Partying in Paris

After spending only a few short days on Spanish soil, we were once again in the air and heading towards the most romantic city in the world, Paris France. We arrived in Paris by noon, and were soon in the heart of the city at the quaint flat of our friends Celine and Guillaume. After a delicious helping of Ratatouille (excellently prepared from scratch by our friend Guillaume), we were out and about, exploring the City of Love. Our first stop was at the iconic Arc de Triomphe, a symbol of power and strength. From there we strolled down the street and caught our first glimpse of the Eiffel Tower, all lit up and glittering every now and then. We then made our way to the Louvre, one of the world's best and most elaborate museum. While inside we were able to see such masterpieces as the Mona Lisa (she wouldn't stop starring at us) and the ancient Greek statute, Venus de Milo. We spent a good few hours walking through the museum and still we weren't able to see it all. The neat thing about the Louvre was that the museum itself was almost as interesting as the pieces in it. It would take at least a week if you wanted to see all the exhibits! We left the museum and headed back to our friend's flat, and from there we headed for the evening. We spent the night celebrating Christmas, drinking French wine, eating French baguettes and pastries and just chatting with those around us. It was truly and authentic Parisian experience. The next day we were up early and out the door, heading toward the Eiffel Tower. We made it just in time to stand in line with all the other people, who thought that this clear sunny day would be the perfect day to go to the top. The line didn't last long, only about half an hour, and before we knew it, we were up at the very top of the Eiffel Tower (and freezing our mitts off!). The view from the very top was magnificent, as we could see all of Paris laid out before us. And because it was so clear, everything was so visible. We could see the Seine River, L'Arc de Triomphe, the Louvre, as well as the Notre Dame Cathedral. It was a breathtaking sight, and we were glad that we did it. After taking many, many photos with the tower, we met up with our friends at Montmatre. We saw the Basilique du Sacre Coeur which is a famous church built on a hill overlooking Paris. We toured the church, and then headed out for a fabulous lunch together. On our way back from lunch we walked through the "shady" part of Paris, and we were able to see the Moulin Rouge (although we never saw Nicole Kidman or Ewan McGregor there). At this point we said goodbye to our friends and thanked them for a wonderful Parisian experience. We made our way to our last stop on our itinerary, the Notre Dame Cathedral, and were once again blown away by the beauty that was Notre Dame. From there we quickly hopped on the subway, a bus, and then on our plane back to Spain. Our weekend in Paris was a whirlwind, but we made the most of the time that we had, saw what we came to see, and made some new friendships along the way. Paris will always hold a special place in our hearts and we can't wait to return there once again someday!

Rome-ing Through Italy

We arrived in Rome, Italy, after a quick evening flight from Nairobi. Upon arrival at the airport, we were greeted by our Italian friend, Federico, who would be showing us around Rome, as well as a few other places in the country. Our first stop after immigration was to the centre of Rome, to Federico's apartment so that we could drop off our bags. From there we made our way into the heart of the "Eternal City" and began to look around. We spent the day on foot, and we were able to visit many piazzas, squares and churches. We had lunch at a great little restaurant, and were able to try some authentic Italian pasta (which Federico claimed would be the best pasta of our life)! We continued to wander around the streets of Rome, taking in the sights, and smells (yum!). We called it early that day, as we were exhausted from the previous night flight.The next morning we were up and out the door early, on our way to see the Vatican City. We arrived early and beat the line to climb up to the Cupola and were able to catch a fantastic view of the city. From there we made our way through the immense St. Peter's Basilica, and then down to the basement to see the tombs of the previous popes (including the newly renovated tomb of Pope John Paul II). After lunch we wandered around the city some more, until it was at last, time for dinner. We made our way to the ¨funny¨ part of the city (as our friend calls it) and ate the most delicious authentic Italian pizza.The next morning we were up early again, this time with a purpose. We made our way back to the Vatican city, just in time to hear the benediction from the pope. He addressed the crowd in many languages, including Italian, French, Spanish, English, German, Portuguese, (and I think... Polish) and wished us all a merry Christmas and a great 2008. Our final day in Rome was spent in the Vatican museums, where we saw some of the most amazing artwork, including the Sistine Chapel, that is host to the painting "Creation" by Michelangelo, fantastic!! That night we headed out of Rome by train, to the Tuscan city of Florence. Upon arriving we found a place to drop our bags, and then grabbed some grub! In the morning we were out and about on a walking tour of the city. This specific tour was a historical walking tour, and our guide was very good at pointing out many of the important sites and explaining their significances. We saw the Medici home (the most important family in Florence at the time) the academia of art (where many of the great masters of art studied and taught), and the impressive cathedral which is located in the centre of town. After the tour we went to the academia of art, to see one of the most famous sculptures ever to be made; Michelangelo's "David". We learned just how important Florence was as we went to the Uffizi Gallery and saw statues of some of the greatest names in art, literature, and even science. We were lucky to be in Italy at this time of year, as we never had to wait in lines anywhere. We were in and out without any problem. During our stay in Florence, we decided to take a short day trip (only about an hour by train) to the city of Pisa. There wasn't much to see there, except the famous leaning tower. We snapped our photos, snagged some lunch, and then we were out of there, and back to Florence for a final evening. We left Florence by train, and made our way to the fashion capital of Italy; Milan. Here we met once again with our friend Federico, who had been studying for exams, and crashed for the night in his apartment. The next day we saw the sights of Milan, including the Duomo (which is the largest Gothic church in the world), as well as a great Christmas market and what might be the most expensive street in the world, Via Monte Napoleone. We spent a second night with Federico and his family, and had a great time in Milan. Early the next morning we were up and on our final Italian train. We traveled three hours to the famous floating city of Venice. Although the weather wasn´t as great as we had hoped for (like in previous cities in Italy) we still had a wonderful and romantic time in Venice. We got lost over and over (how can you not?) but always found something to interest us. From carnival masks to gondola boats, Venice was an amazing city to see. We saw the famous sights, which included Piazza San Marco and many churches, and enjoyed the feeling that comes with being on the streets of Venice. Our time in Italy was amazing, but like all good things it had to come to an end at some point. So, after 11 days, with our packs on our backs, we once again found ourselves in an airport. This time we were´t heading far our next European destination was just around the corner.

