India: Aurangabad

We were swamped by touts as soon as we arrived at Aurangabad even though it was only 6:40 am. We checked into the Tourist Home Hotel. We got a 4 bed room with attached bathroom for only R300. It was supposed to be R400 but the guy knocked the price down because we were standing outside discussing what to do. I can't haggle but I'm learning some tricks. Foreigners get overcharged for everything. Even if you want something, pretend indifference, walk away and the price will drop.

We hadn't planned to go to Ellora until the following day but the guy who ran the tour company from the hotel told us that Ellora was closed on Tuesdays. We booked a taxi tour for that day and got washed up. Our taxi picked us up at 10am and drove us out to Ellora. Driving in India is chaotic. Drivers use either side of the road as they see fit and give each other no space. Fortunately they drive a lot slower in India than they do in the UK or Korea.

When we got to Ellora I wanted to get a guide and the rest went along with it. The main cave is very impressive. You can get into the other caves for free but you would be missing out on by far the best feature of Ellora. The guide told us that the main cave had been constructed by first clearing the  hillside of trees and then cutting three trenches  down into the rock. All the carving was done from top to bottom so no scaffolding was required. This created a temple carved from one piece of solid rock.

The other caves were interesting but didn't compare with the main cave. Our guide showed us a Buddhist cave that was also very nice. The ceiling had been carved to make it look like it was made from wooden beams. The acoustics were wonderful as the guide demonstrated by chanting. He sounded like an entire congregation by himself.

Our driver than took us down to the Jain caves and then on to the huge and impressive Daulatabad Fortress. There are 3 or 4 outer walls and then a whole series of building working their way up the hillside. I collected a whole group of different people who wanted to talk to me and show me around but they didn't all keep up with me. It was a long hot climb up to the top and only Stuart K and I made it all the way.

By now everyone was tired and wanted a rest back at our hotel but our driver took us to Bibi-ka-Maqbara, the so called poor man's Taj Mahal. I haven't seen the real thing yet but this was a very nice building and a relaxing spot to spend the early evening.

We were well and truly knackered by the end of all of this. Stuart k and Kathryn went to sleep as soon as they got back to the hotel.