Early day as we rose at 5:30 and were on the road by 7am. We headed to the railway station. As you might expect all manner of humanity was there. Luck would have it that our train was actually on time. We had seats in an air conditioned car. It was not quite the AC we were used to but at least we weren't sweltering. We were given a large bottle of water which came with the price of our ticket. The train you saw in "Lion" that the young boy found himself locked in was a second class car. That train was on another track. No one on the roof top but plenty of standing in the aisles and people sitting on the stairs to the car.
Three hours later we found ourselves in Jhansi. A bus was waiting for us as we continued our travels southwest for 4 hours to Khajuraho where we would spend the night.
Khajuraho was the center of the Chandelas civilization. They left behind an amazing group of temples more than 1200 years old and 90% in tack. The carvings in the sandstone were remarkable. Our guide at this UNESCO World Heritage Site pointed out the many interesting carvings particularly those that related to women and love. These carvings apparently were where the kama sutra was born. Need I say more about the carvings. The erotic stone carvings have come to symbolize the importance of love and energy in Hindu thought.
Another very early morning tomorrow as we fly to Varanasi , the holiest of Hindu cities.
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