Don't Miss: Orchha

Orchha would resemble many small Indian villages in Madhya Pradesh if it weren't for the glorious medieval palaces and temple spires. According to mptourism.com, "Orchha was founded in the 16th century by the Bundela Rajput chieftain, Rudra Pratap, who chose this stretch of land along the Betwa river as an ideal site for his capital. Of the succeeding rulers, the most notable was Raja Bir Singh Ju Deo who built the exquisite Jehangir Mahal, a tiered palace crowned by graceful chhatris." Inside the palaces, along wall and ceiling are frescoes representing the Bundela school of painting. The only problem, as our guide regretfully pointed out, is that the government have no interest in restoring or protecting these treasures. Sad, when you consider that tourism is all that Orchha has going for it these days...

On Signage

Call me cheeky or even mean, but I can't help noticing funny signage or spelling errors that result in double entendres. Here are a few I spotted in India:

Beyond Mouvember

Each year in Jaisalmer a competition is held to determine the owner of the longest mustache. You'll need more than the month of November to win this one.

Here, a regular contender and winner shows off his hirsute pride and joy.

Photograph: Nadine Rubin

Bhang Bhang Club

Bhang (pronounced Buh-ng) is a derivative of marijuana. Is it legal in India? Nay. However, that didn't stop the owners of the Bhang Shop in Jaisalmer, India from declaring that they are "government authorized."

Photograph: Nadine Rubin

That Sinking Feeling

Imagine you are a tourist wanting to visit the Jaisalmer Fort, built in 1156 by the Bhati Rajput ruler Jaisal. This is Rajasthan's only "live-in" fort and about a quarter of the city's population still reside within the tall yellow sandstone walls. So you're paging through Lonely Planet India and...whoa!...what's this? The authors of the good book have taken a decision to not review any accommodation inside the fort itself. Instead, they ask that you, dear tourist, be eco-conscious and stay outside the fort to avoid putting additional pressure on the fort's archaic sewage system (it has been reported that three of the 99 bastions have already crumbled because of water seeping into the foundations). Residents inside the fort are allocated one hour a day within which to fill their tanks with water that needs to last them for showers, cooking and drinking. So, yes, taking two showers a day at your boutique Haveli-turned-hotel is a tad unconscious.


If you look closely at the wall in the below photograph you can see the rising water levels that are causing the fort to literally sink into the desert sand.




Photograph: Nadine Rubin

The V.VIP Room

You'll know you've made it when you bypass the VIP Room and enter the V.VIP Room at the airport in Varanasi. We can only imagine the guest list: Maharajas, Bollywood stars and Graydon Carter.




Photograph: Paul Nathan

Mahatma's Message, Alive and Well

I saw this sign on the side of the road in Jaipur, Rajasthan. India is a long way from the vision that Mahatma Gandhi had for the country after independence in 1947 and sadly never saw through due to his assassination one year later. Sadly these days his message is used for commercial purposes, but hey it is still a reminder for some of us...

Photograph: Nadine Rubin