It's hard to look at people with elephantiasis. Both feet are affected. This man lives by begging. His hangout is the train station and I suspect he does well. Another man here had swollen thighs that looked as though his flesh was made of stacked rubber tires the size of a kids wagon wheels. The Jhansi station was very dirty.
I was glad to load into a bus for the five hour drive to Khajuraho to visit the Bundela civilization.
This is what we call "out in the boondocks" at home. People we pass seem to be poorer in these small towns and villages.
The little girl in the back is blind. She fends for herself. Probably attached to the family waiting on the edge of the street.
We are not accustomed to the idea that where you live is where you sleep and keep your belongings. All business is on the street. You eat, get your hair fixed, buy food, clothes, paper, tools, whatever you need is on the street. This barber shop has a mirror. Most have only a hand mirror.
Fresh chickens for sale.
Or a ready made meal. These dumplings in our hotel restaurants, are quite tasty. Some are rice, some lentil.
On the side of the road, this young couple was making bricks. Ranvir stopped the bus and we watched. It takes around five 5 seconds to make a brick. They said they each make about 300 bricks a day. At the end of the season they will sell them for three cents each.
If you need iron work done, you have to wait for the gypsies to come to town.
Ranvir gives a standard warning. Thieves. They steal everything and you have to be watchful until they leave.
Heavy loads are standard everywhere in India, it seems.
At first I thought this was a woman. He plays a homemade instrument for his rupees but he has a ring and leather shoes.
We stop for lunch at a local restaurant. Cobra handlers seem quite at ease with their snakes.
After watching a Youtube video called Cleaning The Cobra Pit some years back, my impression is they are not an aggressive snake. But they are still deadly.
My oldest son kept snakes and they don't frighten me, but Ranvir didn't want us to get close.
Lunch here was some of the best food I've tasted in India. Not overly salty. Really fresh tasting. After we praised it, Ranvir told us his two nieces, run the restaurant.
Theo is still not feeling well. It seems to be a respiratory ailment that hangs on.
When we left the restaurant, one handler was educating the bus driver's apprentice about his snake.
We arrive at our hotel. I've forgotten what hotel had monkey security guards. We were cautioned to lock our balcony doors because the monkeys have learned how to open them.
This hotel had live music and wonderful art work.
In the morning, we will visit the park of the Chandela civilization. There were many sects from the area that believed the act of sex was a God sent pleasure of all living creatures to be encouraged in all of its forms. Be warned that the next blog will contain erotic carvings from the Khajuraho monuments.