Masai Mara Memories

We spent the next three weeks in Kenya in the same fashion as the first. As such, we spent our days working at the Children´s Garden, helping out in the school as well as in the home. We also helped the children prepare for their exams, and we marked the exams when they were finished writing them. During our second week, we said goodbye to Diane and Alicia, who headed back to Canada after spending almost four weeks in Kenya at Children´s Garden. We were sad to see them go, but we were happy that we still had a longer time to enjoy with the children. At the end of our third week, it was time to party. Amanda was celebrating her 24th birthday, so Jono decided to treat her to something special. The two of us, along with our friend Thomas, another volunteer, and 4 older students from the home, headed out on another wildlife safari. This time we were heading 4 hours south, towards the Tanzanian border, to the Masai Mara. The Masai Mara, which is home to the Serengeti plains, is one of Kenya´s biggest game parks and is often heralded as the best place to spot wildlife in their natural habitat. The seven of us left early on Friday morning to see what adventures lay ahead. After the long and tiring safari car ride (which broke down several times along the way) we arrived at the Masai Mara game park. We stopped for a brief lunch at the side of the road (another breakdown) and we were soon joined by a troop of 3 Masai Warriors (spears in hand) who were amused and bewildered as they saw us eat packaged foods and other picnic-type snacks. After failing to get the car going again, a “Good Samaritan” towed us to the place where we would be camping for the next few days. Then after a quick rest we were able to get the engine up and running and we were off for an adventure in the park and looking for animals. It wasn’t long before we found what we were looking for. Out of van windows, we could see; zebras, buffalos, gazelles and impalas and before we knew it, we found ourselves eye to eye with the ultimate king of the jungle. A beautiful male lion was right next to our safari car. It was amazing to see and we couldn’t believe how incredibly close it was. As the windows were quite open, it could have easily climbed its way into the vehicle. It was excitement and anxiety all twirled together at once. After seeing a few more exciting animals, we called it quits for the evening. We headed back to our campsite (yes, we were camping in the game park!! But don´t worry, we were “protected” by a 7 foot fence on 3 sides of the campground. The next morning we were up early and back in the game park hunting for animals. We were lucky to see a whole pride of lions, wildebeests, zebras, ostriches, giraffes, hippos, crocodiles, a few herds of elephants, and we were even lucky enough to catch a rare glimpse of lions mating! The day was successful, and Amanda had one of her best birthdays yet! Our fourth and final week at Children´s Garden was spent with the children and enjoying our last moments together. Since the children were finished their exams and had free time, we, along with Thomas, helped them practice for their Christmas Nativity play (which was even written by Thomas himself). We had a great time doing it, and only wished that we could stay longer to see it all at the final production. The day that we were set to leave was a sad one, as we had come to know and love so many of these children. Before we headed out we had a goodbye party, where the children sang and danced for us, and made us promise to come back and see them (and we really hope to do so again soon!). We even had a goat for dinner, and we all ate it together as a farewell dinner as we gave out our final hugs and goodbyes. At nine pm, the director, Moses, drove us back to the same airport that he had picked us up from one month earlier. We said our goodbyes and we were once again back on the road, headed for new places and new experiences.

