All Corners of the Earth

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“Going forward, you have a broad and beautiful street, full of rows of fine houses and streets of the sort I have described, and it is to be understood that the houses belong to men rich enough to afford such. In this street live many merchants, and there you will find all sorts of rubies, and diamonds, and emeralds, and pearls, and seed pearls, and cloths, and every other sort of thing there is on earth and that you may wish to buy”

~~~ Domingos Paes (Portuguese traveler who visited Hampi during (AD 1520-22) during the reign of Emperor Krishnadevaraya )

We pulled out of Agra and boarded the local bus cooled by fans to journey into the country side. After a few hours we switched to jeeps for the bumpy rural roads. As we rattled and rolled down thru the towns past shepherds and farms where colorful saris on the women didn’t hint at the hard work they did, bent over in the field still looking like a million bucks. We stopped for stretch and we were indeed a curiosity as all the children and women walked over to just stand and look. One girl said ( and our guide translated) would you like to come help us cut in the field? 2 girls from our group took them off on their offer and had the ultimate photo op. Another un planned stop for a stretch after a flat tire and then we arrived in our destination :Tordi Gorh a tiny village that isn’t on any map. Here we were greeted by our hosts , the descents of the feudal lord who have now converted the palace to a guest house. As a welcome we were treated to a red paint dot on the forehead and a garland of flowers. We boarded our next mode of transportation; a cart pulled by a camel. We drove around the village as all the villagers came out to see, some children running alongside the cart for a handshake and a “ how do you do?” We ended our drive at a sand dune where we watched the sunset and enjoyed some beer and snacks hauled up the dune by our hosts. In the morning we walked around the village and some of the school children showed me their books. We visited some cottage industry , clay pot making and Hindu temple keepers. After we got back in the jeeps to the pink city of Jaipur.Here we stayed once again at a converted feudal lord palace and greeted with a grain rice on the forehead and flower petals floated down from overhead. Jaipur is a city that attacks you. Dusty, dirty, crowded and loud you share the road with cars and motorbikes, cows and rickshaws. I didn’t know all those cows have owners as well as the pigs hanging out on the sidewalks. Here we have been introduced to the colorful Rajasthan culture , the costumes and dance , all traditional part of life are demoed in the restaurants and museums. We visited the turban museum that teaches the turban tradition. Ornately twisted turbans for all occasions from war to weddings. At the city palace in the traditional pink a group of sari clad ladies gathered at the center to sing a song of romance for 16 days. The palace also holds exquisite textiles and clothing of the royal family among the courtyards with motif entrances such as the peacock and lotus. So we have been to the country and the city , both ends of the world.

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