We all tried hard to be out of the house in time to leave at 8am for our long 4.5hr journey to the Temples of Love in Khajuraho. Some morning traffic and dense fog slows us in our journey and a few of the girls are panicked over the state of the fog and the dangers of trying to drive through it.. but soon the fog lifts and we are well on our way through a very bumpy journey… we arrive in Khajuraho alittle bit late and it is a shock for all of us to see so many foreigners… We meet with an American gentleman named Warren who is a local here for most of the year but also resides in Seattle. He has just helped to form the new Rotary club here and takes us to lunch at a local café.. the girls are delighted to have a cappuccino , something they have missed these past 10 days.. Many of us opt for more continental cuisine and are introduced to some of warrens fellow rotary members and his best friends 2 daughters, all of whom will join us for our tour of the temples..
The temples are a thing of incredible beauty and passion. The temples of love are filled with sculptures of men and women in sexual passion.. Kama Sutra was born here.. some of the sculptures are quite detailed and explicit… leaving some in our group a bit shocked and sheepish.. We tour one temple that is believed to have been attended daily by worshippers for over 1100years. The priest was not there to give us a blessing but a holy man was there taking offerings and giving blessings…..The girls that are with us are very sweet, wanting to hold our hands, take pics with us and practice their english with us.. sometimes they forget we don’t know hindi and start to speak in hindi, leaving me a bit confused. Warren is fluent in Hindi and helps to translate, but overall the girls know plenty of English.. Next we go into the village to see the little girls home. They live in a very small room with their other sister and brother and parents.. it is only big enough for one bed and some shelves with the kitchen supplies. All six of them sleep in this small space. Next we go back to the market to the girls fathers shop and are treated to tea and treats.. Warren, the girls and his friends are all very hospitable and I wish we could stay longer to see more of the temples and the town but we must leave as it is a long journey back to Jhansi. On our journey home a deer comes out of the bush and we try hard to avoid it but we cant and the poor deer hits the side of our van hard… the driver seems unfazed.. it is part of life here, he just keeps driving! When we finally arrive home at 930 we are taken to a birthday party for a local Rotarians daughter. Birthdays are quite the celebration in india and it is a great example of how close and connected families are here..
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