27. INDIA II - Madhya Pradesh & Uttar Pradesh

The two states of this post

After many pleasant and as many unpleasant experiences in Rajasthan, it was time for us to explore the two North Indian states Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. The first stop of that trip was the undoubtedly most iconic sight of India: The famous Taj Mahal. It really does not matter how many photos or videos you have seen of the Taj Mahal before in your life, it will still flash and fascinate you. The actual size is much bigger than you might think and experience the sunrise there is a very memorable experience. In my experience, some huge world-famous sights are a little let down when you see them in reality (the best examples are the Pyramides in Egypt or the Eiffeltower in Paris in my opinion), but the Taj Mahal is really amazing and worth all the hype.

The city of Agra where the Taj is located is part of Uttar Pradesh, India's most populous state. If Uttar Pradesh were a country, it would be the fifth most populous country in the world with more than 240 million inhabitants. To visualize that: That's a three-time higher population than Germany and all of that in a much smaller size.

Our further itinerary was leading us to Jhansi and the small town of Orchha, a beautiful calm place with green surroundings that used to be the capital of one of the largest and most powerful kingdoms of India. We cycled around tiny villages, met nice locals and visited the fort and temples. Orchha was for sure one of my favorite places in Northern India. From there we visited Khajuraho, which has some of the best temples I have seen in my life. That UNESCO World Heritage Site is famous for its detailed erotic rock carvings. It is surrounded by mountains and in every temple, " there is the depiction of royalty, armies, wrestling, kinship, war, courtship, marriage, lovemaking, music and dancing, spiritual teachings, union, meditation, bliss, gods, goddesses, plants, animals and an abundance of all human forms."

One place I will never forget in my entire life is Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh. Think about all negative stereotypes about India and you will find them here 24 hours. Varanasi is the most sacred city in Hinduism and Jainism and India's biggest pilgrimage destination. It's one of the oldest cities in the world and many Hindus think that dying in Varanasi brings Nirvana; so many people travel to Varanasi when they feel they are about to die. The full scenery of the river Ganges and its ghats are very intense and we saw plenty of dead bodies during the days and even burning corpses in plain view. The spectacle of life and death there is an everlasting memory and walking through the countless busy alleys is an experience in itself. A boat trip on the Ganges is a must as well. The amount of annoying and scamming people is insane and if you look like a foreigner you will not have any peace, not even for a minute.

Our last stop in Northern India was the city of Gorakhpur, which was a strategic stop on our way to the land border with Nepal. There I had one of the best Couchsurfing experiences in my life meeting Vikas and his family with whom we spent super nice days before leaving for Nepal.

Our three months in Northern India have been absolutely fascinating. It was the most interesting but also the most annoying place I have ever been to in my life. Some people were the kindest ever, and some people made life hell for us. Extremely generous people and many men who would sacrifice their own mother to sneak a couple of rupees out of our pocket. Beautiful sights and places that were the dirtiest and most disgusting I have ever seen. The hygienic standards were often extremely poor and we had to fight many parasites such as bed bugs or lice (the first time in my life). India is a country of absolute extremes in all kinds of categories and one thing is for sure: You will never get bored a single day in India.

India I - West Bengal, Delhi & Rajasthan
India III: Maharashtra, Goa & Karnataka
India IV: Kerala & Tamil Nadu

4 Highlights:
- Wandering around overwhelming Varanasi

- Admiring Taj Mahal with your own eyes

- Cycling around pretty Orcha

- Erotic Temples in Khajuraho