Sorry for posting this out of chronological order – I had a bit of computer glitch. Happy New Year to all.

January 1, 2013

Happy New Year every one! We started our new year in Khajuraho temples where the Kama sutra carvings were built over 200 years, from 950 to 1150. The local people always knew about the temples but they became overgrown by the jungle. In the 1800’s a British soldier found them and started the restoration process with the blessings of the Indian Archaeological Society. The temples are now a UNESCO World Heritage site and are considered one of the seven man-made wonders of the world! We have now seen 4/7 including Chichen Itza in Mexico, the coliseum in Rome, and The Taj Mahal and the Khajuraho temples.

The temples were fascinating. The carvings depicted Hindu gods, goddesses, and scenes from daily life or military life. The carvings were made to help people to prepare to go into the temple. The guide said that the temples were built with the idea that you would first walk around them in a clockwise direction so that you would start to shift your focus from worldly concerns to a more meditative, mindful state. If you looked at the carvings and they distracted you by the content, you were not ready to go in. Keep walking! The graphic sexual imagery was not designed as pornography but as a means of confirming sex as a normal and important aspect of life. The carvings were all made from stone and are freestanding statues connected to a huge brick. The temples were made with an interlocking block pattern (like really big Lego) and no mortar was used. We walked around the site for a couple of hours. This is one of those places where you have to stop looking after a while because you can’t actually take it all in. I am posting pictures that have a PG content because I don’t want my sisters to have to explain the facts of life to their kids (assuming that they may not have done “the talk” yet).

We felt a little battered by our drive. We knew that it would be at least a 6-hour drive to our next stop. However, the road was under construction and we took an hour to travel 20 kms. Road building here is interesting. They dug up the whole road and started to construct the new one. People did not stop using the road while it was being built. You just went around the workers and avoided the big potholes. We felt like we were doing off-road driving without the 4-wheel drive! Of course, not only did the driver have to deal with insane road conditions, he also had to manage a huge amount of traffic passing him in both directions and then his screen fogged up because it got colder after dark and he had no heater. We arrived shaken but intact.

The hotel was worth the drive. We are staying in a palace! Seriously, a palace owned by a Maharaja who still lives in one wing. The Prince of Wales stayed here! OK, that was 100 years ago, but it is spectacular. This is only the guesthouse. We will get to see the actual palace on January 3.

Our driver stopped to check his spare tire before our long drive to Gwalior. We stopped in a small village for about 20 minutes. This lane was near the van. We were taken aback by the activity that occurred in such a small space in such a short time. One of the conclusions I have had about India is that Life happens near the road. 

(December 31) We stated off in the dark again today. The sun rises around 7 am and sets around 6 pm. We ate an early breakfast and were off to catch a train. The train was relatively on time and waiting was interesting. There are three types of people helping us on our travels. The first is a handler – the person, who keeps us organized, meets us off planes, trains or boats. The second is a driver. Finally, we meet local guides who take us through the sites. The handler today met us looking less than thrilled. It was cold and he looked bored. Regardless, he took us to the train station and helped us manage to avoid the crowd of beggars and get on the right train. The beggars were heart breaking. Lots of them were maimed, disfigured or carrying small children.

We got on the right train and our job was to make sure we got off at the right station, Jhansi. Like many public announcement systems, we found it hard to hear what was being said even though they made all the announcements in English too. Our steward helped us get our bags down on time and stacked them at the door of the car, for a tip of course. Then we had to get off the train very quickly and with all our bags, because the train did not stop for more than a few minutes. It worked. Our new handler picked us up, gave us to our new driver and off we were to Orchha to see the palaces of a Moghul king.

We were shown beautiful examples of a blend of Hindu and Islamic architecture. The shapes of screens, domes, doors and minarets all showed the dual influence, as did the inclusion of blue/green ceramic tiles. The paintings in one of the castles were spectacularly vivid. It really gave an idea of what the place must have been like when it was in use. Carpets hung from the walls in winter and curtains in summer. It would have been a highly colourful place. The first palace we saw, i.e., the one with the bathroom, is now an Indian state run hotel and for 5000Rupee/per night (or $100cdn) you can sleep in the king’s bedroom. The second one was built for the king who only stayed in it for one night! The third one saw more use.

We had a mediocre meal (one of the few so far) for lunch at a buffet designed to meet the needs of bus tour groups. Not my favourite! We are getting picky now since we have had such great food almost everywhere. Our hotel had an outdoor celebration for New Year’s Eve and we had a great time. Our next stop is Khajuraho for our new year’s party. Happy New Year everyone!