Aurangabad --Ajanta Caves-WHS

Yep--we made it out of the airport. In Aurangabad hotel. Our lovely room is behind the waterfalls.

Visited Ajanta caves today-- a 2 hour drive. Carved out of basalt between 2nd C BC and 7th C AD by devotees of Buddha, the caves inspire today with their intricate architectural details, elegant and serene rendering of the sculptures and the solemn beauty of the frescoes which depict the lives and times of Buddha and his followers.

The were "discovered" in 1819 by some tiger- hunting Brits in a canyon cut by the Waghora (Tiger) River. They were excavated by hand-- chisels and axes-- for use during the monsoons and allowed distraction- free devotion.

Some of the caves were temples or sanctuaries; some were monasteries where the monks slept and lived.

There are 30 caves cut in a horseshoe pattern in the rock. Originally, every part of the space was covered with paint!

Really awesome! Picked up a great guide in cave 1.

Picture of work crew at caves. I've seen more plastic basins at construction sites in India than in any Dollar General.

On drive back, they were being used to haul gravel out of a small truck bed to holes in the road. Nearby, on the side of the road, tar was cooking over a stick fire in huge metal drums. Men with those ubiquitous hand stick brooms brushed the road site clean.

All this while traffic plows through on the 2 lane road.

Passed 2 more accidents today. Narrowly escaping hitting a goat. India has 1% of motor cars in the world, but accounts for 15% of all road accidents.

Picture trucks, cars, motorcycles, auto rickshaws, bicycles, pedestrians, cows, camels, goats, dogs, oxen-drawn gypsy caravans on a 2 lane road with half the asphalt gone, obeying just 1 rule of the road; go as fast as your vehicle/ legs can go.

You accomplish this rule by 1: use of the horn and 2: passing other vehicles. You pass other vehicles even if/ when other vehicles are coming from the other direction. There are times-- many of them-- when 4 or 5 vehicles can be taking up the space designed for 2.

Off to Eliea Caves tomorrow-- our last day. Supposedly our plane leaves Augangabad at 8 pm. It 's on Kingfisher air which just announced cancellations. Of many flights. Our flight home is from Mumbai at 3 am.

And we have a Monday flight out of Bwi to Denver!