Shantinetikan-
Only two hours from Kolkata, but a chance to get my feet wet in the madhouse that is Howrah station (think Waterloo with extra beggars and vendors trying to sell anything you might need for a train journey, and plenty you don't....who wants to buy water-pistols for a train journey???). The ticket cost very little, in fact the entire weekend cost about 15 quid all in, but after asking three different officials, all of whom insisted it was platform 8, the train showed up on platform 9....very Indian.
Once on the train, you can buy just about anything, and listen to all sorts of strange music (I hate buskers), or drink chai or eat weird stuff made up of puffed rice, chillies and oil mixed up in a plastic bucket with a grubby spoon and served in a newspaper cone. ( I had eaten lunch so I passed on this delight).
Howrah station
This is a town with a University founded by Tagore, India's first Nobel Laureate ( for literature- go on tell me you know all about him, and do it with a straight face and uncrossed fingers). The University is a bit faded and dilapidated now, but the place was peaceful and very tranquil after 5 weeks in Kolkata. Tagore's house is now a sort of museum; very informative but lacking his Nobel prize which got pinched...and its all bit tatty. This is a pity because if the 16 “guards” sitting around insisting I didn't take pictures and “guarding” the place had been gardeners, it could have been fabulous. A friend, Jayobrato Chatterjee, actually grew up in the house ( his father was one of Tagore's inner circle) and says he finds it most difficult to have to pay to look at places he used to play in.
I stayed in a guest house near to the Deer park (didn't see any deer), and took a cycle rickshaw up from the station. It was a most relaxing way to travel, for me at least, but the guy cycling had thighs of iron and not an ounce of fat on him. He earned every one of the Rs40 (about 50p) I paid him for 30 minutes of cycling. I had fabulous roast chicken for dinner, slept late on Sunday morning, and got back in time for tea on Sunday afternoon.
The guest house and view।
Bodh Gaya
This is one of the holiest Buddhist places. It is eight hours by train from Kolkata, and so time to sample the joy that is an air-conditioned sleeper train, leaving Howrah at 11.30pm on Friday night. As I'm usually tucked up in bed by 10.30, and was suffering from a wretched cold (almost man flu) I was starting to have second thoughts about this trip even at the beginning, especially as I didn't have a confirmed seat for the way back. I was assured that my waitlisted position (6) was safely going to get me home in time for work the next week.
I traveled with Suzanne, also a sleeper carriage virgin, and we started nervously by sitting onto the wrong seats. Once we'd found our places, we sat waiting for everyone else to make the first move- and show us the protocol for making the beds up. The 3 tier a/c carriage needs the seat to be lifted up to make the bed, and I just wanted to try and get my head down, hoping that someone would wake us up at the right place as the train was going on to Delhi (an extra 1000 km further on).
I didn't need to worry, I was wide awake at 5am and spent an hour watching the Indian countryside at dawn. It is flat, with lots of rice fields and very rural. I got an excellent view of lots of people squatting and doing their morning toilet. There was a sign in English announcing our arrival at Gaya, and a nice man with a sign met us at the train. (Auntie Ranu had arranged accommodation at the Sri Lankan mission and station pick up).
Buddha sat under a Banyan tree and got enlightenment. Every significant Buddhist nation now has a shrine in the town to honour this, and cater for the monks and tourists who come to see. Apparently in Winter the place is packed but it is now summer and stupidly hot. Buddhist temples are all the same layout, but each one had characteristics of its nation which made them all very different and interesting.
