India

Morning prayer on Ganges, Varanasi

My 4th visit to India !

Continued from Armenia...
Landed at Delhi airport after flights from Armenia - Georgia through Azerbaijan. This was my 4th visit to India. My first trip was an epic five month long journey in 1998 (when digital photography didn't exist!). I also visited Mumbai, Agra and Lucknow in 2006 and in 2008 with students (school trips I organized) for international mathematics competitions in Lucknow.

India hasn’t changed much since my last visits... Of course, there are now 1.5 billion people living in India (a 45% increase in population since my first trip in 1998), so streets are noisier and busier than before !

India part #1: Oct. 5 - Oct. 15, 2023
Delhi

We spent the first few days in chaotic Delhi and stayed in one of the busiest areas: Paharganj. The temperature was still around 35 degrees (feeling like 40 degrees), so we found the air pollution, noise and heat taxing. We visited many sights around Delhi including India Gate, the Red Fort, Humayun’s tomb, but my favorite sight was the BAPS Swaminarayan Akshardham, the largest Hindu temple in Delhi. There was really high security and phone, cameras, bags, purses, shoes were not allowed inside, but the rock carvings were simply amazing.

India Gate

Holy cow

Busy streets of Parharganj

Photo with locals

Humayun’s tomb

Swaminarayan Akshardham temple

Agra

We spent 3 days in Agra visiting the different sights around the city.
The Taj Mahal is the most common tomb, but there are many other interesting sights including Sikh temples and other important Monghol’s tombs (like the mini Taj and Akbar’s Tomb). We tried to make a day trip to a sanctuary to see sloth-bears, but it was closed the day of our visit due to a strike organized by local people. Taj Mahal was always beautiful, but overloaded with local tourists.

Taj Mahal

Chini Ka Rauza (tomb)

Gurudwara Guru Ka Taal (Sikh temple)

Taj Mahal viewed from behind at sunset

Itmad-ud-Daula (mini Taj)

Keetham Bear Park strike

Varanasi

I like to quote the Lonely Planet guidebooks as they always describe and grasp extremely well the reality travelers perceive and feel when traveling.
Here what the book says about Varanasi: ''Varanasi is the India of your imagination. This is one of the world’s oldest continually inhabited cities, and one of the holiest in Hinduism. Pilgrims come to the Ganges here to wash away sins in the sacred waters, to cremate their loved ones, or simply to die here, hoping for liberation from the cycle of rebirth. Most visitors agree Varanasi is magical – but not for the faint-hearted. Intimate rituals of life and death take place in public, and the sights, sounds and smells of the mazelike old town can be intense. Still, the so-called City of Light is one of the most colourful and fascinating places on earth. Strolling the ghats or watching sunrise from a boat on the Ganges are a highlight, and confronting the reality and ritual of death can be a powerful experience''. We spent 5 days in Varanasi (a little more than anticipated due to illness) and left by train + buses + shared vehicle for Nepal where we traveled for one month.

India Part #2: Nov. 9 - Dec. 13, 2023
Kolkata

Nov 9. - Nov 14: After a month in Nepal, we flew back to India, but this time we visited Kolkata -Western Bengal- (more than 1000 km East of Delhi !).
Our visit was planned to coincide with two major festivals: Diwali (festival of lights) and Kali Puja (festival celebrating Kali -the wife of Shiva- winning over darkness, demons and bad spirits). This year, both festivals were celebrated on the same day. The air was polluted and the city was covered with heavy smog that got worse when firecrackers and fireworks started exploding. We stayed in a very authentic and non-touristy area of Kolkata (near South City Mall) which was fantastic. We paid for a guided walking tour of central Kolkata and learned about how Muslims and Hindous cohabit in the old parts of Kolkata. The lights for Diwali were glowing and it was a very interesting walk. I walked for a day around Kolkata to visit a very interesting old British Cemetery. On November 12, we walked from pandal to pandal (a pandal is a temporary structure that is constructed to house the Goddess Kali during the festival) and it was a very festive evening !

