Haven in the Wilds

This leg of the journey was especially hard on a few.  The curries, travel and heat taking their toll. A few stops here and there, some vomitting, some diarrhea.  Poor lads. In and out of small towns and cities.  The odors familiar and frequently unsettling. I love the countryside, it smells of grass, incense and smoke. I am sitting facing back, twisting to and fro to catch any shot I can.  My back will feel it.  I like sitting near Hege and Orjan, they speak Norwegian most times and it reminds me of Finnish. Sends me back to childhood.

After nearly 14 hours of driving, on mostly exhausting and nearly non-existent roads, we are met at the roadside in the thick of nighttime.  Two motorcyclists are waiting for us and we venture in after them, though the fields, and trees.  Comments regarding The Blair Witch Project flittering all over...I was thinking more of Deliverance myself. We all felt a bit edgy in any case.  Too much driving combined with fatigue and hunger playing with our minds.

We finally stop and come into a grassy knoll of sorts.  Time to throw the tents out of Daphne and set up.  Oh goody.  Fortunetly, it all is a breeze and we are heading to the dining area after a tour of the toilets.  A long, winding trail lit by soft yellow lamps.  I like it already.  I see a body of water, a river or lake perhaps?  The 'hut' we find our way to eventually is rustic and reminiscent of something out of a Chuck Norris film.  Bamboo anyone?  I REALLY like it now.  Curry again, but I am not bothered.  The beer and water are cold, and it is just nice to be out of a bumpy ride.

Not long out of bed.  I crawl in and have forgotten that for some reason, we brought mummy bags.  Ugh. Fit for caterpillars or dead Egyptians only. I'm too tired though and after the earplugs go in, I drift off.  I am awakened some hours later by Matt shaking me and am not too happy about it.  Out come the earplugs and boy, he will hear it....until he says..."Jules...listen.."  In the dark silence, what must have been every dog within a mile radius was howling. It was chilling, eerie, yet comforting. I had never heard anything like it.  I went back to sleep, feeling very protected and peaceful.
We had a lovely lie in until after 9:00!  What a treat! The sun was out, it was glorious! Breakfast is waiting for us.  Freshly cooked omelets, papaya, coffee and potatoes. All with a view of the Ken River.  What a life. The bar, next to the dining hut is a treehouse.  It is like being in a jungle haven with monkeys playing in the trees nearby. Like I said, what a life.
Later on, we are off into Khajerao in open top jeeps.  Fantastic. It is a warm day and the sun feels wonderful.  The children call out "Hello!" in good English and wave as we drive by. It is a beautiful ride. The town itself is quite nice.  It was to be my favorite on the trip.  The usual salesman bombard us...."Come to my shop..?"..."Ride on a camel?" "Buy a keychain?" A very animated keychain with 2 people in quite a compromising position.  This is the home of the Erotic Temples, after all. What a home indeed.
The city/village is rather small and enclosed.  The area clean and cared for. A step away from all other cities we have seen.  Soon we enter the grounds of the Erotic Temples of Khajuraho. Lovely, manicured lawns amidst the occasional scaffold...set to repair tattered temples. Our guide is another gent well versed in the history of the place.  He brings us on our tour, specifically pointing out the carvings of bestiality, lust and Gods.  He throws in a joke from time to time to see if we are paying attention.  Informative, but we are happy to be free of him to roam the peaceful grounds. It is a lovely sunny day and the temples stand before us, monoliths of a time long past. They are stunning and lovely in such a green and lush setting. They remained untouched and buried under the scrubbery for hundreds of years.  Thank goodness they were salvaged.
There are 25 surviving temples when initially there were believed to be over 80. More details can be seen here that I simply could not elaborate on accurately or in enough depth here. http://www.shubhyatra.com/madhya-pradesh/khajuraho-temples.html

The outer walls are meticulously carved and are put together in a jigsaw piece manner. Clicking together like Legos. Amazing. The images are gorgeous and frequently improper, but fascinating indeed. Scenes of life and mostly, sexual life. Positions of all sorts, even the occasional horse thrown in for whatever measure. People with heads of cow, elephants...the gods.

I just love the calm serenity of it, I feel days and even years of stress pour away. There are very few here aside from us and what persons are here add to the exotic nature of the place with their colorful saris and cloths. Sitting on temple stairs is even a calming event.  Just breathing, taking in the sites and realization of where I am. What people lived here and when? I feel blessed.
After a lengthy stroll and exploration about the area, we step back out into the reality of the street.  Quickly across the street to the cafe on the roof with a view of the temples and a nice banana lassi and coffee.
A few have volunteered to cook supper this evening and have returned from their shopping at the local food market. They look pleased. As are we...homecooked food.  I love curries, but a break will be most welcome. Many of the young lads are thrilled as well. The curries have done them in.
Back into the jeeps where I am again cut off by a man shoving an erotic keychain in my face like some stag party favor.  Aside from that, I am sad to leave really. It has been a glorious day. The jeep ride back to the Ken River Lodge brings a lovely warm to cool breeze and the sun setting in the distance. It just can't get much better. I am thankful for such a wonderful day and surroundings.
Back to camp for a drink or 2, and a freshen up. Daphne turns into a makeshift kitchen and all is prepared with background music courtesy of Nik, our guide's iPod.  I am not on the cooking team, but help to prepare and clean up.  It is quite enjoyable to mingle and take part.

We enjoy our pasta and sauce around a warm campfire. Accompanied by dogs and a brave cat. They have picked the right group and enjoy many scraps from this lot. One dog even helps herself to bread on the plate left by the fire. A few more drinks to follow, joined by a couple of the barkeeps.  They decided to join us rather than sit in the bar alone.  Nice gents....kind and gentle spirits. They share what seems to be a cross between a cigarette and cigar.  I think it may be something of 'that' nature, but I don't feel much of anything. Just what was to be a bit of a congested cough in the morning.

I am in awe at what a glorious and relaxing day it has been. I will very much miss it here.  I go to sleep happy, yet a bit sad.  I will have to return here again one day. The time has been too brief.