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The train was moving out of the station and there they were – waving goodbye. What was I doing, going off alone with a bunch of women I had never set eyes on before? But now it was too late to back out from this only-women trip to Khajuraho, Panna and Bandhavgarh organised by WeGoBond. An advertisement on Facebook two months ago had prompted me to sign up for it on a whim.

The group was split into two locations in the compartment, in an unequal ratio. The sound of laughter guided us to the larger group where we were invited to sit till it was time to sleep. A round of introductions later I was surprised to find myself at ease with these unknowns. They all seemed very much to be PLU (People like Us). This little group of nine women (one had dropped out at the last moment) had a loud voice, though! Our neighbours however, did not seem to be complaining…in fact, we made friends right away with two other women in the same compartment who were foreigners, immediately had an oops! moment, realising they could follow Hindi, and followed it up with an exchange of cards.
So, well begun is half done, they say. The chatter continued the next day when we reached the Ken River Lodge, about 25 kms away from Khajuraho. It was picture perfect! The dining area had a superb view of the river and was populated by friendly dogs, some abandoned, some stray. And out came the cameras-first for the cute doggies and only then for the view 🙂 The cottages were mud coloured and blended seamlessly into the overgrown jungle-like surroundings. But the insides were modern (thank God!), with facilities you’d find at any modern hotel and delicious food at every meal to boot!

And then we were off to see the temples. And they didn’t disappoint! The thousand year old temples build by the Chandelas had carvings on them that were so intricate we could see the folds in a dress and visualise each dancer. The group of temples remained hidden till the 19th century when a Britisher accidentally chanced upon it. The erotica of course seemed overrated and the few images we found were repeated in patterns. Being in a women’s only group kept the comments coming, though!

The evening saw us taking a boat ride on the river in the mellow evening sun which set in splendour. The river is home to crocodiles or magars but we were told that the water level being low, they had migrated upstream for the season. Nevertheless, we kept an eye out for the one that did not follow the crowd! The iridescent wings of the stork-billed kingfisher caught our eye as it flew past our boats as also a crow pheasant. A number of snake birds or cormorants could also be seen as well as herons and wagtails. We got off mid-river at a little rocky outcrop and what a view of the sunset it was! Cameras clicking away furiously, we tried to capture the beauty of nature.

Later in the night, while having our dinner out above the river, the subject somehow turned to ghost stories. Ajeet, the manager of the lodge, obliged us with some chilling tales. Sitting in the darkness (we had switched off the lights to discourage insects), listening to the night sounds of the wilderness with the river glistening below us in the moonlight, it was the perfect end to a lovely evening.
By the second day, the group had become comfortable with each other. The two sisters, the pretty one, the garrulous one, the silent one, the loud one, the granny with an attitude…we all had our mental pictures about each one. The plan was to visit the Panna sanctuary to try and see the tigers and be at Khajuraho for the dance festival in the evening. The group was in two jeeps in the cold morning as we entered the sanctuary. Friendly banter about who in the group would be our lucky charm to be able to spot the tiger kept us warm. The contest was between two ladies, both of whom had had tiger sightings multiple times. Luckily for us, both were in separate jeeps and both of us got to watch not only a tigress but two cubs too as bonus! Our luck held and we were able to see a croc also as well as two cute chinkaras. The good mood continued as we discovered we had a birthday girl in our midst! An impromptu cake and a terrace party with the gang were the highlights of the day. We tried to get a gift from the local village but discovered the markets were closed on account of elections but perseverance paid and we were able to get a locally made ghanti. The whacko idea of ringing the bell and singing “Tune maari entry aur dil mein baji ghantiyan..” was unique to say the least.

The evening saw us at the temples once again where we were treated to beautiful renditions of Bharat Natyam and Chhau/Kathak. The gentle evening with a balmy breeze, sitting in front of ancient temples that formed the backdrop for the performances left us mesmerised. And of course, a bit of souvenir shoppping kept our spirits up! Dinner at Raja Cafe rounded up a perfectly happy day.

And then it was time to move to Bandhavgarh for the final leg of our trip. We started leisurely and reached our home for the next two nights in the afternoon. And what a resting place! The King’s Lodge lived up to its name. The unobstrusive but luxurious surroundings in the midst of a carefully cultivated jungle took our breath away. And none of those buffet lunches; we were served at an enormous table and ate our fill of the most delicious foods. A little paddle pool near the entrance looked cool and inviting which everyone noted for later. Even the 500m walk to our respective cottages seemed exciting! Stories of tigers and leopards straying into hotel areas, sightings of snakes etc kept us on our toes while walking to the dining area in the night. The light of the lanterns hardly seemed enough.
The Gang of Girls became notorious with the other diners though for our uproarious laughs and loudness. The noisy game of guessing sun-signs, the heated no-holds barred debate on Amitabh Bachchan did not endear us to the rest of the visitors, I guess, but we were having so much fun it didn’t seem important enough.

