The next stop on our Indian adventure was Orchha- a wicked little town stooped in history tucked away in rural countryside. We caught the train for 3.5 hours from Agra to Jhansi in the second class carriage. We were actually pleasantly surprised as we imagined sharing our sitting quarters with caged chickens and clambering people! Once in Jhansi we hopped into an autorickshaw for the 40 minute journey to Orchha. We were greeted by bright bursts of flowers along the roadside which made us think of our mums! We stayed in Betwa Cottages which was also very floral and absolutely stunning. We spent the rest of the day bargaining for bangles and eating the best Indian yet at 80p a head!
In the evening it was our tour group leader(Bea)’s 40th birthday and she had arranged a party. We headed en mss to a farm hidden away behind the palace. There we found an Indian band, a transvestite dancer, and enough Tali and Kingfisher beer to satisfy the 5,000. Drenched in flower garlands we danced the night away with the kids who got very excited by the Indian pop blaring from the stereo once the band had retired.
The next morning we took a tour around the local palace crammed full of murals, paintings and underground caves. The palace has quite a comedic background. This guy built it for his friend who only saw it once. The son of the guy that built it spent 3 years digging a tunnel to the local dwelling to try and see his prostitute girlfriend. And then the wife of the guy who built it left him because he wouldn’t stop shooting animals so he had rooms built for each one of his new lady friends…..whhhhaatttttt……!!!
Anyway, we spent the afternoon wondering the market place, being severely harassed by street children and visiting temples. We ended the day by spending some time down by the river where activities include washing, swimming, collecting drinking water, and playing music. After signing a few autographs (!) for the local onlookers and helping a charming little girl with her drawings we headed back to the cottages to prepare for the evening., ohhh yes and what an evening it was about to be!
We headed to the temple, for a special ceremony associated with Holi, we stood at the back to try and keep a low profile, and watched as chanting took place, the curtain was drawn back on a statue, and on queue all the men at the front raised their swords, which was a little intimidating. An apparently impromptu music session was going on in the right hand wing of the temple, which Richard, a member of our group went to have a look at, and it seemed to be a men-only affair. We popped over to get him, and before we knew it, a little lady aged about 60, in a gorgeous deep purple sari had grabbed Jess’ arm and was leading her to the front. Fortunately for Jess (but not for Armelle), Armelle followed suit, anxious about what was happening. Dancing commenced as the woman kicked aside a small area of sitting men, and encouraged us in turn to copy her dance moves. It was the most embarrassing thing ever, and we both tried in vain not to notice the crowds. The temple had emptied, and everyone, men women and children, were now fixated by these 2 ridiculous white people thrusting their hips and flailing their arms in an obscure manner. This fiasco continued for at least 40 minutes before there was a path through the people for us to escape, protesting in vain of exhaustion. Thank goodness no cameras were allowed in the Temple! Having used up all our energy, we required nourishment, so we headed back to the place we had lunch for a little tipple before bed. However, when the time came, we couldn’t resist our curiosity to see how the temple festivities were continuing, as this was the night the temple was supposed to be painted red. Not actually so far from the truth. Three of us obligingly removed our shoes outside, and headed in. Roberto, our Costa Rican friend was grabbed the moment we got there, carried off and rolled in red watery paint. Fortunately us girls were treated with a little more respect, and just had our faces wiped scarlet all over.
The next morning we visited a recycled paper factory (‘Taragram’), an NGO to provide jobs for and educate the tribal women of the area, providing them with an income in an eco-friendly environment. Being geeky env students we found this quite interesting. We then went on a village tour, saw 2 schools, and helped the children with their English. The kids were very affectionate and well behaved, and it was a pleasure to spend time with them.
