It took some time to remember the name of the place. Kha-ju-ra-ho.
Funnily, even Indians sometimes shrug when I say it – or maybe I am mispronouncing it so badly that they can’t understand me.
It’s a tiny nest of some 20 000 inhabitants, in the Chhatarpur District, in the North of the Indian State of Madhya Pradesh. It’s off the main roads and train lines, but is served twice a day by plane.
People come here to visit the many Jain temples, that are known for their erotic carvings, and it was also the reason for my visit.
They are all surprised I am staying five days. I guess most visitors stay a night, see the temples, and move on.
From the plane, I could see a mostly agricultural region, fields, many little villages in between. The air over India is bad though, it’s like a blanket of dust – or CO2 emissions? – or maybe it’s just the season.
Down on the ground though, the air in Khajuraho itself is much cleaner than in Varanasi, where all is somewhat covered in dust (or human ash?), and you have to wipe the screen of your laptop after a few hours in a café…
I arrived a bit late, checked into my hotel for one night, and went to eat something in a little café nearby, a delicious Dosa with egg, chese and vegetables.
In the village, it is almost impossible to walk without being chatted up by kids. Some ask you for foreign money coins for their collections, some just talk and claim to improve their English.
This is fine, once or twice, but I don’t want to have constant conversations wherever I walk…
And I have a feeling it will all end up in some sort of guide tour or something that involves money.
It was getting dark early, it’s autumn after all, and in India dark means DARK. There are no street lights, most tuk-tuks and bicycles are on the road without headlight, so it becomes a bit hazardous.
I called it an early night, no temple sightseeing possible, and treated myself to an oil massage in the hotel and a yummy dinner: Aubergine Massala and cumin rice.
Mallory and Awen arrived very early in the morning with their overnight train from Varanasi. I slept some more and then settled over to the luxury resort of the local Radisson.
Ok, call me spoiled. Yes!
But after the intense experience in Varanasi – in a nice guest house, no less – I still needed to escape the bed bugs and some bad bugs, and treat myself.
I have collected points with Radisson for years in London, and the rates here are ridiculously cheap.
I have the next four nights for free in a California Queen size bed with view on a pool (which is a bit too cold to really swim in… but hey, no complaints.)
I just spent the morning there, reading an older edition of Time Magazine. I will visit the temples, eat, rest myself and rest a bit. I haven’t read a book in months.
I am in the middle of India, and I like it so far, it hasn’t been as tough as I feared it to be. But I still need some time in my bubble.