Fort Madhogarh 20.1.10

The journey from Agra to Madhogarh was by bus. We began the journey wrapped in every layer we possessed in thick fog. Gradually the fog began to lift and a glimpse of sun appeared. Even Jo was tempted to shed a layer before we arrived at our destination in glorious sunshine. The rest of the day was T shirt weather at last!

Fort Madhogarh is a family home, part of which has been converted into a simple but characterful hotel by the family. Wall paintings, turrets and huge rooftop terraces were part of the delights and the staff completed the picture, they were all from the village, Tunga, below the fort. They completed the atmosphere; all were absolutely charming.

After lunch we were taken on a tour of the village by the head man of the staff, dressed in army clothing. He set off at a brisk pace down the rocky approach to the castle and we were soon in the village surrounded by laughing, cheeky children. Villagers seemed happy for us to look around their simple houses and there were endless opportunities for photos. (We've put just a few random ones on this site if you click on the photo tab above but will try to upload some better ones soon).

The first stop was for chai at the street stall. Men sat round passing the time of day (little evidence of men at work here!) and made spaces for us on the benches. One real character made himself known within seconds of our arrival, asking various members of the group their names, ages and professions. He had remembered his English from school and was so confident and happy to interact with us all. We discovered that he was 55....judge for yourselves...his photo is up!

Further stops were made at a tiny bangle stall where we saw the different stages of bangle making in action and many bangles were sold. A pakora stall was next, the freshly made, tiny pakoras were absolutely delicious.

We had been told to expect a surprise that evening and at 7pm the girls in the group were all dressed in tradional Rajsthani outfits by the local ladies ready for an evening of dance and music before dinner. There was no choice but to throw yourself into it as the seven year old daughter of the family was demonstrating the moves and was VERY keen to see us all in action! It was a magical location and a wonderful day.