Ujjain
5am the train arrived. We climbed on and battled through the crowds. It was quite dark but we found our reserved sleeper berth.
Now we could get some rest! Unfortunately, it wasn't free. There was a huge blanket and a large lump beneath. We gave it a shake and at least 2 ladies and children appeared.
We felt guilty that we had woken them up. They moved to try to find another vacant berth. A general ticket means you can ride the train but you will not be allocated a seat. They are all booked. You look for a vacant seat, sit on someone else's bed or stand!
We slept reasonably well as we only had one bunk between us. We had only booked one as last time we booked 2 last minute we were 5 carriages apart.
We watched as the train approached Ujjain junction. Counting down the km...
As soon as we were off a young man approached us. He spoke great English with a slight speech impediment. He just talked and talked and he knew a lot of interesting things about the UK and to be honest everything. Very smart!
We battled the rickshaw drivers and searched for a place to stay. It was busy. Full, full, expensive, more expensive. We eventually stumbled on a quite luxurious homestay. It was more than we had paid for a long time but a deal was struck. The room is huge with a comfy sofa and a balcony. It all seems quite new. There are loads of hotels under construction nearby in this holy city of Ujjain.
Our next job was to explore. On the way we were distracted by a teenage girl who wanted to show off her 200 year old temple. She gave us a tour and sang us a Krishna song too.
The big Mahakaleshwar Temple was calling but so too was food. Food won and came first. A small restaurant served us Thali and noodles but we needed a little help from a table of young doctors as no one really understood English. The menu was also in Hindi!
On to the temple. Once we found the entrance we were astounded by the size of the temple complex. There were huge statues of Shiva along a very long walkway to the main temple itself. We stopped many times to have our photo taken with groups of people.
The temple could be viewed on a large screen. We also took our shoes off and went quite a long way to go and see this special place. Another one of the 12 Shiva temples like Dwarka and Somnath.
We drank coffee outside the temple and had a short rest. We needed it after being chased by the paparazzi! (Indian selfie + us takers).
We walked back to our homestay and the last minute turned left instead of right. A local spotted us, turned us around and announced he knew where we were staying! He has seen us earlier in the day and was very helpful. It has to be said that the local community are super friendly and helpful.
Home, sit, sleep ... well almost. We were about to hot the sack when we were invited too see the small temple down the end of the street. Krishna was now fully blanketed up for the cold evening. We were told all about their beliefs and values by the teenage girl on excellent English.
Bed now ...
