the trip to get to this small, forgotten town was long and winding but with its worth-a-mention highlights. the three hour train ride from AGRA to JHANSI was made pleasant by the acquaintance with an International Relations professor from Delhi university. a man of knowledge and curiosity, very kind and helpful. like many in India, he too was interested in our 'buutiful contry is Italia', and our way of life.
once aware of my anthropology degree we began chatting about my studies; i was surprised when he mentioned durkheim, weber and even malinowski! i told him i studied india this past year and a genuine light of happiness shone in his dark, kind eyes. consequently we started talking about the effects of media and globalisation on both rural and urban realities in india. he argued that in the near future indian and westen cultures would merge for reasons of basic commodity. indiaqn girls would abandon their saris for jeans - simply, because jeans have pockets to keep mobile phones (everyone's favourit gadget in india!).
we swapped email addresses just before we got off so we could keep in touch and discuss academics!
we also made friends with the train inspector who after seeing our interest in the hindi language taught us how to write our names. he told us to practice and that he would come back and check. when he did we were half asleep but he woke us up (by tapping ron's knee) and demanded that we show him our new skills. i got a better mark, but ron didnt do too bad either!
when in Jhansi our options were: a 7 hour local bus or a 3 hour rickety car ride. we chose the latter because i was shattered and wanted t get to the hotel before nightfall, but in the end we took aaages because our driver stopped for chai (tea) so he could wait for his friends who he was also giving a ride to! we did get frustrated but on the upside ur stopping near a village allowed us to see a bit of the celebrations for the Ganesh Chaturthi festival, where young and old celebrate the birth of the popular elephant god - the god of good luck and prosperity - (ron loves ganesh so much that he wears his ganesh t-shirt almost every day!).
children running around throwing bags of pink make-up powder onto each other from one tractor to the other and teenager boys on motorbikes with loud music. it was really fun to watch!
we eventually arrived in khajuraho. a small town with a population of about 15 thousand. it lives off tourism during peak season (october-march) and agriculture from a nearby village.
there are a few hotels and restaurants and the usual tourist shops (where i bought a silver anklet for 200 rupees!) and of course, the majestic and totally weird hindu temples built by the chandelan kings in te 10th and 11th centuries.
beautifully carved sandstone figures of gods, their reincarnations, nymphs, animals and of course, the erotic statues. i was somewhat taken aback by the openess of such displays and by the intricate portrayal of the kamasutra. everyone in the town is obsessed with sex - they all expected us to buy the kamasutra (mum, we didnt) or at least to be in khajuraho to gain sexual inspiration (ahh!).
however, our stay in khajuraho was very relaxed and much needed. being small, it offered us a break from the business of the bigger cities. we spent two lazy days wandering and just hanging out on balconies with temple views.
we also witnessed our very first monsoon, which i must say was incredibly picturesque! we were caught by the rain while we were visiting the temples so we had to take refuge in these intricately decorated, century old sacred places. it was a romantic moment, looking out onto the flooding grassland....
in the evening we watchded the 'sound and light show', a very well organised and fascinating show. different coloured lights were shone on the distant facades of the temples as the history of their coming to life was unravelled by the deep, calming voice or a narrator. we even saw a shooting star which made it all the more special!
and finally, we had dinner at an italian restaurant becaus our bellies and taste buds much needed some home like tasting food!
