India is growing on us!

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Hello to everyone,
Today, I write from the island of Diu. It is a quaint ex-Portugese place in the Arabian Sea. We plan to stay here for about 10 days to relax before preparing to split up for a month. After 3 months together non-stop, it will be a bit hard to part. India is getting easier to handle. I am beginning to "get" how it works here. I am also getting used to bus travel, which can range from overcrowded and bumpy to smooth and comfy. There is no way to tell what you might get, so you must be prepared for anything.
The pictures that I am attaching are from two places.
The first ones are from a small town called Pushkar. It is set on a holy lake and is where Ghandi's ashes were sprinkled. We found a very chilled out hotel just outside town. It had a pool and a very lush garden area. We were ecstatic about both because it is also in the desert. We met two really nice Norwegian guys at our hotel and went on a camal "safari" with them. We rode camels out of the city and stayed overnight at the camel owners family home. It was not really the desert experience we expected, but we had a blast. The camel guy and his friends played music and his sister-in-law cooked us dinner. Camels are really crazy animals. They fart constantly, which makes the experience even more hilarious.
The second group of photos is from Udaipur. It is a beautiful city, also set on a lake. It was very nice and we ended up staying longer than expected. We visited the city palace and a peaceful park in the middle of another lake. We met some Israelis raised in the US and went to a dance performance with them. I think Udaipur is my favorite place in India, thus far.

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Photos

Snake charmers
Pushkar

Vegetable vendors
Pushkar

Musicians
Pushkar

Rachel and her Shanti camel
They told me this camel was very "shanti" which means peaceful. I think that was a nice way to say old and tired

Sean the Camel Racer
Sean learned to make his camel run.

Camel call
Our camel driver talks on his mobile phone!

View from our hotel
Udaipur

Boat to Nehru Park
Udaipur

Kid Dressed as King
Nehru Park is in the middle of a lake. It was very beautiful and we were the main attraction with Indian tourists.

Traditional Rajahstani dancing
Udaipur and Pushkar are in the state of Rajahstan.
These women dance with fire on their heads.

Paani Dance
Paani means water. This woman danced all over with these pots on her head!

Comments

[rory]

sean: how many lbs. have you dropped? be honest. looks unreal over there.

[Chris and Sonya]

Wow!
Sounds like you guys are having a great time. We all miss you and can't wait to see you in person to hear of your adventures! Have fun this week and remember...absence makes the heart grow fonder. The time will fly by and you'll be back together before you know it. Love you guys, Chris and Sonya

[lisa]

Happy Camel Farts!

[Kent]

Woah!
You Guys are awsome, I'm glad you guys are still safe, happy, and ready for new things. It was such a good time getting to know you and it's awsome to see that you guys are having such a good time. I'm jealous, all i do is study study study right now!

[The Lipin Clan]

The boys love seeing all of the pictures from your adventures! Especially love Sean in purple! Looks like you are having the time of your lives. Enjoy!