Tigers, Birds, Marriage and a Ceremony

Where to start, how to explain.  India, as I have said is a place of contradictions and opposites.  It boggles the mind, enriches and drives you crazy all at once and I feel so happy that I experienced it with Paulette and Chuck.  There wasn't a day when we didn't scratch our heads, wonder and laugh!  Most every day we have seen at least one wedding and most every one of them is arranged.  One man told us he didn't meet his wife until the wedding but he had seen her photo.  He also said that arranged marriages last longer than 'love' marriages.  Hmmm.  Maybe?
There are a few more photos of Jaipur which is known as the pink city (it's actually more salmon Paulette pointed out), but pretty much all of the old city is painted that color.  We visited Hawa Mahal (mahal means palace I found out) which stands probably five stories high and has 93 windows - little windows with wooden doors on them.  This was so the ladies who lived there and were not allowed to walk around on the streets could view the world from their tiny windows.  Quite a life.
Our next stop was Ranthambore Park where there is said to be about 65 tigers give or take.  We went on an afternoon/sunset safari in search and, while we saw a Sambar deer who had fallen prey to one of these magnificent beasts, our luck was not with us (and we had a lazy 'naturalist' who wasn't into making an effort.)  Oh well!  We did see spotted deer, wild boar, lots of peacocks (the bird of India), Sambar deer and langurs as well as some interesting birds and some beautiful forest.  I'm happy just knowing that the tigers are there and thriving. Go tigers!
The next day was a very long drive from Ranthambore to Agra, the home of the Taj Mahal.  We stopped at Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary which made us late arriving in Agra, but Ghoki was patient and it was SO worth the long day.  A man built much like an 11 year old boy peddled Paulette and I around in a bicycle tuk-tuk and, while he didn't speak much English, he sure knew where to find the birds!  It was a lovely day with some amazing sightings and I hope that man got a good dinner and maybe a massage after hauling us around all afternoon.  Then the fun began!
Ghoki had said he didn't like to drive in the dark and now we know why.  Do you know how hard it is to see a black cow on a highway that it unlit?  I will tell you that it's very hard and you will receive LOTS of bad karma, not to mention fines, and possible jail time for hitting a cow.  To top it off some trucks don't have lights and the driving in this country is insane to begin with.  BUT we made it to Agra safely and without incident and woke the next morning to watch the sunrise at the Taj Mahal so TOTALLY worth it!  The Taj is beautiful and really must be seen in person to be appreciated.  It was made by the emperor Shah Jahan as a tribute and to house the remains of his wife who died while giving birth to their 14th child. It is truly a building made with love.
From there was the overnight train from Agra to Varanasi with a stopover at the most amazing flower festival.  We had some time to kill before the night train left and Ghoki took us to this flower festival.  We were the only non-Indian people there and had our  pictures taken (once again) by lots of children and adults who just wanted to meet us, ask us where we were from and take pictures with us.  It was amazing and so sweet.
Then to the train.  Our driver talked to two railroad employees and told them to get us to the train and to our berth which they did for a small amount of rupees.  We would probably still be standing there if we hadn't had help.  What a confusing place Indian train stations are!
We arrived in Varanasi in the morning and were greeted by a driver from our hotel who drove us there.  This is where I am (almost) speechless.  I am not sure how to describe what we experienced, but it was one of the most incredible, moving experiences of my life.  We all felt that way.
We walked through narrow streets with cows (and that which accompanies cows being everywhere) down to the river and all the ghats.  We got on a small boat and rowed down river passed many ghats, temples and even two cremation sites.  I have not included photos out of respect for custom and privacy.
It seemed that suddenly there were thousands of people on shore and 100s of boats full of people in the water to watch a ceremony that happens every night of the year, rain or shine and was breathtaking and simply awesome.  There were people chanting and clapping and incense burning and a fire dance of sorts.  Others went from boat to boat offering chai tea, another young man went from boat to boat with a bowl full of fire for blessings and for a small offering people bought little cups of flowers with candles and floated them down the river for blessings/luck or wishes.  It was an amazing thing to behold and no photo can capture it but I have included a few.
Today we are back in Delhi and after seeing the Northern India Gate and Qutub Minar we are preparing to fly back to Bangkok tomorrow and are all a bit sad to leave this weird and amazing country.  Enough words.  Here are some photos and I apologize if there are too many birds!  LOL!

Hawa Mahal and below the gate to the Old City of Jaipur

Singh Family Burial Site

A Cow Manure Home and Manure for burning on roof

A woman taking greens to cows

A bird (name unknown) and some photos from Ranthambore - No tigers 

A spotted owl - bird sanctuary

Mongolian Geese

A Nilgai - Antelope from India

The endangered Sarus Crane

Grey Heron

Indian Spoonbill

Our Train Station Helpers

The following are of the ceremony in Varanasi - You really had to be there.

