Betwa Retreat Orchha

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Spent the last day or so in Agra, visiting the Taj Mahal and the Red Fort which were both amazing! The detail in these structures is just breath taking and everywhere seems to have such beautiful architecture!

I've now made it to see a Bollywood film in an Indian cinema...a very interesting experience where everything seemed to blow up, explode or include some unneccesary car chase!! Very funny though! The cinema experience included a torchwielding owner who clearly didn ...

... Their were a few unnecessary rucksack shoves sent to the man continually pushing his way in front.
Orcha means 'Hidden Place', which despite the Internet cafes and handful of day trippers and touts it almost is. A Rama pilgrimage sight known for it's Mughal sights people seem to stop for a few hours on their way somewhere else. Not me! I spent 3 nights here in a pleasant, little guest house where I was ...

While in this small village we stayed at the Ganpati Guest house. It was a clean budget option near the palaces. We then visited the Raj Mahal and Jehangir Mahal structures.These were homes to the Maharaja Man Singh and his decedents. They were the Bundela Rajas and ruled from the 16th century until 1783. These palaces were built along the banks of the Betwa River in Central India.

... and looked even more like a surreal fantasy come to life, it was as though you were dreaming. It reminded me of the fairytale Sleeping Beauty:

Sleeping Beauty is a love story which includes a princess and a handsome prince. At the christening of a long-wished-for princess, fairies invited as godmothers offered gifts, such as beauty, wit, and musical talent. However, a wicked fairy who had been overlooked placed the princess under an enchantment as her gift ...

... the road and out of her sight!

Orchha in its day had been the capital of the Bundelkhand region, a legacy which granted it a rich architectural and historical significance. But still, this was an untapped wonder on our journey which I felt so glad and privileged to have discovered. I could have spent many more days exploring Orchha, but the Taj Mahal was calling so off we set on one last train ride to Agra to experience one of the Seven Wonders of the World...

... desecrated by the Muslim invaders who chopped off heads and testicles. Our first stop on top was our first ever Sikh temple, dedicated to the sixth Sikh guru and a thoroughly pleasant experience. We had to wash our hands and feet and wear an orange headband. We had a nice talk with a Sikh who was in the army and got invited to have lunch in the Gurdwara, the large temple complex also housing a communal kitchen and accomodation for pilgrims. The ...

... there was a cloakroom here to keep our belongings so were sure it would be fine. On arrival we found out that like most other things in India not everything is done like elsewhere in the world. First you have to carry your bags through a mass of shops and restaurants from the car park then get on a crowded bus for 4km and then leave your bags in the cloakroom rather than having the cloakroom at the carpark. Then you have to do it all over again on the way ...