Krazyness in Kenya

We arrived in Kenya at five am after a short and easy plane ride from Cairo. We were greeted at the airport by Jono's Aunt Diane and Moses Ndungu, the director of Children's Garden, the home and school that we would be living and working at for the next four weeks. After hugs and hellos, we were in the car, heading to the Kawangware slums, just outside of Nairobi. As soon as we arrived, even though it was so early, we were greeted by smiling children and some of the workers at the center. We wasted no time in getting to know the children, the workers and the teachers at Childrens Garden. Our first week there was spent learning the ropes. We had it easy though, because Jono's Aunt and our friend Alicia Labelle, had already been at Childrens Garden for the past 2 weeks. They gave us insight to what we should be doing. We spent our time with the children in school, teaching them songs and guitar, working in the house, reading together, and just hanging out. Also, during our first week we were lucky enough to go on Safari to Lake Nakuru, about three hours away from Nairobi. We went with Aunt Diane, Alicia, and five of the students from the home. We left for our safari early in the morning, and by ten am we were in the park looking for animals. We were able to see many animals, including a rare white rhino, before lunch time. At lunch, while eating our sandwiches, we were attacked by baboons, who were set on taking our well prepared lunch and eating it. As the baboon attacked, the nine of us screamed and ran back to the van. However, our driver, who thought this was hilarious, just sat there and laughed. We urged him to go, but he wouldn't budge, at least not until the largest one was in front of us and threatening us to jump into our van through the roof! Finally, our driver sped away, and we were back to looking for animals. That day, we saw flamingos, baboons, hyenas, giraffes, monkeys, gazelles and impalas. On the whole, it was a great safari. That week we also took a small trip just outside of Nairobi, to see the Bomas of Kenya. The Bomas is a show put on to showcase different dances from the different tribes of Kenya. We went with Alicia, and two students from the home. We enjoyed the dances, even though the atmosphere wasn't the greatest. After the dances, we were able to walk around the compound, and see how the different tribes lived and what life was like for them. We had no trouble settling in to what would be our new home for the next couple of weeks and we found that it was a place that we were surrounded by smiles and greeted with warm hearts. Meet the faces of Children's Garden.