Sunrise on the Ganges

Bathing in the Ganges

Qutub Minar

India Gate - Dedicate to those who fought in wars between 1914 and 1919

Rocks and Popppies and a Bit of Insanity

First let me say that Udaipur is a great town. The traffic is insane but, as it was explained to us by the hotel manager, people in India like all the noise and honking and feel ill at ease when things are quiet and calm.  Interesting.  For us, the noise, traffic and constant honking is disconcerting, but the town is charming with a lake in the middle, good food, good shopping and a great park right across the street.  To top it off, our hotel had pretty decent food, a beautiful swimming pool and two tortoises roaming the grounds.  Oh!  And they also had a step well which is a crazy square hole in the ground with water down deep  Scary!
We left Udaipur headed for Bundi a small town somewhat off the normal tourist track.  We were not impressed and, while it has it's charm (pigs wondering the streets, narrow lanes, a small lake and a
roof top to watch the sunset at our hotel), we were not crazy about our rooms and the food we had at a (supposed) highly rated restaurant was pretty sucky!  To top it off, a bull rammed me in the hip because I couldn't get out of his way on the narrow street quickly enough.  A-hole bull!
The drive to Bundi was really quite interesting though,  We passed many government approved opium fields.  From what I can gather, people here use it in tea and/or tincture form as a pick-me-up,  They don't use it in other forms and don't approve of its use in other forms or any other drug for that matter.  Another mindblower!  What???
We also passed a lot of places that sell, polish and ship rocks (marble, sandstone) all over the world.  This area is overflowing with rocks!!!  The use rock for fenceposts!   
We have spent the last two days in Pushkar which is known for its camel festival in November.  You can go for a camel ride but very different than the saddles we used in the desert.  These camels have a colorful cart with a roof and it seems you can ride for a day or a week to another town.
We walked around the town which is full of (mostly pretend) holy men, seekers, people who come from other areas and never leave, and pilgrims coming to swim and bathe in the lake (which was created by Brahma dropping a lotus flower and is considered very sacred).  I could go on and on about the stories I understand (just a few) regarding the Hindu gods, but it is very confusing and more than a little strange.  If you want more info, ask me when I get home and I'll tell you what I remember which is not much.  With as many gods as the Hindus have, I'm not sure how anyone keeps them straight!  On the last day, I walked and hiked up a mountain dedicated to one of Brahma's wives but only made it 3/4 of the way (over 1,000 steps).  The story (shortened version) is that he was scheduled to marry one woman, but she was late so he married another.  Each woman has a temple on a mountain outside of Pushkar with the temple for Lord Brahma in the center of town.  Anyway, it was a nice walk with lots of langurs, beautiful views!
We are now in Jaipur and there is another wedding and so we see fireworks and hear guns/fireworks/cannons? going off to celebrate the big event.  Jaipur is a huge city and not my favorite, but we visited the Amber Fort today which was quite remarkable and unique and then walked along a lake with a palace in the middle - also pretty amazing.  I, of course, liked the birds in the lake which included egrets, storks, herons (two kinds) stilts and more. 
The strange story of this blog is about our driver who was suffering from a bad knee and shoulder for a couple days.  He finally stopped at an ayurvedic doctor while we were having lunch.  When asked about how his appointment went and how he was feeling he said that he got some medicine from the doctor but that the reason his knee and shoulder were painful was because he drank a lassi (a fruit and yogurt drink) at night on a rainy evening.  This is a very bad thing to do evidently. 
Anyway, here are some photos.  It is impossible to explain the total chaos and assault to your senses that happens here, but it is tangible and incredible!

Paints for sale at the market

A small pilgrimage

Some Hindu Temples

A monkey overlooking a temple on a mount

Some working women next to our hotel

Our Resident Peacock

The Amber Fort in Jaipur

A Snake Charmer

A Lake in Jodhpur

Palace Guard in Jodhpur

Gandhi Statue

Lake in Bundi

Lake with ghats in Pushkar

A Turban Wrapping

Pushkar Market

Pushkar Camels

A Government Sanctioned Opium Field Along the Way

Temples and Forts and a Few Weird Tales

Here we are in Udaipur, the romantic city or the lake city, having just left Jodhpur, the blue city.  It's all amazing at the same time that it's overwhelming and an assault on your senses.  There are smells, more noise at times than you can imagine.  (Most vehicles say "Horn Please" on the back and the horns are a way of communication so vehicles don't run into each other.  It's a language I don't understand, but there are short beeps, double beeps, long beeps, beeps accompanied by arm movements - it's a whole other language along with the over 30 languages that exist in India already.
We have been to the oldest Jain Temple, the largest Jain Temple, the largest fort (in Jodhpur and very impressive), the oldest 'living' fort in Jaisalmer (still inhabited in parts by families as well as shops and restaurants). It is all quite amazing.  We are still trying to figure out the religions.  Hindus claim to be the oldest, Jains also lay claim to that honor.  When I mentioned that the statue of the Jain deity looked like a buddha I was told it was different because his eyes are open.  It will take further research, but it appears that Hinduism has been around for over 3000 years with all its millions of deities!
Driving from place to place is long as Rajasthan is large and the roads go from being highways (with cows coming, going and standing in the middle as they please as well as herds of goats, sheep and camels with their herders walking down the highway.  You just have to wait until they get out of the way!
On one of the toll roads there seemed to be a heated discussion between the toll taker and our driver.  When we asked him what the problem was, he said, "No problem.  It's his first day."  I guess training was not included!
We also passed the site of a holy many who was killed in a highway accident on his motorcycle but somehow, the story goes, his motorcycle made it back to the sight of the crash and it has now become a holy site where people visit and leave offerings.  I am baffled by this story.  Did the motorcycle go anywhere else before it returned there?  How?  Why?  We'll never know!
Some (probably too many) photos.

Mehrangarh Fort in Jodhpur (Largest)

Jodhpur - the Blue City

Below - Some Musicians in the Fort

Some Photogenic Men

The largest Jain Temple.  I could include 100's of photos of the ornate carvings of these temples. 

They are each amazing inside and out, but you really have to see them in person to get the intricacy of 

each carving and the immensity of each building.  Remarkable and beautiful workmanship.

This man says his photo is taken every day all the time

The Market Place in Jodhpur

A Bathroom Sign

Camels above and sheep below in the road

Langurs, Langurs, Langurs and a very small bird with a noisy sweet song