After a mere three hours sleep (the alarm went off at 6.30am -ouch) and we were facing another day on the roads. The time we spend on the roads seem to be getting longer but we have to factor in possible -or should that be inevitable- breakdowns, getting lost and of course emergency toilet breaks, on top of that the we have thirteen people on this trip with us and finding a place that can cater for us quickly is nigh on impossible.
We promised to take better care of the lil lady today, trying to avoid the right tyre hitting any potholes in particular as she’s now a bit lopsided, poor love.
Driving through Sagar town was nice, the scenery we faced after leaving was a treat too. It’s such a privilege to be so far removed from “Western civilisation”, with its high-rise buildings and stressed out people. Home now, seems very far away indeed.
We weren’t planning on stopping until we got to our final destination, Khajuraho, but Steve the cameraman, aka “Gypo”, spotted an old fort as we were going through Gulganj, so our convoy headed through the narrow streets, passed the cutest community village you have ever seen. All the children ran round our rickshaw and I greeted them with a smile and the traditional ‘Namaste’, which is always returned. By the time we had parked our lil lady, around 50-60 people had gathered, all smiling and giggling and it was extremely contagious – even the crew were at it!!
Although the fort has been abandoned, it’s still very much a place where the locals hang out and the children play (the sweet wrappers left behind was a big giveaway) and being India, we even stumbled across a cow up there!
After taking lots of pictures inside, we headed back to the village where an even bigger crowd awaited us, watching with amazement. So many smiley faces (I really want you to imagine every single person around you looking at you and smiling- it’s truly bewildering and so special!) and it was a humbling experience to have so many beautifully warm people all together in one little community. We had our picture taken with the children and the women gathered in a couple of houses, watching from a short distance. The men were all assembled on the other side of the narrow road and one guy, who I imagine to be India’s Hugh Heffner, wanted a photo with Katie and I and he was being egged on by the whole crowd! The cheeky mite! But we were more than happy and everyone was laughing as he put his arms around us.
I think we all felt a bit sad to have to leave the village and its people behind but at the same time, they had made our day and it will truly be remembered as a highlight of this adventure. One girl in particular never left my side and I found a big flower hair clip in my bag to give her, a little gesture for such a great time.
Feeling completely relaxed, we arrived in Khajuraho in daylight for the first time, so we celebrated by toasting our great day with a Kingfisher beer on the rooftop of our hotel, whilst watching the sun set over the temples we were going to explore the next day.
What a perfect ending to a perfect day.
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