Entering Into Egypt

We arrived in Egypt after a late night ferry trip across the Red Sea. From the ferry port, we taxied it down to the beautiful beach destination of Dahab. We spent our day in Dahab laying around the beach, as well as snorkeling in the Red Sea. We were able to see some incredible things while snorkeling, including lion fish, clown fish, stunning corals and anemones. That night, instead of catching up on some much needed sleep, we chose to drive two hours out of Dahab to the Mount Sinai (the biblical mountain where moses met God, heard from the burning bush, and received the Ten Commandments). We arrived there at 2 am and we started to make our way up the mountain. It was a cold and long journey up, but after a few hours we were at the top and we were able to see one of the most beautiful sunrises ever, over the distant range of mountains. On our way down, we stopped at St. Catharine's Monastery, where we saw a large bush which is believed to be the same type of bush that Moses would have encountered on the mountain (but no, it wasn't burning). We arrived back in Dahab by noon, and spent the rest of the day in the same fashion as the day before. We enjoyed the beach, and snorkeled until we couldn't snorkel any more. That evening, we caught the late night bus out of Dahab, heading towards the Egyptian capital of Cairo. It was a long way (about 10 hours), but we were so exhausted from the previous few nights without any sleep, that we slept through the entire bus ride! We arrived in Cairo early the next morning, and dropped our bags off at the train station. We picked up our tickets for the night train to Aswan and than headed out to explore Cairo. Our first stop was at the Egyptian Museum, where we were able to see the worlds largest display of Egyptian artifacts. The museum housed some truly amazing pieces, including mummies of various pharaohs (and their animals), burial urns, statues, ancient artifacts, jewelry, and, what we found to be most impressive, King Tut's burial mask. We spent a few hours in the museum, but as our time was limited, we had to move on. We hopped on the subway to get to our next stop, which was an area called Giza, to see the Sphinx and the Pyramids. As soon as we arrived we were blown away by the sights that were before us. The Sphinx and the Pyramids, being thousands of years old, were right next to us and we could even touch them! We got our photos, and Jono and Mike even made their way inside one of the Pyramids (and even into the stone burial pit). We hung around at a local restaurant overlooking the Pyramids to watch the sound and light show that is put on every night. It was a bit cheesy (it was also in German which didn't help) but the Pyramids looked great all lit up! It was back on the road for us that night, as we boarded the night 12 hour night train headed for Aswan, which is in the south of Egypt. We arrived by noon the next morning and were thrilled to have a place to lay our heads and drop our bags. We spent the day riding up and down the Nile on a felucca, as well as taking in the sights and tastes of Aswan. We headed to sleep early that night, only to be woken earlier than ever desired. At 3 am our hotel gave us our wake up call, and half an hour later we were in a mini bus, in a convoy, headed for the site of Abu Simbel. About three hours later we arrived at our destination (along with a thousand other people who were a part of our convoy!). We had made it to the ancient sight of Abu Simbel, a breathtaking temple made by Ramses, which was not far from the border of Egypt and Sudan. The temples were spectacular on the outside, and just as great on the inside. The hieroglyphs were well preserved, and the only downfall was that we couldn't take any photos inside. From Abu Simbel, we traveled back to Aswan, and spent the rest of the day resting and enjoying ourselves. That night we jumped on the train again, this time only for three hours, and made our way north to the city of Luxor. Here we spent the night, and the rest of the following day. Although we were short on time and didn't get to see everything (Luxor is home to both the Valley of the Kings and the Valley of the Queens, where the kings and queens of the past were buried), we decided to explore Luxor's Eastern Bank. However, we were able to check out the impressive Temple of Karnak as well as the Luxor Temple. We were even able to see the Luxor Temple lit up at night before we headed back on the road. That night we took the night bus back to Cairo, as we all had to catch our flights out of Egypt the following evening. We arrived in Cairo and were so exhausted from the weeks adventures, that we rented a hotel room for the afternoon and caught up on a few hours of sleep!!! After we felt rested enough, we went out for a final dinner together, and than it was off to the airport. We parted ways here, as Mike was flying back to Canada, and we were flying further into the heart of Africa.

