From Home to Delhi
We left our home in the afternoon of 15 January 2005 and flew from Newark
International Airport on an overnight flight to Amsterdam, and from there took a
connecting flight to Delhi.  The trip took us about 24 hours.
Our flight arrived at Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport shortly after midnight.  
At the airport we were met by a car and driver sent by the Hotel Ajanta at no charge.  We
had made the hotel reservation by email.
The Hotel Ajanta is far from luxurious but we like it and have stayed there several times.  
The hotel is conveniently located about a ten minute walk from the New Delhi railway
station, has an internet room, a restaurant, currency exchange services, a travel agency, and
are generally helpful.  The hotel's staff is used to foreign travelers.  We usually pay less
than 900 rupees (US$20) per night.   The hotel is in an interesting area with many small
restaurants and shops,  and much foot-traffic providing a good view of Indian life.
It was almost noon by the time we woke and got dressed.  We had lunch in the hotel's
restaurant, checked out of our room, left our bags in care of the hotel, explored the
neighborhood, and looked over the nearby railway station.  We were glad to be in India.
From home we had bought sleeper-train tickets from New Delhi to Varanasi,  using the
Indian Railways' website.  The Indian Railways will deliver the tickets, but only in India.  
We therefore arranged with the Manager of the Ajanta to have the tickets delivered to him,
and he held the tickets for us until our arrival at the hotel.
At around 5:00pm we took an autorickshaw to the nearby New Delhi Railway Station for
our 6:25pm train 2560, the Shiu Ganga Express.  The class 3AC air conditioned sleeper
tickets for the 780km (470mile) trip to Varanasi for the two of us totaled about US$31,
after our 30% senior discount.  At bedtime the seats were converted into two
triple-decker bunks forming an open compartment of 6 bunks.  Each bunk was provided
with a thin mattress, two sheets, a pillow with pillow-case, and a blanket; quite
comfortable.   

We love to travel by long-distance trains as it gives us a great opportunity to meet foreign
fellow-travelers and local people not trying to earn a living from foreign visitors.  A great
website we often use for world-wide (including India) train information is www.seat61.com .
A Delhi fast-food stand viewed
from a railway overpass.  The food
is cooked in the tent and then at
the counter is served folded into a
large leaf.  Customers than
discard the leaves on the floor.