Our Last Club Adventure - Day 10 - Sarnath - Birthplace of Buddhism

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Another early morning found four of us in our Tuk-tuks and headed out for a bit of shopping and another trip down to the Ganges.  The city was alive for so early in the morning, it being a religious holiday, and we were escorted every inch of the way by our drivers-for some reason they were concerned about out safety.  Here are some photos of our

 Catholic church right in the middle of the Hindy, Jain, and Muslim sector.

 Blocking traffic in the middle of a busy intersection.

 A market on the way down to the river.

 The tourist boats were busy.

 Lots of pilgrims.

 Our drivers insisted on taking us on a side trip to a sweet little pond with a simple temple.

Meeting up with the group back at the hotel we assemble and then departed for the nearby village of Sarnath, a suburb of Varanasi and the birthplace of Buddhism.  This is the location where it is said Buddha received his first inspirations and held his first teaching.  The giant stupa was built in 1509 as a monument to the event by the then current king and his wife.

The historic grounds were beauitfully kept and there were lots of shade trees.  Dozens of foundations indicated where individual stupas (monument/tombs) once stood.

 We had a great guide and he was quite informative.

 The largest stupa is the centerpiece of the sight and the engravings on the wall were stunning.

 Bobbie got shagged by a couple of local folks for a photo.

 Next up was the museum with it's huge pedestal and wonderful exhibit hall.

 This was found buried for over 700 years and in almost perfect condition.

 A sweet one hanging on to momma.

 Back at the hotel we gathered our bags and headed off to the train station.  Frenchy had left earlier with the truck for his 14 hour traverse to our next destination.  The group opted for an authentic train ride.  The station was busy.  The train was on time.

 And we were placed in open cabins, six to a space and three bunks high.  After a bit of chatting we all quickly fell asleep and the rocking and clacking kept us that way most of the night.