Curry on ;)

---

It's been 17 days in India... And every single one of those days has changed me in some way. It's like going to a gym and working out. You hurt, it sucks, you sweat and bleed (well depends on the type of work out you do 😊 but after a few weeks, you start seeing results... If I compare myself to that, I'm started to get really toned and fit! Unfortunately, the opposite goes for my body... Indian food seems to love me (ok, it's the other way around). I am grateful I can eat wheat and dairy because it's like an overload of naan bread, chapattis and lassi's (a yogurt drink). For not eating beef, they sure have perfected the cows byproducts! And so far, I've not eaten any meat and am loving it! I've mastered the chop sticks, and now can eliminate that...who needs it when you have your hands?! Makes the food taste better that way...or perhaps it is the dirt/unknown flavors on my hand that add 😉There are so many stories, I cant even pick which one to write about... So I'll recap a bit. I've been racing through Rajasthan in order to make it down to the south (aka beaches) for Christmas. I've been in more remote and isolated areas and that is evident in the culture. I don't want to discourage anyone from coming here, but as a female, if you ever need a self confidence booster and think no one likes to look at you, just come to the north! It is loaded with history and over a thousand forts where kings used to live (ya a thousand...now I'm officially templed, fort, and palace'd out). Some of the places I've seen are still in such incredible condition. I think it is due to the fact it's in the desert. Great weather for preserving things if it's out of the sun. Speaking of the weather, it gets COLD in India! Well, if you sleep out in the desert it does 😊 I ended up in a town called Jaisalmer which is basically on the border line of Pakistan. Their main tourist attraction is to take us unsuspecting tourists in the desert for a camel 'safari' and sleep in the sand. And when I say unsuspecting, I mean how many people have sat on a camel before? I am lucky enough to have experienced several hours of it, and now you've been warned...your legs and butt will not be the same for days after. So we go out in the desert (which is technically a desert but pure sand only exists in certain parts of it). It was really neat because they set up tents and have traditional dancers and fire show in the evening. I haven't really seen a man breathing fire up close and personal, but this performer should be getting paid a lot! Either that or his brain cells are fried because he kept filling his mouth with kerosene(or some type of flammable oil) and no joke would have his cheeks full for at least a minute before using it. The enamel on his teeth must love that! Anyhow, it is really fascinating because I started talking to an Indian woman my age (which is extremely rare because they are no where to be found). She answered a lot of my questions as to why I never see females my own age out on the street, and about arranged marriages etc. She explained how difficult it is for her as a female in India. Even now it is still like its always been for hundreds of years. She was married and hadn't met her husband till their wedding day. Every female is under a mans rule/protection, either its your father or husband. Before the girls are married off, are kept really close inside the home. So, as a female and being alone, it makes sense when I walk through the market, 90% of the people are men and they stare and make advances. If a female is alone, it typically means she's left the protection of her family/husband, and is easy/loose. I am wearing the ugliest (yet most comfortable) pants and hmmm yea, I think the last time I did proper laundry was over a month ago. So let's just say I'm not in any state to make a new profile picture for Facebook or anything and that still doesn't deter the looks and grabs.I am on the train to Agra as I write this (ironically sitting between two women..thank God!) Last thing I feel like is having my seat neighbor trying to find himself a white girlfriend. Agra is the town where the Taj Mahal is 😊 woohoo! So excited to see that, then get the heck down south. I have met some really interesting travelers along the way and am meeting up with them in the south. This whole alone business has been an experience (I even noticed a grey hair on my head...gasp!) but I am going to find myself a co-traveler and preferably a man who I can say is my husband. How funny will that be! Hmm that's a great excuse to buy myself a new ring. But everyday I wake up, and it is a new different adventure. When in my life can I say that?! I don't know whether I will rent a motorbike and drive through the desert, go on the rooftop of my hotel and light a campfire, sit on a bus for 9.5 hours for a 300 km journey, learn to cook northern Indian food and get deemed "ready" to get married now, drink endless cups of Chai tea, step in cow poo, meet people who inspire me to become a better person and soak in all India has to offer... Before I know it, I will be back in the 'real' world of predictability and not having a shot of adrenaline racing through my body as least every other hour of the day. So despite being in a constant state of dirt/stress, I am feeling Gods presence and protection more than ever in my life! He's set me on this journey, so I'm choosing to enjoy it, wherever it takes me 😊

---

Comments

[Stan]

India
I can\'t help but be reminded of the four weeks I was in India with a group of people. The smells,culture shock and the gratitude I felt for my home in Canada was immense at times as I realized how fortunate I was to live in a affluent country. Although there is affluence in India, the poor are so much more present. Survival is the main thrust that drives the economy and people will do almost anything to get that U.S. dollar. You will never see your world in the same light again. Blessings!

[Cooper]

That is an interesting comment, there Darci. Why is that the last thing you need, makes you sound a touch shallow to be honest. What if God wants that for you?

[Darci]

I didn't mean that in a bad way, because any female, no matter your color or race, gets harassed and propositioned to here. There is a reason the married women wear a big streak of red at the top of their forehead to show they are taken. I made that comment not because I think they hit just on me. And, if God wants me to find myself an Indian man, that would be totally cool!