Moving through India

The Taj Mahal surpasses expectations, you can not fully describe it; you must experience it. The Taj, the Red Fort and the marble factory are the highlights of the rather smelly city of Agra.
10th century sculptures at the temples of Khajuraho are well preserved and set in lovely gardens overflowing with bouganvilla. They are both exotic and erotic, surely the models for the Kama Sutra. In fact all of the vendors sell small books of the Kama Sutra in several languages.
Varanasi is considered the most holy of cities on the Ganges, with temples sliding onto her shore, some tilting very near the water's edge. At dawn we are rowed along the ghats (steps into the water) to observe the ritual bathing that begins each morning at dawn. Cremation sites are situated at one end, with fires burning around the clock. No photos please.
Many believe if you die in Varanasi you break the cycle of death and re-birth. Many old people come here to await their passing, living in simple hostels with their families who care for them.
Nearby, at Sarnath, is where the Buddha gave his first sermon under the Bodhi tree.
At the top of the Ganges is Haridwar, another sacred and holy place for Hindus. It is one of the 4 places one must visit before dying. No meat or alcohol can be found within this city.
The festival of light, held on the shores of the Ganges, is exciting every night of the year. We took part giving and getting blessings. Red cotton string is tied around your wrist while the holy man chants in Hindi, and you try to repeat it. A smear of red on your forehead and the blessing is complete. Now to add your banana leaf basket filled with flowers and a candle to the flotilla moving quickly down the Ganges.
We stayed in another Haveli, the Hari Ganga right on the Ganges with a bathing beach. The water here flows rapidly and can be dangerous to swim in. Several women took the dip at 7am with the Holy men nearby.
Rishikesh is also set along the Ganges a few miles up stream. You find a very rapid current here which is great for river rafting. Rishikesh is where the Beatles and several "famous" people learned meditation in the TM style with the Maharishi.
It is a great place to chill out, possibly stay in an ashram. You can learn to meditate, do yoga, and eat pure vegitarian food for reasonable prices.
An overnight train ride from Delhi to Darjeeling on the 1st class Rajdhani Express is a unique experience. Three meals per day, teas, and snacks all served on chinaware. When the train stopped at stations our butler jumped off and bought us cold beers, juice, and soft drinks.
Darjeeling, resting between Sikkim and Nepal, is one of the many hill stations created by the British during the time of the Raj. The extreme heat of summers was not well tolerated by these people used to a cool climate.
Tea was planted and Darjeeling became famous for it's tea crops. We visited a tea plantation and learned which leaves are used for white, green and black tea. I did a white tea tasting in a tea shop in town, and there is a vast difference.
Before dawn, at 4am, we head up Tiger Hill to watch the sunrise over the Himalayas. If you are lucky, Everest appears through the cloud.