Bill)
one of the many shrines (is it to Brahma and Saraswati?) large and small that are found everywhere along the ghats by the Ganges at Varanasi
buffalo and boatmen along the Ganges at Varanasi
our hotel in Varanasi near Asi Ghat on the Ganges, the extreme upstream ghat in Varanasi
everyday, like clockwork, the electricity would fail and the hotel's generator would kick in for the midday hours providing enough electricity for fans but not air-conditioning
A bicycle-powered school bus in Varanasi
busy downtown Varanasi in late afternoon early evening, a video of this scene can be seen: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=afoDaYfJQMA&feature=user
an open-air restaurant in busy downtown Varanasi near the close of day
a sea of saris in the bazzar at Varanasi (by Bill)
behind Manikarnika Ghat, (the main "burning ghat" where cremations go on 24 / 7 with as many as 35 separate cremations possible at one time), huge stacks of firewood to fuel the pyres
another picture of the large amount of firewood to fuel the constant cremations at the main "burning ghat" in Varanasi, which I haven't pictured directly because it was forbidden
between Jalasen Ghat and Nepali Ghat we hire a boat to take us from the burning ghat back all the way upstream to Asi Ghat in the dark
upstream at night on the Ganges, alongside Dasashvamedha Ghat: there's video at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4vAWg7ECX3w&feature=user (by Bill)
I've made a pre-dawn contract with this boatman for a ride downstream and back passed all the ghats in Varanasi
other tourist boating the Ganges by Vatsaraj Ghat in the pre-dawn
an age-old technique, beating laundry clean on large, flat stones on the banks of the Ganges at Lali Ghat in Varanasi, the hollow, slapping sound can be heard in video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YJCOKwyCHns
a floating vendor sells votive candles to tourists on the Ganges, each mounded into a little dish formed of leaves, each lit a set afloat as a prayer
I prepare to set afloat on the holy Ganges a small flaming prayer for my family at home
my hard-working boatman continues our early morning trip downstream on the Ganges at Varanasi, video at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YJCOKwyCHns
a well-equipt vendor works the early morning tourists on the Ganges
as the morning progresses more Hindus flock to the Ganges to bathe at Ahilyabai Ghat... video at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YJCOKwyCHns
between Dashaswamedh Ghat and Man Mandir Ghat on the Ganges at Varanasi
morning in full-swing on Dashaswamedh Ghat at Varanasi, video at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YJCOKwyCHns
Hindu holy-men come for early morning puja in the Goddess Ganges on Dashaswamedh Ghat (literally "the Ghat of Ten Sacrificed Horses") at Varanasi
Ganges "fleet" moored by Munsi Ghat at Varanasi
while laundry is beaten and hung to dry at Lali Ghat, two persons in the foreground search the water immediately upstream for anything of value from cremations the day before
as the day progresses the ghats become crowded at Dashaswamedh Ghat (the "Ghat of Ten Sacrificed Horses") in Varanasi video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YJCOKwyCHns
Just off Mahanirvani Ghat looking upstream past Niranjani Ghat to Chet Singh Ghat along the Ganges
a bicycle traffic-jam at Varanasi
the Dhamekh Stupa at Sarnath where Buddha preached his very first sermon near Varanasi
statue of Buddha at Sarnath where he preached his very first sermon at the Deer Park here in 528 BC
we hire a bicycle rickshaw for the ride to the Varanasi train station, video of this ride at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1iTHprSM__w&feature=user
a crowd of children gathered to beg as our train from Varanasi to Delhi makes a brief stop at a village
Bill dispenses "Good N Plenty" candy to children from the train
a handsome bunch of children at a village train station
an Indian-style toilet on the train, no paper products, only water
we arrive back at Delhi from Varanasi, last leg on trip for me
a morning crowd meets a train at the New Delhi station
an open-air restaurant in Paharganj bazzar in Delhi
the electrical utilities can't plan to serve the need since they've no idea how many customers they have - or rather, how many are pirating their electricity
the open-air garden / dining room at the Yatri House Hotel in Delhi
a Sikh military guard marches in close order in front of the Presidential Palace in New Delhi - (it was the Presidential guard who assasinated Indira Ghandi)
the great seal of the Emperor Ashoka (or Asoka) with the royal lions of India over Buddha's "Wheel Of The Law" or Dharma, first taught by him at Sarnath, India's National Symbol
broader view, through the gate of the Presidential Palace known as Rashtrapati Bhavan (formerly the British Viceroy's Palace) at New Delhi
even further back from Rashtrapati Bhavan (formerly the British Viceroy's Palace)
Looking down Raj Path, a 2 mile avenue used for parades, from the direction of the Presidential Palace towards India Gate, the heart of governmental "New" Delhi
the heart of "New" Delhi, India Gate, built to commemorate Indian and British soldiers who died in WWI, in the Battle of the NW Frontier & the 3rd Afghan War
we visited the Supreme Court Museum and saw the Indian Constitution and original court documents of famous case, like Ghandi's assasination, etc.
after our travels, back again in the Paharganj Bazzar (by Bill)
on the last day in Delhi, Bill had hours before placed this bumper sticker on the street vendor's cart at the main intersection in Paharganj and then pretended to be shocked to discover it as we walked together
Bill's joke
Dr. Gupta's clinic in the Paharganj bazzar at Delhi
using an ancient stove-heated iron, a man in the Paharganj bazzar presses clothes
using hands and feet a cobbler fashions a shoe in a stall in the Paharganj bazzar in Delhi
an open-air grocery in Paharganj bazzar Delhi
a colorful array of spices at an open-air grocery in the Paharganj bazzar in Delhi
a billboard in the Paharganj bazzar in Delhi
sign for a travel agent in the Paharganj bazzar at Delhi, cheap transport to Kathmandu and many other places
store jammed full of shoes in the Paharganj bazzar Delhi
an ox cart in the Paharganj bazzar
lassi wala, Paharganj style
leaving the Yatri House for the airport May 4, 2006
