Re-entering the IGI Terminal 3 was a breeze. The security had updated my re-entry request; therefore, Claude and I passed through the gate smoothly. Once inside, we had a small adventure trying to find the IndiGo kiosk. Incidentally, IndiGo had kiosks for domestic air travel in the same section as their international kiosks, which wasn’t the case for other domestic airline kiosks. With plenty of time at hand, we strolled around for some time, checked in our baggage, and caught up on the latest between two old friends. After about 2 hours, tickets in hand, we were ready to board the flight to our destination for today, Khajuraho.
Landing at the heart of India, the city of Khajuraho is probably the most well-known region of Madhya Pradesh. I remember getting fascinated, reading about the temples of Khajuraho during my school days. To be here in person was like revisiting those dog-eared pages of my history books.
Our guide at the Khajuraho temple was Mr. Vinod Sen, a smart and knowledgeable gentleman, whose sense of style reminded me of the 80’s Bollywood film heroes. His fluid explanations of the history of the temples, which is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site, exhibited his vast knowledge on the subject as well as a sense of pride belonging to this historic city of Khajuraho. The temple area and the historic sites were well-maintained and clean. Since our overnight destination was Bandhavgarh National Park, we boarded our taxi and met Mr. Ramesh Yadav, who, by the end of our journey together, turned out to be one of the finest drivers I have ever met.
To be continued…
