Bathing in the Ganga as the sun rises on another day. . . . . .

People have asked where we visited., so here you can see the itinerary. We went to the north first, which was a mistake. When we went on the south trip it was extremely hot. If we go again, David will reverse the order of the trips.

The following is the itinerary for the north which began in  late February. Our journey north was  filled with sacred and secular architecture.   I wasn’t  able to post while we are travelling.  DBell leaves very little downtime and internet was spotty along with electricity.  Google the places and see some wonderful pictures, and I have included images of just a few of the major sites.  Professor worked with a travel agent who made the reservations. We stayed in * * * hotels because the last group stayed in * * hotels and there were rats in some of the rooms. Our hostel is * * * and quite comfortable. Hotels provided guides which was very beneficial for getting around and overcoming the language differences mostly lack of English and our lack of Hindi or local languages.

We did not go  to Allahabad, but there was  a festival going on there for 55 days.  It is when Hindus from across the world come to bathe in the Ganges. The festival is called Maha Kumbh Mela. The opening weekend, there was an estimated crowd of 30 million.   This year the estimated attendance for the complete festival will be 110 million which is 1/3 of the population of the United States. It was  the largest gathering of humanity in a single place in history. Already, 275,000 people have gotten lost from their family.  I have no idea how they reconnect. I cannot get my head around these numbers.

AHMEDABAD

PROPOSED ITINERARY FOR FIELD TRIP FEBRUARY 23 – MARCH 10, 2013 FOR 13 PEOPLE (SELF, WIFE, 11 RENSSELAER STUDENTS)

REQUESTING 1 COACH, ROUND TRIP FLIGHT DELHI TO VARANASI (COACH IN VARANASI), TRAIN FRPM FOR 13  PEOPLE, TRAIN FROM DELHI TO AHMEDABAD

FEBRUARY 23

Depart at 6:00 am from Presidency Enclave, 7 Darshan Society, Samved Hospital Road (near Nidhi Hospital), Navrangpura, Ahmedabad 380009

2 nights in Udaipur (February 23 & 24)

Visit: Jag Niwas (Lake Palace), City Palace, Mor Chowk

This is the site of filming of Octopussy, a James Bond film.  City Palace in Udiapur.

Depart for Jaipur on February 25 at 7:00am

Visit either Kumbhalgarh Fort or Chittogarh Fort on the way to Jaipur

2 nights in Jaipur (February 25 & 26)

Visit: Pink City, Jantar Mantar, Jami Masjid (mosque), City Palace Museum, Jawahr Kala Kendra (20th c.,             Charles Correa) The Amber Fort

Amber Fort and elephant rides on the outskirts of Jai Pur, the Pink City.

Depart for Agra on February 27 at 7:00am

Visit Chand Baori step well near Abhaneri on the way to Agra

2 nights in Agra (February 27 & 28)

Visit: Taj Mahal, Fatepur Sikri (Jami Masjid complex), Mathura

Depart for Delhi on March 1 at 7:00am

2 nights in Delhi (March 1 & 2)

Visit: Chandini Chowk, Jantar Mantar

Depart for Amritsar on March 3 at 7:00am

2 nights in Amritsar (March 3 & 4)

Visit Golden Temple, Guru ka Langar (free kitchen), Border closing ceremony

Sikh Golden Temple

Wagha Border Closing with Pakistan

Depart for Chandigarh on March 5 at 7:00am

1 night in Chandigarh (March 5)

Visit: Le Corbusier buildings

Depart for Delhi on March 6 at 1:00pm

 India Gate in New Dehli 

1 night in Delhi (March 6)

Depart by air for Varanasi on March 7 before noon, coach for 18 picks us up at Varanasi airport and we will have the coach available while we visit Varanasi

2 nights in Varanasi (March 7 & 8)

Visit: Ghats, Jantar Mantar, Vishnawath Temple, Dhamek Stupa

Depart on morning flight to Delhi on March 9, coach for 18 picks us up at Delhi airport

Leave Delhi on overnight train to Ahmedabad (March 9)

ARRIVE IN AHMEDABAD ON MORNING OF MARCH 10

Oh just looking at this images now, brings back such wonderful memories!

Google Images. . . . public domain