Farewell to India

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We are bidding farewell to India on Thursday as we begin the next leg of our journey in Thailand, the land of neverending rice paddies. Currently, we are visiting Pushkar to rest up before heading back to the hectic streets of Delhi. After a brief stop in Mt. Abu where we saw an amazing Jain temple, we spent two nights in Jodhpur. Except for the markets and ancient fort built high on the hills, there wasn't much too see in the 'blue city.' It was indeed a 'blue city.' As we stood on the rocky ridge of the fort, there was a breathtaking view of the city spread out before us. Blue stucco walls and masses of indigo angles spread as far as the eye could see until they were swallowed by the desert landscape in the distance. The story claims that the city was whitewashed in blue to ward off the mosquitoes during the hot summer months. Traditionally, blue signified the home of a Brahmin though.

We spent the afternoon in the market, sampling the 10 cent banana shakes and pineapple juice. Bracing ourselves for the masses of excited shopkeepers, we approached the stalls and shops and were immediatly besieged by jewelry vendors and spice specialists, all claiming that they were the "honest" retailers and that we couldn't find a better price within 100 km. You just never know who to believe! It's funny - - the price differ dramatically for the exact same scarf in two different stores. The only difference? In the first one, I was a college student from America. In the second, I told the man that I was a butter churner from South Africa and the price was considerably lower. I bought 5 items from him and assured him that I would say hello to his friend in Cape Town.

We did wander into the spice stores and were sat down for an intense course about saffron, ginger, and curry. The little man was so excited to have us in his store that he kept offering sample after sample...with no water! After several minutes, my nose and eyes were watering badly and my mouth was on fire but it would have been rude to get up and leave. So Liz and I sat there and tried not to sneeze as he rambled on and on about the health benefits of various spices.

Sleeping in India is quite an experience. Aside from the rock hard matresses and equally iron pillows, I sometimes feel that I am in the middle of a colege dormitory again. We are woken on multiple occasions by dogs fighting in the city. Sometimes the noise rises to such an intense level that I want to jump out of bed and rush to resucue the poor assulted creature. It is also not unusual to be jolted out of a sound slumber by blaring Hindi music, chanting, or bells clanging next door.

Off to Thailand! Liz's best friend from high school, Jenn Hambaugh, is meeting us in Bangkok to travel in Asia for about 4 months as we make our way across Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia. Here we come - - more adventures to follow!

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