India is an experience. It's an unforgettable experience and it is impossible to describe adequately. 
I took some video clips during my time there in 2013, most were of the traffic but I hope that if you watch them, it might give you a better sense of the vibrancy and energy of this amazing country.

 As a solo traveler I decided for my trip to India to join a tour. It was the best decision I ever made and since then I have taken many tours with Intrepid Travel.  The company was recommended to me by Trailfinders who were my booking agent for that trip.  I liked the fact that I could choose a "Basic" tour which would use local/public transport and stay in basic accommodations. The transport element of the trip really gave a sense of India and of course our guide Monty Bhatt was the reason it was all so easy. As soon as we were off the train or bus he had the rickshaws or tuk tuks lined up ready for us to transport us to our hotel. In this clip there are some hairy moments. Unfortunately I didnt record the time the car taxi bashed into another taxi and kept going, or the tuk tuk driver who had pop music blaring to impress us tourists or the time the bus went half a mile down the wrong side of the (3 laned) motorway to stop at a service station on the other side of the road....or maybe that was in Sri Lanka.....Enjoy!

The number one historical site in India did not disappoint. 

With its colonial architecture, mouth-watering cuisine and celebrated intellectual and arts scene,  Kolkata confronts in so many ways but surprises in just as many. (Trip Notes)
When we arrived in Kolkata we were struck by all the beautiful buildings and the fabulous roads. While some areas of the city are as organised and clean as cities in Europe, when we delved deeper we met many more scenes of what we were used to in other Indian cities. Class and caste are very evident in Kolkata with luxury car dealerships, exclusive shopping malls and restaurants alongside slums and street dwellers. Our tour ended in Kolkata and I stayed on myself for an extra 5 days. I spent 3 of those days in the Loreto School Sealdah. 

As I had nearly a week in Kolkata I decided to visit a school. I was lucky to have a contact in the Loreto School Sealdah and was warmly welcomed for 3 days. I sat in on different classes and gave a few maths lessons myself.
A Sr Cyril Mooney from Ireland had just retired as principal. She had left a lasting legacy in this private, fee paying girls school. Now almost half the pupils have their fees sponsored by donors. She set up the Rainbow Project which involves the pupils in Rainbow Teaching.  Saddened by the sight of street children every day while she drove her scooter, Sr Cyril decided that the school building should be used at night as well. The rainbow children stay overnight and are fed. Some are educated in the school and others who have started late or have difficulty learning English, attend the Bengali school. There was stigma attached to certain children due to their parents profession/background.  The Loreto school sends a bus to these areas each morning, brings these children to the school (if they're not boarders) and they go from there to the Bengali school or the Loreto school. They are known as the Rainbow children and nobody knows they're background. 
There is a huge emphasis in the school on social awareness. Some year groups tutor the rainbow children, another year group travels to rural public schools once a week to provide tutoring and the teachers train teachers in public schools. The amount of programmes and initiatives Sr Cyril put in place as principal are too numerous to mention. She is still in India helping to develop the intiatives she started to a national level. 
Loreto nun brings education to girls living on the streets of Kolkata Nov 2015
Irish Loreto nun champions ‘inclusive schools’ in India July 2015 
​Farewell to a favourite teacher Dec 2011
Sister Cyril Mooney's work has brought education to 450,000 street children Bray's own Mother Theresa' makes trip home from India Oct 2007

Every Hindu hopes to make a pilgrimage to Varanasi in his or her lifetime. 
A ghat is a set of bathing steps that Hindus use to enter the Ganges or other holy Hindu rivers.
A pandit is a religious teacher and a sadhu is a holy man.
Ashrams are lodging houses for pilgrims who come to study yoga and other disciplines.
The Ganges has 108 sacred descriptions which can all be found in a little book. Number 102 is the "Roaming About Rose-apple-tree Island."
Every Hindi hopes to make a pilgrimage to Varanasi in their lifetime. According to one old scripture, "when sinful people set out for [Varanasi] all their sins, even those that have affected the very elements of their bodies, stagger and fall off.”
 Pilgrims ideally bathe or swim in the river to wash away their sin, make offerings at shrines and at dawn offer water from the river as a salutation to the rising son.  (Facts and Details)
​
Because of the extensive flooding the ghats were covered and the nighttime ceremony had to be conducted in a building instead of at the waters edge.

