Hello blog followers, we hope you're well.

Our trip ended this morning after a 12 hour overnight train journey from Varanasi (see photo) back to Delhi. We have had an amazing time and it will be sad to say goodbye to the friends we have made. Since the last blog we have been travelling across north India via local bus (like the tube on a hot day but for 3 hours!), Jeep (extremely bumpy), Auto rickshaw (prone to breakdowns), Cycle Rickshaw (my favourite mode of transport) and of course boats and trains!

There is not enough time to detail our whole trip so here are the highights:

Taj Mahal, Agra. Awesome in every way and utterly breath-taking.

Family Dinner, Chanderi. A small town where everyone wants to shake your hand and say hello. In the evening we had dinner with a local family, it was the best food we have had while in India and after the daughter did some beautiful henna on our hands which is only just fading now.

Tents and Temples, Orchha. Here we stayed in deluxe tents which had air con and bathroom! It was also our first chance to cool off in the swimming pool which was much needed. Surrounding our accomodation were amazing catacombs and a holy river which the the local people used to bathe and wash clothes.

Ghats and Ganges, Varanasi. Our last stop before Delhi and probably one of our favourite places. Here the holy river Ganges is lined by hundreds of Ghats (steps down into the river). We watched an evening ceremony and talked to a young girl selling postcards, her English was the best we had heard. She talked to us about Goldie Horn comming to Varanasi and we thought it was something she had just picked up. But the next day after getting up at 4.30am to watch the sunrise on the Ganges we bumped into her brother who took us to his uncles shop and there in the back room was a whole photo album of him with Goldie Horn and some letters she had 'written' in questionable English! It was so funny.

In the evening we went back onto the river for the flower ceremony. We had a Sitar player on board and when it got dark we lit lots of candles which were in bowls made from leafs. We then had to make a wish as we let the bowls float onto the river, it was very beautiful.

We have also seen a Bollywood film, eaten lots, bartered and seen enough temples to last a while!

We have a couple of days in Delhi now and will just be resting and shopping until our flight to Singapore. Hope all is well back home, its nice to hear from you all.

Lots of love Lauren and Louise xxx