On day three the train stop is at the Sindhudurg Nagari station. Again, it’s a chance to see an India unvisited by most tourists. In fact, each morning when we arrived at a new destination there were hordes of friendly faces to greet us. People from miles away had traveled all night to arrive in time to witness the royal train as it stopped to pay a visit to an almost forgotten station nestled among the Indian countryside.

The temples here are dedicated to the Hindu gods and they stand as shrines years after they have been built, a gentle reminder of the native culture. It is here at the Fort of Sindhudurg that 6000 workers toiled day and night for three years to complete this massive structure. The fort and surroundings is on 48 acres and is said to have been designed by Shivaji himself, a beautiful monument sitting right on the water—but surrounded by the rocky coastline that was penetrable by none but the most stalwart of boatmen.

Another famously executed beach lunch and an afternoon swim in the Arabian Sea calls after I have had a chance to look around the area of Tarkarli. The Konkani-style cottages are open and waiting for those who enjoy afternoon naps. From that point we take a boat ride through the Tarkarli Creek to Kalse Jetty.

It’s about now that the passenger’s on the train are buzzing about tomorrow. Tomorrow is Goa. Goa seems to be larger than life to those of us who have not been there. The Brits are especially excited, but one couple comments it’s a bit overrun with tourists. Nevertheless, we wait in anticipation for the morning’s embarkation.

As we arrive in Goa most of the passenger’s are taken with the overpowering sights, sounds and smells. Indeed, it feels like a little piece of Portugal in this remote part of the world. Bougainvilleas hide whitewashed houses and tiny alleys with the occasional stray cat beckon. The natives smile and wave, they are well versed in the tourist trade and know how to make a visitor feel welcome.

For the most part I explore Goa alone losing the group on purpose in order to get a feel of what it is that everyone has been talking about. The churches we are taken to on the first stop are impressive, but we all agree that you can do churches in Europe, besides these catholic churches feel somewhat odd in this country steeped in Eastern religion.

It’s a fact that you can’t miss old Goa and the Mangeshi Temple. I immediately decide that Goa is a good place to return in spite of my British friends’ warnings. Who wouldn’t want to spend some time on the virgin beaches that are still waiting to be explored and spend the night in one of the small inns that are perfect for an inexpensive week-long stay. Not to mention that no matter where you visit in Goa you can always find shrines and shops just waiting.

As we push off that evening from the station we head to Pune, the well-known capital of Marathas. It’s here in Pune that we visit the Raja Kelkar Museum, a quaint little place with collections from the 17^th, 18^th and 19^th century. While the owner realizes he has a gem of a collection, he is quite humble and welcomes visitors with a smile.

Many tourists find their way to Pune only to visit the world-famous Osho Ashram. While this is one place I would have been happy missing, it’s interesting to witness a cult in action. People from around the world come to live at the Ashram for day, weeks or months and, for lack of a better word, to find spiritual meaning. It’s questionable if they find it, but once inside you do have the chance to dance all morning, eat all afternoon and take a large selection of metaphysical classes sometime in between. What I enjoyed the most was the shopping bazaar just up the street where I found an overabundance of Indian fabrics, purses and shawls to take home to America.

Day six found us in Aurangabad. It’s here that monuments, caves and temples give way to the fortress of Daulatabad. The world famous Ellora Caves beckon the visitor, it’s a well-known world heritage site representing a variety of religions. In fact, these caves’ 34 carved rock-cut temples signify Buddhist, Jain and Hindu faiths and are said to be the work of priests and pilgrims from each religion. The 12 Buddhist caves are from 600 to 700 AD, the 17 Hindu caves from 800 to 1000 AD and the five Jain caves from 1000 to 1300 AD. Each cave is rich with the carvings of elephants, lotus and lions while also giving the air of a peace and tranquility not found in today’s modern world.

India -3 (Continue)