That evening we had a cookery course with our guide’s friend, Jess is looking forward to the prospect of making Chai from scratch, where as Armelle, who has slightly less of an interest in the whole cooking thing, took a back seat, and drank a couple of beers. With full bellies, we pegged it back to the train station in Jhansi, to catch the overnight train to Allahabad, which Armelle was extremely fearfull of, due to horror stories of cockroaches falling from air vents. Having got ourselves settled, and pleasantly surprised, we were then descended on by a group of drunk men claiming our beds, who ordered us to move. Fab. After one little argument between Bea, the drunk men and the conductor; and another little fight between Armelle and a pushy man who wouldn’t give her space to get off the top bunk, we moved up a class to the next carriage, which had the added bonus of curtains. Jess, for one, however, would have preferred the first place, where she had had more than 50cm width to share with her daysack. It was an uncomfortable night, and Armelle had the pleasure of having her feet stroked by a passer by.
The next morning we took a tour around the local palace crammed full of murals, paintings and underground caves. The palace has quite a comedic background. This guy built it for his friend who only saw it once. The son of the guy that built it spent 3 years digging a tunnel to the local dwelling to try and see his prostitute girlfriend. And then the wife of the guy who built it left him because he wouldn’t stop shooting animals so he had rooms built for each one of his new lady friends…..whhhhaatttttt……!!!
Anyway, we spent the afternoon wondering the market place, being severely harassed by street children and visiting temples. We ended the day by spending some time down by the river where activities include washing, swimming, collecting drinking water, and playing music. After signing a few autographs (!) for the local onlookers and helping a charming little girl with her drawings we headed back to the cottages to prepare for the evening., ohhh yes and what an evening it was about to be!
We headed to the temple, for a special ceremony associated with Holi, we stood at the back to try and keep a low profile, and watched as chanting took place, the curtain was drawn back on a statue, and on queue all the men at the front raised their swords, which was a little intimidating. An apparently impromptu music session was going on in the right hand wing of the temple, which Richard, a member of our group went to have a look at, and it seemed to be a men-only affair. We popped over to get him, and before we knew it, a little lady aged about 60, in a gorgeous deep purple sari had grabbed Jess’ arm and was leading her to the front. Fortunately for Jess (but not for Armelle), Armelle followed suit, anxious about what was happening. Dancing commenced as the woman kicked aside a small area of sitting men, and encouraged us in turn to copy her dance moves. It was the most embarrassing thing ever, and we both tried in vain not to notice the crowds. The temple had emptied, and everyone, men women and children, were now fixated by these 2 ridiculous white people thrusting their hips and flailing their arms in an obscure manner. This fiasco continued for at least 40 minutes before there was a path through the people for us to escape, protesting in vain of exhaustion. Thank goodness no cameras were allowed in the Temple! Having used up all our energy, we required nourishment, so we headed back to the place we had lunch for a little tipple before bed. However, when the time came, we couldn’t resist our curiosity to see how the temple festivities were continuing, as this was the night the temple was supposed to be painted red. Not actually so far from the truth. Three of us obligingly removed our shoes outside, and headed in. Roberto, our Costa Rican friend was grabbed the moment we got there, carried off and rolled in red watery paint. Fortunately us girls were treated with a little more respect, and just had our faces wiped scarlet all over.
The next morning we visited a recycled paper factory (‘Taragram’), an NGO to provide jobs for and educate the tribal women of the area, providing them with an income in an eco-friendly environment. Being geeky env students we found this quite interesting. We then went on a village tour, saw 2 schools, and helped the children with their English. The kids were very affectionate and well behaved, and it was a pleasure to spend time with them.
That evening we had a cookery course with our guide’s friend, Jess is looking forward to the prospect of making Chai from scratch, where as Armelle, who has slightly less of an interest in the whole cooking thing, took a back seat, and drank a couple of beers. With full bellies, we pegged it back to the train station in Jhansi, to catch the overnight train to Allahabad, which Armelle was extremely fearfull of, due to horror stories of cockroaches falling from air vents. Having got ourselves settled, and pleasantly surprised, we were then descended on by a group of drunk men claiming our beds, who ordered us to move. Fab. After one little argument between Bea, the drunk men and the conductor; and another little fight between Armelle and a pushy man who wouldn’t give her space to get off the top bunk, we moved up a class to the next carriage, which had the added bonus of curtains. Jess, for one, however, would have preferred the first place, where she had had more than 50cm width to share with her daysack. It was an uncomfortable night, and Armelle had the pleasure of having her feet stroked by a passer by.
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