Hindu Temple Site

Preview of Allisonandjeff's blog at TravelPod. Read the full blog here: http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/allisonandjeff/trip_2005/1133242620/tpod.html This blog preview was made by TravelPod using the TripAdvisor™ TripWow slideshow creator. Entry from: Orchha, Khajurajo and Varanasi, India Entry Title: "Hindu Holy Sites Tour" Entry: "The day after Thanksgiving, we were back at the train station, this time for a short ride to the town of Jhansi. It was a nice enough trip through the countryside with pretty mellow fellow passengers (kind of a ****-shoot in the class of travel we'd been using). In Jhansi, we spent a frustrating (but amusing in retrospect) few hours buying tickets for our two remaining train journeys in India. First, buying train tickets in India is a pretty physical experience, requiring careful use of elbows and backpacks to maintain one's place in line (helped significantly by the fact that tourists are allowed to go in a special line that also is used by women traveling alone, cancer patients, the handicapped and a few other categories of people - thus much shorter than the "normal" lines). We complicated things by buying a ticket for a class that we decided we weren't happy with, which required a few different additional waits to cancel that ticket and buy a new one. All the while we were tailed by persistent rickshaw drivers who were trying to convince us to use them (instead of the bus) for our final destination that day (a nearby town called Orchha). In the end, we got the tickets we wanted and still had the rickshaw drivers bring us only as far as the bus to Orchha. When we pulled into the bus station, the driver was sure to point out the bus we'd be taking (pretty typical rickety local bus), apparently thinking we'd be fazed by its lack of luxury. He must see a lot of package tourists coming in from Agra. We weren't too worried about the comfort level for the half-hour trip and got on as planned... We arrived in Orchha around dusk and spent quite awhile roaming around the village looking for a hotel. Our theory about lots of package tourists visiting Orchha was strengthened upon discovering the greatly inflated rates guesthouses were charging. Our search paid off, though, and we ended up in a brand-new place just outside of town that was one of the best deals we had in India. Spacious, clean, hot water, international satellite on the TV and a balcony for about $5. We enjoyed Orchha quite a bit and stayed for four nights. The main attractions of the town are a fort (lots of old forts in India, as you probably have gathered) and old Hindu temples. The village also is located on the bank of a beautiful river and surrounded by nice countryside. The central square of the town was filled by day with vendors, mainly catering the crowd of Hindu pilgrims - they sell stuff like rice offerings, bracelets that have a particular significance, and "paint" for marking foreheads - but they also throw in crafty stuff for tourists for good measure. Our favorite vendor was a lady selling fruit who, every time we passed, would sing-song out "Hel-looo, GUAva?" We spent our time in Orchha taking a walk by the river, visiting the fort and temples and generally roaming around town. We were ready for a few quiet days. Unfortunately, we have one bad memory of Orchha - a little boy living with the family running our guesthouse who seemed most content when torturing a motherless puppy. We joined a few other travelers in trying to convince him and his family that puppies shouldn't be thrown, kicked or have their legs twisted, but they didn't really understand our Western paradigm any more than we understood how they could stand the puppy's shrieking and crying. Sort of traumatizing. From Orchha we traveled to Khajuraho, another Hindu temple town about 5 hours away by bus (though less than 100 km, which gives you an idea of the road conditions). Khajuraho is home of some of the most famous temples in India, which are known for their spectacular carvings, the most famous of which glorify the more sensual aspects of humanity. Though the town of Khajuraho wins of award for most annoying in India (far exceeding the much- ..." Read and see more at: http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/allisonandjeff/trip_2005/1133242620/tpod.html Photos from this trip: 1. "- Riverside Temples at Orchha" 2. "- Parakeet at Orchha Palace" 3. "- Sunset at Orchha Countryside" 4. "- Sculptures of Everyday Life at Khajuraho" 5. "- Khajuraho Sculptures Looking up Temple" 6. "- Everyday is Laundry Day on the Ganges" 7. "- Water Buffalos Sunning Themselves Near Ganges" 8. "- Busy Area Along Ganges, Varanasi" 9. "- Burning Ghat Between Cremations" 10. "- Pilgrims Coming to Bathe" 11. "- Adios India" See this TripWow and more at http://tripwow.tripadvisor.com/tripwow/ta-00bb-c3be-06c0?ytv4=1