Headed to the train in Agra and had to wait for one and a half hours - so much for the warnings that were given to all of us about the fact that Indian trains always leave on time! Right at the last moment the announcement was that the train would now be arriving at a different platform and we had to head up and over more stairs with our huge bags!!
Never mind, we survived the overnight train trip of 12-13 hours. It was not as bad as we imagined. Enough space for us all and apart from the disgusting toilets we managed to survive.
Standing at the open doors and watching the countryside flick by was wonderful. The sight of rural India, as we had learnt about in school days was all there. Very green, very lush and CLEAN! The first time we have not experienced the filth and decrepit buildings of the cities. What a refreshing change. We think those living in the villages out there have a much better lifestyle than the inhumane way many live in the big cities.
Varanasi. Our man on the ground was there to meet us!! Fabulous pick-up. However, no-one will even believe what we walked through to arrive eventually at our hotel!! Oh, oh, oh!! You will not believe the sights, the smells the sounds., the heat. 5 minutes of walking though very narrow, filthy, paved alleyways - people selling their wares from small cubicles which cannot be described; children living in cubicles dark, dingy and dirty, people cooking in oil and selling their food; sick mangy dogs lying along the 'gutters'; bikes dinging their bells to ask you to move out of the way so that they could bike through; motorbikes hooting so they could do the same. Unbelievable. My thoughts were: "Just when you think it can't get any worse, it does!!" I feared that we were going to end up in hell. However, eventually we arrived at the Sita Guest House and true to form, it was undergoing maintenance. However the staff were friendly and helpful and our room nice (by Indian standards) and the view breathtaking.
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