After a night punctuated by jackal calls and owl hoots, it was at the crack of dawn that we were at the Bandhavgarh National Park. The lushness of the surroundings, the purity of the air and the flora were like soothing balms to our city sensibilities. The two jeeps again kept up the banter on who is going to be the lucky one, but it turned out that neither of us was able to spot the great beast -the tiger. However, the spotted deer, the blossom-headed parakeets and boar, and an almost invisible sand grouse kept us entertained. The strangler vines, the ‘ghost’ gum tree, and the stories of animal-human interaction added to the atmosphere.

A surprise awaited us that evening- dinner in the outdoors with a bonfire. What fun! And as the logs burned, songs were played and dance was done and as we moved towards the table, another surprise- a memento of the trip! A mug with our names printed on it and the WeGoBond logo on it, with a little note that said a few words about each of us and asked for our feedback on handmade paper. It was so sweet!

And it was almost time to go back. We were already feeling nostalgic – about Parul’s coffee press, Charu’s bandana, Vandy’s inimitable dancing style, Asha and her cat stories, Medha and Chandra-the two sisters, Rohini’s ghost imitation and most of all Shibani’s gentleness. The ride back to the station saw us exchanging numbers and forming a WhatsApp group, with promises to meet again.

I felt like the Goldilocks group size was just right, the age group was just right too, and the trip duration was the correct fit. Hats off to WeGoBond for getting it all correct. I now have a group of people I know much more about than so many of my so-called friends. I had a great time and went to all the places I wanted to. Looking back, I wonder why I had any misgivings in the first place!

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Great company, fun adventures….
The Journey

We were nine ladies – cutting across ages, cultures and cities but united in our determination to enjoy our little holiday together. We chose the night train to Khajuraho, Madhya Pradesh for its convenience and by 8:30 we had set off.

Imagine a compartment full of enthusiastic strangers getting to know one another, snacking, assessing their sleeping arrangements and chatting up other travellers (hi Elisabeth and Antara) – all at the same time! I had been a little apprehensive at first about holidaying with strangers (I had never done that before) but was at ease very soon. Everyone was chatty and friendly.

By 9 the next morning we were packed into two Innovas. After some strategic jostling for the ‘best’ seats, we set off from Khajuraho for Panna. The easy camaraderie made way for colourful conversation on rurban India, lush mustard fields, milch cows and the quality of roads. After navigating an impossibly bumpy stretch, we reached our destination two hours after we set off from Khajuraho station.

Panna, Madhya Pradesh

The Ken River Lodge was a beauty. Think of a resort overlooking a river, tucked among a forest, boasting a tree which doubles up as a dining room and lounge bar. It was a stunning first exposure to nature for us city types.

We would go on to stay 2 nights in comfortable and large huts with noisy tin roofs, and pig out on impossibly delicious food – I still dream of the aloo puri breakfast. And I definitely www.viagrasansordonnancefr.com can’t forget my new friends singing and dancing on my birthday. But the show stopper in Panna had to be the tigress and her family the following morning. We watched in quiet wonder as she majestically emerged from the forest, ambled up to the river with her two cubs and then lazed in the sun by the river bank before walking away. Life was wonderful after that – the pre-dawn start was so worth it, the morning cold didn’t matter any more, and the packed sandwiches never tasted better!

Khajuraho,Madhya Pradesh

The Chandela Rajput rulers clearly loved their temples because the dynasty kept contributing to this complex over a period of 250 years between the 10th and 12th centuries. Some 25 of the original 80 survive and they are dedicated to the Shaivite and Vaishnav schools of Hinduism and to Jainism.
The main (western) complex is easily explorable on foot with beautiful landscaped gardens. The temples themselves
are stunning examples of art, architecture, scientific prowess and local culture, depicting life as it was about a thousand years ago : We saw Gods, animals and human forms ; courtship and love making, war, music and dancing, wrestling and hunting.

Our extremely thorough guide informed us that only 10% of the carvings were erotic art. Yet, I was struck by the unabashed celebration of sex and womanhood. The kamasutra poses were prominently displayed at eye level on the main walls of the temples and panel after panel showed gorgeously proportioned female forms putting on makeup, doing their hair, playing games, tying and untying their girdles, playing musical instruments etc. Wish our self-styled guardians of Hindu culture could be equally chilled about the pursuit of pleasure and women’s role in society.

