Although Ive said this before, probably many times, Ive had an unbelievable week! India has been one wild adventure after another and even now, when I am trying to 'take a break' from the rush and absorb, India still manages to drench me in crimson and saffron and indigo and more than a dash of masala spice.
Bundi is such a lovely town with murals on almost every wall and elaborately painted doorways beckoning you to find out what they hide within. Occasionally Im lucky enough to catch one open and Ive seen beautiful family scenes, barefoot kids running around charming courtyards, any number of pots and mismatched bottles of spices hanging from every open nook, even monkeys hopping to and fro. Even just today, several of us sat around the main table and suddenly a stream of liquid came from the roof. The liquid we quickly realized was one monkey's idea of a joke as he had snuck in through a hole in the skylight!
A massive palace and fort complex watch over the town and there are more than 200 temples and step wells from the Raj era in the area. Everyone is so friendly, Ive already made several local friends that want to show me the waterfalls and sites and offer me yummy chai every time I pass. If I had a rupee for everytime I heard "hallo!" or "Namaste!" during the day... I swear the kids learn hallo before they learn hindi! Groups stroll through town all day coming from and going to I-know-where-not waving multicolored flags and cheering themselves on...
Emma and I have practically been adopted into the family that runs our guesthouse, Haveli Prince and the mother, who has no daughters of her own called us upstairs to dress us up in her finest, gorgeously embroidered and intricately beaded Rajasthani outfits including a bit too much makeup by our standards and a wedding pot that we were made to take pictures in many different poses. Im not sure who had more fun! She hung out with us one night chatting about everything from arranged marriage (her 20yr old son will be meeting with his bride-to-be's father this week and I get to help cook as well as pass judgement on the photo! :) to Indian cooking and life in Bundi - it was great! She shared with us one of her favorite treats which I mumbled to Emma that it tasted like a spiced chunk of wood - only to find out thats exactly what it was and the package warned "Chewing of Supari may be injurous to health", nice. Ive also been privileged enough to also try fantastic street foods served in leaves (for once no trash!), something called 'Betel Bung'? thats a most interesting concoction of brightly colored sauces, spices, powders, crushed plants, red candied fruits and seeds all wrapped in a thick leaf and eaten whole (much to the amusement of the local men who said they had never served on to a foreigner before!) and a "Sathi Lassi" (A creamy lassi served with a spoon not a straw made with 3-4 kinds of nuts, several scrumptious spices, creme, yoghurt, saffron and some secret ingredients :) which just may be my favorite sweet in India! The other day we even joined our friend in the old elephant stables, for a lesson on making the perfect cup of chai and before we began he brought out darling baby turtles, each with their own tika on their nose and then a bebe gun that we had target practice (at a bottle, not the turtles ;).
The cherry on the top of this fabulous week was being featured on the Indian news station for taking part in Raki, brother/sister day, one of the biggest holidays in the area. We honored our newly adopted brothers with a tray of coconut, money and a candle and gave them each a traditional bracelet gift which they wear until it falls off and they gave us gifts as well as dotting us with a tika and rice grains and feeding us sweets. It was truly a special honor to be a part of this important family celebration and one of my favorite experiences thus far. I send a big hug and a virtual tika to my own brother back home and a big hug to all my friends just for fun!
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