http://jonoandamanda-main.local/slideshow-jnawa-027-egypt/

Joyriding in Jordan

After a successful train ride out of Varanasi, we passed just over a week in Southern India in the state of Goa. We had high hopes of enjoying some good times relaxing on the beach, but within the first days of arriving, Jono came down with a severe eye disease, and by the next day, had passed it on to Amanda. Needless to say, we both spent the entire week inside our hotel room (as it was highly contagious!) recovering. In fact, we only left the hotel to make the one hour taxi ride to the hospital to get it checked out. When our time in Goa came to an end, we headed over to Mumbai, where we passed a few more days (still recuperating) and then we were in the air once again. We landed in Amman, Jordan, and were excited to be spending the next leg of our journey in the middle east. Upon arriving we were blown away by the beauty of the desert that surrounded us on every side. It was truly breathtaking. When we arrived in the city, we found our hostel for the next few days, and started to figure out what to do. Our first stop was to Jebel al-Qal'a (Citadel Hill), that is comprised of ancient Roman ruins, such as Umayyad palace, and the Temple of Hercules. It also has the Jordan Archaeological Museum, which is home to several specimens of the Dead Sea Scrolls. The next day we made our way out into the city again, this time hitting up the Roman Theatre which was an impressive amphitheater, built between 169 AD and 177 AD by Markus Aurelius. We arrived back to the hostel early and spent some time hanging out with our new friends there. Around nine that night, we were greeted by Mike, Amanda's older brother, who flew into Amman that evening. He would be spending the next 2 weeks traveling through the middle east with us. Even with (or especially because of) all the excitement of having Mike around, we didn't slow down for a minute. The next day after his arrival, the three of us took the hour bus ride north to the ancient city of Jerash, one of the most dramatic and explorable Roman cities in the Middle East. We spent our time wandering around enjoying the ruins. We were also able to catch a reenactment of some of the Romans military tactics, as well as a few well choreographed gladiator fights and a real chariot race. Once we felt as though we had done all we could in Jerash, we hopped into a cab that took us to the ancient castle of Ajloun, which was built during the crusades in the year 1184. Again, we explored, and we found that we quite enjoyed the small castle. After that, we jumped back on the bus headed back to Amman, and were soon preparing ourselves for the next day. We woke early the next morning, and were soon on the bus again, this time heading for the city of Madaba. We arrived by noon, and an hour or so later we had set ourselves up with a taxi driver who would show us the three main sights around Madaba. The first of these was Bethany and the Jordan river, where Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist. We walked along the water, and even went into the river. We also had a great view of Israel (and Jericho in the distance), which was only a few feet away on the other side of the river. The second sight of the day was the Dead Sea. We spent an hour swimming... well, more like floting in the Dead Sea, which happens to be the lowest land area on earth, and the second saltiest water in the entire world!. It was so salty that you couldn't even swim, only float around! Our third and final sight of the day was Mont Nebo, the mountain where Moses looked over the holy land. We made it to the mountain, however, we were too late to enter the sanctuary that is on top of the mountain (there never seems to be enough time!!). The next morning we were on the road again (yes, we are always on the road!), this time heading down the King's highway towards Jordan's most spectacular attraction. Along the way we stopped at Wadi Mujib, (a.k.a. the Grand Canyon of Jordan). We then arrived at the crusader castle of Karak. From there we made it to the city of Wadi Musa (Moses Valley in Arabic), the closest city to the ancient ghost city of Petra, which we would be exploring over the next two days. The next morning we woke up extra early, so that we could get a full day in at the rose city of Petra. We began our day by journeying through the Siq, a narrow canyon walkway which lead to the most incredible and stunning structure in all of Petra, the Treasury. Listed as one of the new wonders of the world, the Treaury was designed to impress, and it has been doing so for more than 2000 years. The thing that makes this UNESCO site so unique is that most of the buildings and tombs in this Ancient Nabataean city were constructed, in fact, about ninety percent of them were carved out of the rock itself. We spent almost 12 hours wandering around, climbing and exploring Petra. We had seen two of the main sights, the Treasury and the Monastery, as well as many other smaller, but just as exciting places. Although our feet were tired from the day before, we got up early again and once again found ourselves surrounded by the beauty of Petra. Again we wandered, climbed and were in awe of this ancient masterpiece. We made it up to the High Place of Sacrifice (no, they didn't sacrifice Amanda!) and also got a great view of the Treasury from above. That night Jono and Mike made it back to see Petra at night, where the Siq to the Treasury were lit by over 1500 candles (beautiful!). Amanda however, didn't make it, due to poor shoes which gave her blisters after two days of climbing. Not to slow things down in any way, the next morning we were up with the sun, and on the 6:30 bus to Wadi Rum, (the stretch of desert made famous by Lawrence of Arabia. When we got to the desert, we jumped into a 4x4 jeep, which drove us across the desert, stopping at various interesting places, such as huge sand dunes, rock bridges, and desert canyons. We saw the most beautiful sunset in the desert, and after the sun went down, we made our way to the camp. As we finished dinner, we decided that instead of sleeping in the tents that were provided for us, we would sleep under the stars of the desert sky. It was a beautiful night, and we were thankful that no desert snakes or scorpions got to us. In the morning we were back in the 4x4 and heading out of the desert to the Red Sea-side city of Aqaba. Here we proceeded to get our ferry tickets for that evening, as we would be taking the late ferry out of Jordan and into Africa. To pass the day away, we relaxed and swam along the coast of the Red Sea. We didn't do any snorkeling (it is said to have the second best snorkeling and diving in the world after the Great Barrier) because we planned to do that first thing in Egypt. The day passed slowly, and finally, at midnight, we were on the ferry, leaving with fond memories of Jordan, and looking forward to what would lay ahead for us in Egypt!

From A to V (Agra to Varanasi).

