Moving through Madhya Pradesh

We left Betla National Park for Rewa in the morning by 7:30PM with bread omelettes packed for breakfast. There was the option to go through Singrauli (365 km) or go from Robertsganj(430 km). I decided to stick with Madhya Pradesh for the route even though I suspected that the extra 65 km will probably be fast through Uttar Pradesh Highways. Also, Google Maps suggested that it will perhaps take lesser time - I was sceptical.

This turned out to be worst roads we traveresed through in our entire trip. We stopped at Absolute Naansense (creative names amaze me), Renukoot for some snacks and we did not anticipate what awaited us next. As we entered the Northern Coalfields area coming closer to Singrauli which has become a hub for coal, rare earth minerals, limestone and sand mining. They were over loaded trucks moving at snail pace all around and with less than usual four-wheel traffic. No tar road can sustain this kind of load and hence there was no real road. For two hours we were in this horrendous scenario. And this is the only time we came close to an accident with trucks turning left and right without any signals or indicators. The road was littered with overturned trucks every few kilometers to an extent we were literally saying that there is another one. The mountains were cut through completely and were bare devoid of any trees. There was dust all around. It was looking like into the dystopian future (Mad Maxesque) that we see in the movies. It reminded me why tribals in Bastar are resistant to development as this will be there future if natural resources are mined. Protecting the environment and being responsible with nature should be a top priority of government and citizens. We noted an unbeaten trip high of 45°C while crossing Singrauli.

Beyond this section, there was a further closure on the highway. That forced us to take a detour through the villages. The same truck drivers guided us how to avoid the closure. We went through village after village and I must say the gram sadak yojna has clearly made a difference. Whether the houses were made of bricks and cement or not, but the road was perfect for single vehicular traffic. Google Maps also amazes me how they have all the correct mapped. We finally landed on the highway that will take us straight to Rewa and we eventually checked in to Hotel Vijay Villas.

Hotel Vijay Villas in Rewa does not have a swimming pool. Instead of verifying myself I relied upon ChatGPT to select the right hotel for me, and I went ahead with the booking. Upon reaching there was no pool disappointing the kids. ChatGPT waived off all responsibility and said the mixed reviews lead to mix up. At some point, we all need to rely upon human actions itself, just that we will not know when and end up taking the wrong decisions.

We decided to spend two nights here as this was directly the third day of heavy driving, bringing us bang centre of India from the east of India. Devasya ordered in his favorite Pao Bhaji, while Dhimahi enjoyed Rasmalai and he was happy with his meal. Finally, Zomato was available after three long days again. Next day we went to see the Rewa fort which was closed for renovation hence we want for the White Tiger Safari.

White tiger and Rewa

All white tigers in the world currently can be traced to Mohan which was the last remaining white tiger under the protection of the Maharaja of Rewa. Mohan was treated like a Prince and had a wonderful life, much better than most Indians in 1951. He had multiple mates and eventually ensured the white tiger lineage continues in the world. At least, we won't have to wait a random act of mutation to find white tigers again. There was a zoo and a white tiger safari. The white tiger safari was not exactly where the tiger was in completely open jungle but it was a restricted area for the cat. Still, occasionally people do not see them and I guess in a way lucky we were lucky to see the current prince. The zoo otherwise was also quite good and had good enclosures for all kinds of animals including the Indian Golden Jackal which we will encounter again later.

In the evening, we went to explore the street food of Rewa, which aims to mimic the famous Chappan Dukaan of Indore but sadly falls flat. However, it was disappointing.

We left for Khajuraho on 25th April, after breakfast to cover a distance of odd 180km through the Panna national park. We reached easily around 2PM and rested for a bit. I stayed at Clarks Khajuraho this time a reputed 5 star hotel. I had booked a room with a king bed and this is where again the bigger hotels and chains disappoint. In the name of an upgrade they had moved us to another room. I categorically said, that I care more about the king bed with 2 kids than an upgrade. He knew the upgraded room had a queen bed but still said it is a big bed and you should be fine. Five minutes later, after we viewed the room he provided a free extra mattress. I do not understand why the over smartness or trying to fool the customer. The customer knows what they want.

Temples of Khajuraho

We headed towards the temples around 4:30 PM and were accosted by someone along the way flagging us down. He was an unauthorised guide who would taken us for a ride to another part of the temples which would have been a waste of time. Thankfully, I already knew that we had to go to Western Group of Temples and we ditched him upon understanding the scam. At most protected monuments there are authorised guides in India. They usually are in a queue and if you need a guide you take the next one available. That ensures they are not competing for attention with tourists. Khajuraho is a place where you want to take a guide. The temples are 1000-year-old architectural marvel and a UNESCO heritage site. By the time we reached Khajuraho, we had already seen flavor of old temples of India at Narayanpal temple, Sun Temple, Jagannath temple. What stood out here was the beauty of the grounds maintained given it is a popular international tourist destination. With will and some budget India can look as good as any place in the world. The temples themselves were continuously built over 11th and 12th century and the temple complex expanded as a mark of success by each successive king of the Chandela dynasty. The temples were competing with rise of Jainism and Buddhism in India and hence were projecting a counter way of living life to enjoy and hence the erotic art along with other aspects of life. The Lakshmana temple and Kandariya Mahadev temple are truly iconic and worth understanding the philosophy. There is an operational temple as well, while others were rendered not fit for puja after various transgressions in the temple by Muslim Invaders led to decline of the kingdom and the temples.

The light and sound show was also very good and a must watch if you are there. Post the show we had dinner there and then were trying to locate the car. There was a small boy, asking us to eat at the restaurant he was promoting. I told him we had already eaten but asked him the way back to car parking. He gestured towards his restaurant again suggesting that he will help only if we eat there. My sense of direction prevailed and we didnt really need help, it was more of a casual ask. I just want to highlight that helping and guiding a tourist is a pretty basic ask. Linking it to a financial incentive just displays a local culture with a propensity towards money, perhaps developed due to overtourism.

Another incident at hotel was where a corporate party was playing loud music near the swimming pool at 11PM in the night. The reception acted helpless until Shreya phycially went and told them either they will get the music reduced or she will ask the party people themselves. Ideally, the hotel should simply manage their parties better. At a minimum a hotel guest want a night of sound sleep. So, overall Clarks Khajuraho left us unhappy with their hospitality and service.

Raneh falls

Raneh falls is a waterfall over the second largest canyon in India. Of course, there was to be no or less water. I took the good decision of still visiting the place. It was extremely hot but the canyon was beautiful without water. There were rocks of five colours mesmerising the viewer. The depth of the gorge is around 60 ft which during monsoons fill up with water and sometimes overflows. The receptionist at Clark had recommended not to go, but I'm glad we went.

After Raneh falls, we left for Orchha at distance of around 180 km away.