Elephant Ride Up to Amber Fort

Very bumpy ride and hard to hold on to keep from slipping while taking the movie and photos. Betty rode the elephant with me.

Elephant Ride Up to Amber Fort

Driving from Orchha to Khajuraho

I was assigned the front seat today and what a thrill ride I had. Our bus driver was the best––he maneuvered the bus around motor scooters, carts, cows, goats, people, and cars and avoided being hit head–on by cars, trucks, and other buses. The cab of the bus was separate from the passenger compartment. The driver sat on the right, as driving is on the left side of the road in India, and the bus helper sat on the left. One of his jobs was to stand on the bus step entrance and watch the side of the road so that he could direct the bus driver as to how far he could drive the bus on the shoulder if need be. And all this avoidance driving was done with as many horn blasts as necessary. Driving in India is not quiet.

Was I nervous? Only when a car coming directly in front of us had little room to maneuver back into its lane. Sometimes it was quite close, but this is how people drive on the two–lane roads in some countries in Eastern Europe (Serbia, Bulgaria, and Romania), so I had seen it before. But in those Eastern Europe countries, you see memorials on the side of the road to those who didn’t make it back in time to their own lane. I didn’t see any roadside memorials in India. Maybe they are better drivers.

Driving from Orchha to Khajuraho

On the Bus in Varanasi

Varanasi is an extremely busy place. We were on our way to a drop–off point where we could then walk to the Ganges River. Movie taken from the bus.

On the Bus in Varanasi

Varanasi Intersection

Lalit, my tour guide, said it is even busier in Varanasi on a Saturday night and, of course, during special holidays. Hard to believe.

Varanasi Intersection

Sacred Hindu Ceremony on the Ganges

We were in a rocking boat when I took this movie but it will give you an idea of the sacred ceremony held here.

Sacred Hindu Ceremony on the Ganges

Varanasi Rickshaw Ride

I got to ride back on a rickshaw from the top of the ghat on the Ganges. A great seat from which to take a movie. Although my camera didn’t pick it up, there were handicapped beggars lying on the street that all the vehicle and foot traffic had to avoid hitting.

Varanasi Rickshaw Ride