Shrines R'Us
I walked half the temples the first morning, and then retired to my room to sleep the afternoon heat away। I had a lovely air conditioning unit, that worked for an hour, then we lost the power and it next came on about 30 minutes before we left on Sunday।
I paced myself, a few more shrines before dinner and then next morning a trip to Gaya to see the Vishnupad shrine (built over Vishnu's footprint, and where Buddha apparently meditated for 6 years)। The success of this excursion was getting confirmation that we did have confirmed seats that night- I didn't mind too much that I wasn't allowed inside the shrine after that. (sacred to Hindus and even with my shoes off they wouldn't let me in).After another sleep Suzanne and I walked around the Mahabohdi shrine which was amazing as darkness fell. I was interested to see that the thermometer at 6pm was 36C, and it felt quite cool so I dread to think what it read at 1pm
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The train back was an hour late arriving- not too bad as it had started 24 hours previously in Mumbai- and a two tier carriage with most people sleeping already was a welcome sight when it did arrive. 5Am at Howrah was just as mad as any other hour- this station never sleeps
Agra
This trip involved a 17 hour train journey and a 4am arrival with the promised car pick up nowhere to be seen। I called every mobile number I had for Mruseless travel agent and his car pick service but ended up taking a taxi from the station to reach the hotel। I don't think I got ripped off too badly but this was not the greatest introduction to Agra। It meant we could walk down to the Taj Mahal just after dawn and find that its closed on a Friday। I took pictures from the backside next to the river। Went back for breakfast and then spent the afternoon at Sikandra (the Mausoleum of Akbar, the biggest daddy Mughal ruler). It was impressive, (bloody huge) and relaxing as there were very few people around.
Ivisited a temple (Samadh Soami) still in the throes of construction after 80 years। (it is said that it will never be finished, which I can believe)। It's another monument where photos are not allowed, they didn't sell postcards and I'm still confused by all the religions and gods and sects in India so have no clue who or what it is honouring॥ The building is going to be stunning at the end, a pity that its right next to a busy street and will never have the grandeur of the Taj.
The train back was an hour late arriving- not too bad as it had started 24 hours previously in Mumbai- and a two tier carriage with most people sleeping already was a welcome sight when it did arrive. 5Am at Howrah was just as mad as any other hour- this station never sleeps
Agra
This trip involved a 17 hour train journey and a 4am arrival with the promised car pick up nowhere to be seen। I called every mobile number I had for Mruseless travel agent and his car pick service but ended up taking a taxi from the station to reach the hotel। I don't think I got ripped off too badly but this was not the greatest introduction to Agra। It meant we could walk down to the Taj Mahal just after dawn and find that its closed on a Friday। I took pictures from the backside next to the river। Went back for breakfast and then spent the afternoon at Sikandra (the Mausoleum of Akbar, the biggest daddy Mughal ruler). It was impressive, (bloody huge) and relaxing as there were very few people around.
Ivisited a temple (Samadh Soami) still in the throes of construction after 80 years। (it is said that it will never be finished, which I can believe)। It's another monument where photos are not allowed, they didn't sell postcards and I'm still confused by all the religions and gods and sects in India so have no clue who or what it is honouring॥ The building is going to be stunning at the end, a pity that its right next to a busy street and will never have the grandeur of the Taj. 
Stolen from the internet.....so whats the point of no photos????
Tagore (he of the stolen Nobel prize above) described it as “a teardrop on the face of eternity।” Frankly, I thought it was the most magnificent edifice I have ever seen. You can look up the history yourselves but this is basically a monument to romantic love by Shah jahan to his favorite wife, after she'd given birth to her fourteenth child. (she did not die in a car accident, despite what they said in Slumdog Millionaire). Even with a thousand people milling around, and “official” guides and photographers buzzing around like angry flies fighting over a jampot, the place is serene and beautiful.
Agra's red fort is where Saha Jahan ruled and gazed at his wife's mausoleum and is also amazing. Every corner turned revealed another great view or cloister. Fattepore Sikri (Old capital city about an hour out of town along a very busy and potholed road) was almost disappointing after this, but was redeemed by my successful bartering of a chess set for Rs100 (and the kid admitted he buys them for Rs90, so I felt suitably good about the bargain).
I rounded off the day going back to the Taj to see it under moonlight (only allowed around the time of a full moon). Unfortunately we misjudged the hour of moonrise and so only saw a ghostly presence in the distance, but it was still the most incredible, special experience to see it that way. The security was also an experience. We had to check in a mile away, leave my mobile phone in a locker and then we were bussed in under an armed guard. There were two body searches, and only 50 people allowed at a time. This is totally understandable as it is arguably the most famous building in the world, and terrorism is a real possibility, but it still felt a bit weird after I'd wandered around only a few hours before with almost no security.
I came back via Delhi.....not a lot to say about it other than its a capital city, busy and grimy and the airport is a nightmare to get to. The Lodhi gardens were great.(huge tombs and very tranquil) ..and so was the icecream van at the gate. I was kind of glad to come “home” to Kolkata......and I'm not getting on a train for a few weeks....
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