Steet of Kolkata at night

South Cemetary

Anglican Cathedral

Kolkata at night

Dewali lights in streets

Kali statue for festival

Darjeeling & Kalimpong

Nov. 14 to Nov. 23, 2023
After noise and pollution, we move to north-east India, and it was something completely different ! Darjeeling, with its green tea plantations, was calm, clean and pleasant. We strolled through hills, checking out the whole tea-making scene. We got a front-row seat to a Himalayan show, especially Mt. Kanchenjunga (8590m, the 3rd highest peak in the world). Mornings and sunsets were pure magic, with the sun hitting snowy peaks (mountains turned pink). Tibetan monasteries were scattered all around Kalimpong and Darjeeling, adding a spiritual touch to the scene. Wandering around Kalimpong, we visited cool spots like the Geden Tharpa Choling Monastery and plant nurseries (where 80% of all orchids sold in India come from). It was like stepping into a different world, soaking in the spiritual vibes surrounded by massive mountains.

Tea plantations

Prayer flags at Buddhist temple

View of Darjeeling

View of Darjeeling from our balcony

Mt. Kanchenjunga (8590 m)

Red panda at zoo

Darjeeling Toy Train

The Darjeeling Toy Train, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, moves through the picturesque hills since 1881. A narrow-gauge marvel, it connects Darjeeling to Siliguri, offering breathtaking views of tea plantations and misty landscapes. Riding the choo-choo train from Darjeeling to Ghum (7 km in 1 hour !) becomes a journey through history as it traverses loops and curves, showing the ingenuity of 19th-century engineering. The slow pace train was nice, allowing us to enjoy the scenic beauty (Tea plantations with backdrop Himalayan views).

Sikkim: Namchi, Ravangla & Gangtok

Nov. 23 to Dec. 3, 2023

Everything was different here, and I felt like I was in another country! Sikkim is a state where Nepalese, Tibetans, Bhutanese, and Indians had blended. The mixture in their food, cultures, clothing, and religions was very interesting to see and experience. There were no more women in saris (they wore jeans, like in Nepal). People no longer ate with their right hand but used utensils. There was no more litter on the ground (trash bins everywhere). In a certain sense, Sikkim seemed (was) more developed than other places seen in India. Tap water was drinkable (came from the Himalayas). Extreme poverty seemed nonexistent: houses were large, well-built, and colorful. There were no more tuk-tuks, no unnecessary honking, and no cows in the streets. The population density is the lowest in India, so almost no one in the streets (like a small lost village in Canada). The predominant religion is Buddhist (not Hindu). Seeing the colorful Buddhist prayer flags flying in the wind against a backdrop of immense snow-covered mountains was very peaceful. Monks, dressed in their burgundy robe, walking in the streets, were beautiful to see. Finally, the most significant difference was probably the people who had distinct physical features from Delhi-Agra Indians. They had lighter skin, almond-shaped eyes (sometimes very slanted), and sometimes high cheekbones (indicative of mixing with the indigenous people of the high mountains). Their hair was black and straight. Sikkim is a state that enjoys a special and unique status compared to other states in India. Everything seemed better controlled there.
Statues were of epic proportion. Tibetan monasteries were everywhere. I loved it.

Namchi

Rabong Monastery, Ravangla

Char Dam Temple, Namchi

Thupten Dhargyalin Monastery, Ravangla

Samdruptse statue, Namchi

Tsomgo Lake, Tibet Border

Gangtok

Yak, Tsomgo lake

Pagodas

Rural village, Sundarbans reserve

Sundarbans reserve & Kolkata

Dec. 3 - Dec 11: Leaving Sikkim, we spent our last days in Kolkata and visiting the Sundarbans Tiger reserve for three days. We didn't see any tigers, but saw animals like monitored lizards, stocks, snakes, crabs, birds and much more.
We wandered around many places in Kolkata (which I enjoyed more than Delhi). Visiting Mother Theresa`s tomb (where she worked all her life) was really peaceful. On December 11 2023, 5 months after I started my trip, I flew to Bali for some well deserved rest. Continue reading, Indonesia was my next destination.