#Orchha India PT 6 Nov 2015

Arrived Jhansi by the Bundelkand Express after an all nighter from Varanasi. The format is good - the only problem for me was everyone has mobile phones and they were pinging and ringing through the night. A taste of the real India - be woken by a Bollywood ring tone - ha!

Jhansi was a stage over in my onward journey to Orchha. A further 17k by auto rickshaw. The organisation behind my overnight accommodation arranged the pick up and I had agreed the fare of 350IR. The trouble was the Bundelkand Express was 2 hours late. The driver was still there and picked me up. I gave him 500IR and he was delighted. It was worth to me. On money, it is hard to get your head around it. As a tourist I think extra is added every time I buy something - but it is still cheap - so 500IR probably goes quite a way. The best meal I have had so far was from Deena Chat in Luxa Road Varanasi. I had Alloo Chat and several other dishes plus a bottle of water. It came to 130 IR. Amazing.

Orchha is in fact a large village. To be honest I am not totally sure why I decided to stop off here. It must have been highly recommend in one of the guide books. I am glad I came. I am away from big city India and into something much more rural. I am staying in a homestay - part of a local project to boost incomes but to particularly help ordinary Indian families integrate with the world. Conditions are a bit primitive but seem clean and they have made an effort to respond to western needs in terms of ablutions - ha! We have just had dinner sat on the floor of their kitchen. There was a power blackout so even more atmospheric. The food was produced in the corner on a gas ring. Chapati rice and daahl. It is true they don't eat everything chilli hot. The hosts have no English but their adult children have some and there was a lady from the local homestay project who spoke excellent English. The conversation was wide ranging - I wanted to know about India - they wanted to know about the west. Amongst other things :-

More and more Indians prefer western culture over Indian custom.
They are worried about population growth and feel threatened by the rapidly increasing Muslim population because they allow polygamy. They believe the Muslims are determined to out grow all the other religions by deliberately having as many children as possible and see it a big problem in India's future.
Indian Tata own Jaguar and Rolls Royce - I will have to check that out.
Unlike other nationalities Indians ask about your business first rather than your family.
On family I get wierd looks when I say I haven’t got a wife. Hindu’s do not / cannot divorce unless very rich.
I asked for advice about dealing with young children asking for money. I said I had refused on the basis that it would encourage bad habits. They definitely agreed. On begging with evident disability it is not good to give money because begging is big business apparently - as in Slum Dog - better to give food if giving something.
I said I had not witnessed any threatening behaviour or aguement. They said wait until you get to Delhi - ominous!
In the short time I have been in India I have seen nothing but people working. Business business. But apparently out of the big cities that is not the case. It is often hard to get people motivated to put the effort in to change and improve their lives - like our white underclass perhaps.

But what of Orchha itself. It has a lovely river - the Betwas - rock strewn and therefore lots of water activity squeezing between these rocks. A lot of white water. Very picturesque and looks clean. (You can swim in it but I was put off by the two types of snake - one of which is highly venomous.) That is not it though. It is the outstanding buildings, if you are in to Mughal architecture. ( supreme examples of medieval Islamic building! ) They are really impressive even if you are not. They comprise Fort, palace's and temples as well as cenotaphs.

There was a fair bit of walking from the homestay on the outskirts of the village so I hired a push bike for 50IR per day. It must be the only Indian bike without a horn or bell - shame! I cycled to the other side of the village to a recommended nature reserve. I seemed to attract quite a bit of local attention in a smiling laughing way!

The Orchha Nature Reserve required entry evidenced by triplicate form filling and me and 3 people. Which country had I come from and where was I going to after Orchha! There was no one else around. I was shown a painted map of the route through the sanctuary - written in Hindi. I couldn’t follow it. I said guide. One said 500. I started to walk off - he said 200. I shook his hand. I am glad I took a guide - apart from a man on another gate who took my form and entered my details in a register I saw not one other person on a 2 hour round trip. We saw plenty of monkey's and deer from a distance ( noisily pointed out by my dubious nature guide ). He was happy to demonstrate how he could ride with his feet on the handle bars. I really enjoyed those 2 hours. Got down by the river again. So peaceful and quiet. One daft thing that happened and stuck in my mind. The forest was pristine. Someone had left a plastic bottle. Instead of picking it up and desposing of it - he kicked it on further! I definitely questioned his credentials! Anyway he got me back and eventually dinner at the homestay.

One rather upsetting thing - one of the sons has a leg break above the knee. He sits all day under a canvass cover. This morning he was dragging himself towards the toilet I guess. He was making shocking pain noises. He knocked on my door with a stick and making gestures. Eventually I understand he is asking for painkillers and if I was a doctor ( I think because of the cap I was wearing ). I gave him some Ibroprofen. I thought about my daughter a very experienced nurse and my youngest son who is training to be a doctor. They would have been far more use - I wonder what they could have or should have done. Very difficult.

Train to Agra later today. The first week has flown by.

Photos to be added when I can get decent wi fi speed.