Orchha
Trip Start
Jan 04, 2008
1
104
130
Trip End
Dec 17, 2008
Orchha,
Madhya Pradesh,
India
Thursday, October 2, 2008
Travel Indian Style
. We arrived in Jahnsi much relieved that we hadn't been stuck in moving version of the black hole of Calcutta and boarded our tuk tuks for the 1 hour journey to Orchha. Thankfully there were 5 in each of our 6 seater tuk tuks. We saw many with 15 or more people crammed in to save money.We were pleasantly surprised when we arrived in Orchha as the place was fairly small - though still with the crazy driving, people wandering in the middle of the road and the odd cow here and there. We were camping for the next 2 nights at the Bewta Retreat on the banks of the Betwa River. The day was to be full of nice surprises as our tents were more like mini marquees complete with air-con and there was also a pool.
That evening Ravi took us to the Durga Puja ceremony at the main Hindu Temple - we weren't really sure what was going on but the main dude looked like an Indian Don King, handing out holy water to people with a crazed look on his face.
The next morning we were to see some of the many palaces and temples that Orchha is famous for. In blistering 40deg heat we started at the Raj Mahal (King's Palace) which was an impressive place complete with balconies, towers and even some camel stables. Our guide took us round the painted rooms for an hour or so. What seems a shame is that the palace is getting very run down and the government does not fund it's maintenance and it hasn't even reached the Unesco India waiting list yet as there are already 250 sites on it.
After the palace we met a local Hindu elder and had some photos then headed to the Chaturbhuj temple which had lots of monkeys living in there and an old blind dude playing the sitar
Lakshmi Temple
.In the afternoon we went on a tuk tuk to the Lakshmi Temple where there were many more paintings which had fared better than those in the Raj Mahal. We climbed the stairs to the second floor but couldn't go to the top of the main tower s it had been hit by lightning during the recent monsoon season. The views from the balconies were amazing - but not being in the western world there were no safety rails so you really had to watch your step.
For sunset we crossed the river to get some good pictures of the sun setting behind the temples and cenotaphs which was pretty difficult as locals appeared out of nowhere fascinated to see us and wanting their picture taken with us. Even people crossing the single track bridge would stop by us with lots of arms reaching out just wanting to shake our hands and then screams of delight when we did shake their hands - this is what being famous must be like !!
The next morning we went to a paper mill where they made paper out of cotton. This again seemed like a very labour intensive process. It started with the sorting of off cuts from t-shirt factories and ended up with each sheet being hung out to dry
Painting at the Lakshmi Temple
. The final products were fine quality papers used for degree certificates, photo albums and even the papers with petals etc that you'd spend plenty of money to buy in the UK.Our next stop was a cooking class which was in a local lady's home. Vandna and her family lived in a two bedroom apartment and in just over an hour on a two ring burner cooked enough food and chapattis to feed the nine of us with no fuss or mess. Apart from being amazed by her skills we were quite shocked to see how much salt and oil goes into the food. Their teaspoons are the size of dessert spoons and all measures were heaped rather than level. After a delicious lunch a couple of the girls had henna tattoos which Vandna does as a sideline.
The afternoon was free so Maud decided that on the way back to the pool we should see what the many shops had on offer. According to the amusing book I have just read we became adults that afternoon as we now own display cushions. After a funny bit of bargaining in the silk shop as the blokes didn't understand why we needed cushions when we didn't have a sofa (or a house) we got them down to half the price and headed back to the pool.
At 8pm we headed back to Jahnsi to get the overnight train to Allahabad
Sunset over the Betwa River
. The1 hour journey was the most white knuckle so far with the convoy of three 3 tuk tuks looking like the Indian version of the Italian Job dodging between overcrowded buses, cars, bikes, cows and trucks. On a couple of occasions we saw families of 4 on scooters nearly wipeout as they were too busy waving at the white people in the tuk tuks rather than watching where they were going !The overnight train was a similar deal to those we had traveled on in SE Asia although it seemed that we were more likely to be relieved of our belongings as we slept so big rucksacks were chained to the beds and the smaller ones were tied to ourselves. After a few hours sleep we arrived in Allahabad. We'd taken the decision to splash out and spend 120 Rupees each (US$ 2.50) and go to a local hotel for a shower and change before heading off on the next day's adventures, a good call as some of the group weren't feeling too hot.
Comments
Cushioned
Do I feel a parcel being sent home with 2 cushions in it? Love the pictures of the old dudes faces full of living. You thought Vyvyan's driving was questionable but now you must think he's a really safe driver!!!!!! Again stunning architecture and photos ,shame they don't have the National Trust over there or is it?
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