We left Jaipur, and Rajasthan altogether, and we soon found ourselves in the state of Uttar Pradesh. Our first stop in this new state was at the magnificent fortified ghost city of Fatepur Sikri. This city was once the short-lived capital of the Mughal Empire between 1571 and 1585. Today it is famous for its large and beautiful mosque, known as the Dargah Mosque, and that was our reason for stopping. We toured around the mosque for about an hour, and were surprised by its sheer size and overall design. We entered through the Buland Darwaza (Victory Gate), the largest gate in all of Asia. We proceeded to walk around and explore. Soon after we were asked to leave (not us specifically, but everyone there) as a group of VIP's were coming to visit. We headed down and thought that we would be back on the road, but as it turns out, in India, if there are VIP's on the road, everyone else must wait with their cars pulled off to the side for the VIP's to pass. We ended up waiting for over an hour, but finally they came. We were thinking maybe they were important political figures, or even Bollywood stars, but they turned out to be delegates from the Commonwealth (nothing too exciting!) The VIP's left, and we were soon on the road, heading towards the city of Agra. We were thrilled to be heading here, as it is the city that is home to the Taj Mahal, one of the seven wonders of the world! We quickly unpacked our bags and then headed out for some grub. We wanted to get some good food with a good view of the Taj. We found one restaurant and went in. As it turns out, they don't light the Taj at night, so it was dark, but we could still see it. It was beautiful!! We thought that we would eat and stare at the beautiful building, but we were forced to leave. Not by anyone, but rather through our own convictions. Our driver, Beer, had come along with us for the evening to enjoy our last full night together. However, the restaurant where we were planning on eating told him that he would have to go downstairs and wait for us. Because he was Indian he wasn't allowed to eat there. We wouldn't have any of that so we went to look for something else. As it turned out, all the restaurants we tried with a Taj view said the same thing. How unfair to our friend! We decided to go to a restaurant near the city centre, and it was great. We ate good food and had a lot of laughs, and that was worth more than a shadowy Taj view. The next morning we woke early, 5 am, with hopes of making it to the Taj for the Sunrise. When we looked out the window it was far too cloudy, so we decided to just rest in bed and go later in the day in time to catch the sunset. Around noon we began our day. We went first to the Agra Fort and palace, a beautiful massive red-sandstone structure built in 1565. We toured around and enjoyed the beautiful buildings. After that we stopped at Mickey D's, for the first time in India, and filled our bellies with a couple of yummy Maharajah Macs! Canada should look into getting some of these bad boys!! We were full and ready to go the the most remarkable sight in India, the Taj Mahal. The Taj Mahal has been described as the most magnificent building ever built for love. The Taj was built by Emperor Shah Jahan in 1631, as a memorial for his second wife, Mumtaz Mahal, who died giving birth to their 14th child. It is said that the Emperor was so heartbroken that his hair turned grey overnight! The Taj was then created and completed 2 years later, and stands today as a reminder of the love of an emperor. It is a fantastic building, and we were thrilled that we had been given the opportunity to see it. It was more beautiful in person than any picture could ever illustrate. It was massive and at first sight literally took our breath away. We stayed there until sunset, admiring its beauty and trying to get in as many photos as we possibly could! That night was a sad one, as it was time to leave our friend Beer and head out on our own for the remaining time we had left in India. After hugs and well wishes, we were on our overnight train, heading for what is said to be the holiest Hindu city in India called Varanasi. We arrived in Varanasi at 5 am, and were thankful that we had been set up with a train station pickup (we had no idea where we were, and since we always had Beer we weren't used to finding our way. We would soon get back in the habit though!) We were dropped off at the hotel an hour later and within a few minutes we were in bed catching up on some z's (you can never get a proper sleep on the train!). After some time we decided it best to head into the city and see what all the fuss about Varanasi was. We made it to the main area after a short auto rickshaw ride, and were not overly impressed. It was busy, noisy, crowded, just like any other Indian city. We made our way down to the Ganges River (also known as the Ganga) as proceeded to walk along the river bank. We passed by many Ghats (stairs that lead down to the river), where people bathe, wash cloths, swim, etc. in the river. There were even ghats designated as cremation areas where cremations were constantly taking place. We spent the afternoon walking up and down the river, although there wasn't really too much happening, and we still weren't blown away (as quite a few people we talked to described Varanasi as the highlight of their trip). We also weren't impressed with the water itself. We did some reading (Lonely Planet, as usual) and found that in in 100ml of bathing water, the acceptable amount of fecal coliform (poo) should be less than 500 (in Niagara Falls it is roughly 80). However, water coming out of the Ganga is so septic, that the numbers are in the neighborhood of 1.5 million!!! We were not going near that water for anything!! At least thats what we said. Not necessarily what we did. The next morning we made our way back down to the river and jumped in!! We were splashing all around and gargling the water in our mouths... GOTCHA! Actually, we hired a boat and road up and down the Ganges as the sun rose. It was an amazing time, as we saw people come down into the river to pray, bathe, brush their teeth, swim and wash their clothes in their holy water. It is said that all Hindus try to make it into the Ganga at least once in their lifetime, and it is an honour to die in Varanasi and to be cremated there. The experience of seeing the Ghats at dawn was a beautiful sight to see, and really made our time in Varanasi worthwhile. That night, with our time in Varanasi at and end, we were back on the train, and quite literally, heading for Bollywood!