The Golf View Pachmarhi

6 December 2009

We were both happy to leave Agra. Our next stop was due to be Orchha where we planned to stay for several days and recuperate after our experiences in the big cities.
To get to Orchha we first had to take a train to Jhansi. Jhansi is a relatively big city and we weren’t looking forward to passing through it, but in the event it was relatively easy-going. We took a rickshaw from the train station. The driver ...

... to tell you about the sights, sounds and smells, the color, calls and curries, the textures, trills and tastes (I'm on an alliteration roll!) of this fascinating country called India, so I will give you a brief outline of our schedule over the next few days so you can be praying.

Nov 12 fly to Delhi; Emmaus promotional meeting in the evening
Nov 13 up early fly to Bangladesh via Kolkata (Calcutta)
Nov 14 visit various "stations" in Bangladesh where ...

... I, that's very difficult for us!) But this park was rather secluded with benches and a young couple sat on each bench very close, talking and some even (oh scandal of scandals) holding hands!

From there we went to a bazaar (pronounce it BAH-zaar) where they sold saris, salwaar kameez and many other things. The color, sounds and smells in a bazaar are fascinating and I always love visiting a market in any country. Then you really feel like you are in ...

... to be up wind from a garbage fire. I noticed that suddenly the voices got louder and that I needed to be careful where I walked. Then I realized...we were walking through an outdoor public toilet! With agile steps we made it and on the way back crossed to the other side of the street. When I had Jim's wedding band engraved "Whither thou goest I will go" I had no idea where that would lead me!

... like people not siting in their allocated seat, screaming children and half the cinema empty whilst everyone was crammed into the cheap seats at the back! Great fun!

Tonight we're off on a night train to a town which is along the Ganges to experience some of river life! Not looking forward so much to the train ride with dodgy toilets and triple bunks but its all part of the fun of travelling here...and anything has to be better than a 14 hour coach joruney instead!

... to tell all your "friends" at the same time as the menu, which served fresh food and drink because they went to the shop each time you ordered.
Overall Orcha was a great little village to acclimatise back into the Speaking world again...next step the Kama Sutra temples- but a 5 hour general class, 27people sitting in the space for 6, train to get there-
Smile and Feel Smile and Feel Anicha Anicha!!!

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.

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... fruit and veg piles. So I went down to TT Nagar and collected my salwar suit and then (Miss Shopaholic that I'm not - at home), I went and got some more material - turquoise jewlled one. An autorickshaw took me up into the more upmarket part of the city - Shamla Hills, where I visited a facinating open air 'museum' spread out over a vast area called the Tribal Habitat. Basically different tribal dwellings built on the site by tribal people acorss the whole of India ...

... between old and new cities - they both look like a noisy jumble of roads, market stalls and crumbling buildings), was quite 'mid-range' by Indian standards - probably equivalent to two stars in the UK. Proper reception, room service, full range of TV stations (from Oprah, the guru someoneorother preaching to a massive crowd of pilgrims, Hindi films with heroine and spurned lover, half-naked Indian women dancing and singing on Indian MTV, news, BBC World, HBO etc.), internet ...