I should say that the temple town seems to relish its tourist appeal – there were plenty of souvenir shops, Internet cafes and restaurants, motels and hotels, guides and touts. The dance festival performances on our day in town were underwhelming as was the food at Raja Cafe. But what it lacked in food, it made up in ambience – we thoroughly enjoyed our evening under a neem tree in the courtyard.

Bandavgarh, Madhya Pradesh

Or Bandargarh as we may as well call it. We took two jungle safaris – in Magdhi and Tala zones – but lucked out both times and that too at a park where, they say, every visitor is guaranteed a sighting! We saw plenty of monkeys, and also deer (cheetal, chinkara and sambar) and birds, nilgai, sloth bear and wild boar. We dutifully followed the alarm calls of deer and monkeys and waited patiently (and silently) for the big cat to show up. We even sent up a few silent prayers but it wasn’t meant to be.

Yet, the safaris weren’t a total waste of time. Tala zone was very striking in its terrain and natural beauty: mostly plateaus and hills and copses of flaming palash trees. We saw the stunning ancient Shesh Shaiya statue of a reclining Vishnu and shivling, and the memorial to Charger – a legendary male tiger who earned his name after he charged at an elephant carrying tourists. He was fearless, apparently commanded the largest territory in the park and was quite the hit with the females. We booked our safaris through King’s Lodge where we stayed and the resort was perfect with luxurious rooms, very friendly staff, and delicious food.

Soon it was time to go home but each one us would have happily stayed on for a bit longer ….. in a WeGoBondof great company and fun adventures.

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I have to confess (sorry Shibani!) I was mildly apprehensive about the Amritsar trip. I have never travelled with a group of strangers before, mentally relegating it to the kind of thing that scarey cat people did, who were nervous about dealing with new things and places, whereas I liked to see myself as an intrepid traveller who ventured forth and did things.

However, I had always wanted to go to Amritsar and see the Waga border. And frolic amidst the mustard fields of the Punjab, which have always seemed a different country, known only through hearty images in films and ads. And the timing was perfect. And maybe I am a bit of a scaredy cat when it comes to travelling with my son, so I signed up.

We all met at the station—four sets of mothers with accompanying children (the fifth set was flying in from Mumbai). And Shibani turned up—bulging minorly in front as she had Krishna, her one-plus son, in a sling and majorly at the back from a gigantic rucksack about four times the size of Krishna. The children, ranging in age from about six to twelve, eyed one another cautiously and decided that they would not be mortal enemies. The mothers sighed and put their feet up as the Shatabdi chugged out of early morning Delhi.

Many pretty mustard fields later, we reached Amritsar (the Shatabdi turns into a bit of a local train beyond Chandigarh) and hauled ourselves into taxis on the road to Punjabiyat, a drive punctuated by a fabulous meal at SK Dhaba. The butter naan had pools of butter; the alooparatha had pools of butter; the chholey had pools of butter—we knew we were in Punjab!

Punjabiyat is five quiet rooms—built as separate buildings—and a couple of common spaces, set amidst the farmland. It was almost eerily quiet for us city types, and almost equally beautiful in limpid green during the day and in the quiet pools of lamplight at night. There was a quick bullock cart ride for the kids after we reached, and a disco tractor to admire. And tea and pakoras. The rooms were gorgeous, with high beds, and the bathrooms were dreamy. The children bonded by the bonfire and in sessions of dark room, and the mothers drank quiet whiskies and wines and ate gargantuan meals. Yes, we were strangers but I guess women who go on holidays with their kids have a certain amount in common—financial independence and a disposition to travel on their own—and we bonded and laughed together after the kids went off to bed.

The following day was a buzz of activity. We went to the Golden Temple, ate at a dhaba and went to the Wagah border for the evening lowering of the flags, a bizarre and slightly disturbing ceremony.

The third day was a delightful slump of inactivity. We sat around, read, chatted. The children flew kites and made cow patties and ran through the fields. Desultory badminton was played. Random art happened. A few naps here and there. We luxuriated in doing nothing in the winter sun—surely, there is no greater pleasure!

And then a massive lunch in the woods later, it was sadly time to go back—on the Shatabdi with a bunch of very aggressive fellow passengers.

The trip was a perfect mix of activity and inactivity. Shibani organized enough stuff to keep us all entertained, but also left lots of time for us to hang around, which is surely the most delightful part of the holiday. The stay and food were gorgeous—and her impeccable handling of the red tape at the Wagah ceremony made our visit very smooth and trouble free. And I loved my fellow travelers—it was a great and entertaining group—and would love to go on holiday with them again!