Varanasi

February 20th
A few days ago we got to Varanasi. It looked like a movie set with all of the funeral pyres burning at night, the smoke and temple tops.

It was cool.
Mama and Papa checked out Nepal new. There apparently is a lot of unrest so it's a good thing we checked.
One day we took a boat out on the river and it was very peaceful. We put little candles in the river. Mama put a candle in for Grandpa. It was cool to watch the candles float down the river.

Varanasi is a very holy place for Hindus.

Because the River Ganga is here, many Hindus come here to die so their ashes can be put in the river. Then they can end the cycle of rebirth and experience moksha (ask my mom).
This picture was taken in Sarnath.


Matthew

More temples

February 13th
One more day until Valentine's Day! One more day until 75 days left. One more day until 200 days gone. YIPPEE!

Today we went and saw some famous Khajuraho temples.

These ones I don't think are the famous ones though. Luckily for me they weren't the ones with (shudder shudder) depictions of female and male (shudder) interactions.
Here at the hotel they have a peacock. He likes to eat sugar and dough. It's funny when he eats the sugar because he pinches you a little bit.
I can't wait until tomorrow because we're gong to have a party and we're going to get chocolate cake at the German Bakery.
Today for breakfast I had an onion omelette, milk porridge and pineapple juice. The pineapple juice was very good.
At the temples there were puppies! I threw rocks and they went over and inspected the rocks and lay down again.

Outside of our hotel room was a peacock that I got to pet.


Food That I Miss From Home
1. Banana split waffle (from Pancake House)
2. Teen burger
3. Mama's lentil soup
4. Caesar salad
5. Meatloaf
6. Grandma's green bean soup
7. Onion rings

Drinks That I Miss From Home
1. A&W Root Beer
2. Slurpee
3. Milk
4. Smoothie

Snacks/Candy That I Miss From Home
1. Popcorn
2. Cherry Blasters
3. Fuzzy Peaches
4. Jolly Ranchers
5. Marshmallows

February!

Jaipur, February 1st
Today I kind of felt like we didn't do anything except go to Pizza Hut!! The other things we did today were shop and buy. I got a vase that I like very much. It has a peacock-flower design etched into it that lets the brass colours show through.

February 5th
Today we got to Amritsar and I learned that on the Golden Temple there is 750 kilograms of pure gold!

The golden Temple is very cool especially when the sun is out. That way it sparkles in the sunshine.
Today we went to the gurudwara for lunch and we got served dal fry with chapati, rice and rice pudding. After that I was very thirsty so we went back to the hotel.

February 6th
Today we went into the Golden Temple. It was very crowded with people trying to place offerings, and people just kept piling in. It seemed like there were twice as many people coming in as there were going out.
Today we went to the gurudwara again but this time no rice pudding! The food was still great though. The Golden Temple is a Sikh temple in the city of Amritsar. Sikhs believe that you should share with those less fortunate. Sikhs also believe that everybody is equal, that's why we all sit on the floor to eat. Because of these beliefs, to eat at the kitchen is free.

February 10th
Today we saw the Taj Mahal!

It was huge. First we took the normal reflection photos, then we took some nice ones with us in them. Apparently the guy who had the Tah Mahal built, had the towers made one second of a degree outwards, so that if there was an earthquake the towers would fall outwards so they wouldn't crush the main body of the Taj. It still looked like they pointed inward though.
Today I bought an inlay box that has inlay like on the Taj. Its inlay isn't quite as intricate as the Taj Mahal though.

Matthew