Famed for the awe-inspiring Taj Mahal, Agra is a city with a fascinating history and is rich in Mughal heritage,  lush gardens and exquisite buildings and temples. (Trip Notes)
Finally the awesome Taj Mahal!
This is when being on a tour with an amazing tour guide really helps. Monty had taxis ready for us at some ungodly hour and we were waiting at the top of the queue well before the gates opened at 6am. It was just amazing to see this wonderful view as the sun rose, long before the crowds took it over. 

You cannot visit the Taj Mahal without visiting the Agra Fort. Watch the short video below to understand the connection. 

The legacy of once being a strong military stronghold is a good fort, and Bharatpur's is pretty impressive. It's also home to the wonderful Keoladeo Bird Sanctuary. (Trip Notes)
I took this one night stop as a chance to recharge and enjoy the pool (very rare in basic accomodations!). I skipped the bird sanctuary  and saved my energy for the next day of sightseeing.

Hawa Mahal or "Palace of Winds" was built in 1798 as a part of the City Palace.
It is an icon of Jaipur. Its unique honeycomb design comes from the five stories of intricately latticed windows.
These were designed to allow the ladies of the court to see out over the street with out being seen.
The lattice also helps to cool the air flowing through it.
It is built of red and pink sandstone and is spectacular when it seems to glow in the early morning light.

As part of the tour, we had an option to go to the cinema and watch a Bollywood movie. We all opted to go and we saw Bhaag Milkha Bhaag. 
The film itself was very enjoyable. Not too long by Bollywood standards at about 3 hours (Bollywood movies can be much longer). It was the true story of Milkha Singh, one of the greatest Indian athletes. While the dialogue was mostly in Hindi, some of the film was set in Australia and it was easy to follow the storyline. We also had some whispered help from Monty. Eventhough it was a serious story of courage, resiliance and endurance there was room for plenty of Bollywood dancing and singing!
Now the cinema experience. First of all the cinema was a beautiful building, very plush and ornate. There was an interval during the film and plenty of time to stock up on snacks. The audience behaviour was something none of us were used to. Maybe because many films are so long, the audience seemed to treat it as background entertainment to their own conversations. Phones were freely answered, catchups continued and the noise level from the audience was quite high. As we got into the film, the audience seemed to participate with it more. When Milkha competed in a major race the audience cheered him on, hollered when he won, whistled when he kissed the girl and shouted at the badies! Truely an experience. 
While I won't provide links to it here, I see the full movie is uploaded to youtube if anyone would like to view it. 

Jaipur is Monty's home and he invited all 12 of us for dinner at his apartment. He is also an amazing cook!

Lake Palace is a luxury hotel, of 83 rooms and suites featuring white marble walls, located on a natural foundation of 4 acres rock on the Jag Niwas island in Lake Pichola, Udaipur, India. The hotel operates a speed boat which transports guests to the hotel from a jetty at the City Palace. It has been voted as the most romantic hotel in India and in the world. 

​India's enigmatic 'Blue City', Jodhpur, has a captivating Old Town with palaces, heritage buildings, colourful streets and the Mehrangarh Fort shining like a jewel high above the city. (Trip Notes)
Population 2013: 1,240,000 (1981: 506,345)

Also known as the Great Indian Desert is the 18th largest subtropical desert in the world. It is 200,000 square kilometres in area and how else to travel this ocean of sand but on the "ships of the desert". My first camel trip!
The plan was to travel by camel to our campsite and sleep under the stars. I suppose there's a clue in the category of desert "subtropical". We had just finished dinner when the thunder and lightening started, followed by heavy rain! The camels were abandoned and Monty called for the jeeps-back to the hotel in Jaisalmer!
Can you guess why we couldn't stay in the desert if there was a lot of rain?........snakes!