Another train brought us to Orchha, which looks and feels like a small village, but was once at the center of a great Mughal empire. An impressive number of temples and palaces are lurking in the jungle around this small backwater town. We got to stay at our own version of a palace- a fancy hotel, complete with a pool! Considering how worn out we were by then from the flurry of trains, planes, and automobiles, we got a little much-needed R&R in that pool.
We are so ready for the pool!
Sunset from our hotel balcony. The one and only advantage of all that smog in the air is that every sunset is beautiful.
Traffic jam at dusk across the bridge to get out of town. We had to teeter on the edges of the bridge while huge buses and tractors drove by
Our groupmate Dave thought he could help out with traffic by deadlifting a tuk tuk. He had quite the audience with the locals.
Colorful dyes sold by a shop near a temple for use in religious practices.
We went on a village walk in the evening to one of the tiny outlying villages, which is apparently a place tourists very rarely go. This was immediately apparent from the shy smiles of the men and women we saw, and the jubilant exclamations of all the children. All 50 of them. Who proceeded to follow us through the streets like a pack of happily yipping puppies, hanging off us and begging to see our phones so they could play games or take selfies. One of our group members, Dave, pretended to be a tiger and chased them around growling, which of course instantly became The Best Game Ever. We saw how the village people made bread in low brick ovens, crafted pottery, and stole power by rigging their own lines up to the municipal powerlines (which apparently the government knows about, but lets it slide). It was a heartwarming and humbling experience, being welcomed by these people who have so little in the way of material goods, and have built such a rich life. Shows you how much that Apple TV is really worth.
Sunset over the roofs of the village.
Thick clay walls to keep the heat out.
Meeting new friends
These beautiful girls were pumping water from the only well in town, and paused to ask for a picture.
One of the few cows we found that was actually friendly.
More selfies!
A villager making pottery by hand and without any sort of machinery
Only the fact that it was too dark to see ushered us out of the village, leaving behind the poor parents who would have to get all these amped up kids to bed.
The next morning we were off to the Orchha Fort Complex, which is essentially a bunch of palaces clustered together. Jahangir Mahal was our favorite, with some of its gorgeous lapis lazuli decorations still surviving, and the breathtaking view of the jungle from the back of the palace. It was designed and built to impress the visiting crown prince of the Mughal empire. The prince stayed there only one night, and then the palace was promptly abandoned to be swallowed up by the jungle. What a waste! We felt like characters in The Jungle Book while we were here; that’s two Disney movies in two days! Not bad.
The steamy jungle stretching out to the horizon.
Do we look hot? It was about 95F in the shade.
A view from an upper window.
Don’t jump! Justin standing at the edge of the roof of one of the temples.
Gettin’ some knowledge from a local guide.
We finished up our next evening in Orchha with a cooking class, then hopped on the night train to take us north, where our next adventure awaited us at the Ganges.
Learning to make roti on the gas stove during the cooking class. We also learned how to make masala chai, and a few delicious Indian dishes. Can’t wait to try out the recipes when we get home!
Settling in on the night train.