I had to wake up the receptionist/dogsbody this morning when I wanted to check out. I can’t remember what his name is but he wasn’t very happy about it –
Anyone want to buy some cooking fuel made from cow pats? –
I love the early mornings here. A little bit of mist and a soft atmosphere, not cold but a hint of freshness –
As much I said I wouldn’t be visiting any tourist places, I did yesterday and somewhat less so today. After all, there’s only so many photos of roads you can put up with.
So today I diverted a little to visit a place that I remember as being in the backwoods with only a passing tourist trade.
I used to camp here, either in the temple complex itself or across the river. The last time I visited I saw a new hotel in the initial stages of being built. I could see the end was near for its remoteness and quiet. Now there are many hotels and tourist restaurants.
However, most stop and see the main palace/fort and fail to go just half a kilometre further to see the abandoned and atmospheric temples by the river.
It’s called Orchha.
Originally built up around 1501 as the centre of a state in central India the town and surroundings were added to over the next hundred years or so - though one temple dates back to the 9th Century.
Various other tombs and temples dot the area, virtually all are without any form of plate or sign to identify who/what they are.
The ones I visited are abandoned; at one time you could walk into and around any of them but there is now a padlock on one gate I used to freely enter.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orchha
These all are at the side of a river, the Betwa River, used to be good for swimming in and especially down by the small set of rapids. Now though I saw a sign on the way in for ‘Rafting Trips’.
Tempus fugit.
This photo is looking across the river at the area I used to camp in -
Looking up river. The ‘cataracts’ are just visible in the distance –
Let’s have a bit more of a look round –
Walking the few metres down to the river and looking left (to the right you’ve seen) you can see a causeway just wide enough to take a truck. I know it is ‘just’ wide enough. I would drive this to get to the camping spot over the river. It would always be though that if I waited for it to be clear of traffic as soon as I get halfway across some bus/truck/car driver from the other direction would decide to go onto the causeway where we’d meet two thirds of the way across (I was 2/3 over).
Of course he’d not see the wrong of it and refuse to back up no matter that I’d be sounding my horn and flashing my lights even before he set one tyre on it.
What he also didn’t know is that I’d be towing a trailer, so I couldn’t back up.
Usually after a bit of an impasse he’d reverse as I would just gesticulate for a while. If that didn’t work I’d switch my engine off and start to read a book.
That always worked.
Lastly a quick shot of what the tourists do come to see which maybe one day I’ll visit again.
But not this time -
Back to the hotel, freshen up and then out for dinner -
I’ve reached my last but one city. The last being back to Delhi tomorrow. I may post a couple more photos but if I don’t, that’s your lot for this time.
Oh! One more thing.
Me crossing a railway track just as the barrier has lifted releasing us all through –