KHAJURAHO

KHAJURAHO Arrived in Khajuraho on Thursday, March 1st. We took a train from Agra to Jhansi which was called the Taj Express and was to take 2 1/2 hours, then a 4 hour drive from Jhansi to Khajuraho .   Well the Indian version of express and ours is quite different. The train did leave on time, but took 4 hours and went quite slow for the majority of the time and stopped in about seven small towns along the way. A tray table that you would not want to put down...don't even know how to describe what was in there! Not to the standard of the TGV on France!  Met by a driver in Jhansi and told we had to drive 175 kms which would normally take 2 1/2 hrs, but of course this being India took us 4 1/2 hours. These were definitely the worst roads we have been on to date.  Part of the road was only one lane and you can't say it was paved.  Some sections like a gravel back alley with huge pot holes where you literally have to stop and slowly try to drive through the best part of the pot hole.  Finally arrived in Khajuraho around 6:30 p.m.  and we were all very tired and Suzanne has caught Robin's cold.  We were met by a representative of Holiday India, the company we used to book the trip, and he wanted to know if we could start the sight seeing at 8 a.m. but we told him 9 a.m.  Must say that the company has been pretty good to date. They have even called us at some of the hotels we have stayed in to ensure everything has been running smoothly. So far only two of the places we have stayed in have been so-so, but all the remaining good....part of the adventure. Today we headed out to see the Temples. You might say, gee....more temples. Well, the temples in Khajuraho are known for their erotic scenes. Not necessarily something's that we would normally seek out, they are well known, so go with the flow. The Temples were built between 950 and 1050 A.D. Originally there was about 85 temples, but today only 20 have been preserved. Unesco is involved here to help with some of the restorations. The temples depict the life and times of the Chandelas, a clan found in this part of India. The  main statues represent Shatki (Hindu Goddess) and Shiva (Hindu God) the female and male principles, the Yin  and Yang.  The temples are built of sandstone in shades of buff, pink and pale yellow. Around the town there are a set of East and West temples and we visited both sites. Spent the afternoon at the hotel relaxing for a change. We are flying to Varanasi tomorrow for a couple of days, then back to Delhi before leaving for Nepal. Just some things we have noticed here in India. The local papers are full of reports of government officials, police and business people accused and on trial for corruption.  The other part of the papers are about cricket and the latest news of the Bollywood stars.  During one of our drives we noticed workers in the fields gathering the potato crop by hand. We are told that a kilo of potatoes cost 3 rupee; that works out to .06 cents...not even a penny for two pounds of potatoes!  Have to also mention the way in which people squat waiting for buses, working, taking a break. It is like a Yoga move that I have a very hard time doing....just letting your rear end fall between your legs. They can squat like this for hours.  Finally a few more misspelt words that just crack me up.....spragahetti, foreginers, grouop and omlellete....