Travel and Adventure 2.0

 August 2nd  Jaipur Jewels It was a long road trip today. Between the colourful trucks, building facades and clothing worn by farm help, the trip was anything but boring.  The road trip was long, so a couple of pit stops were involved. I am grateful to have found a fun skirt at one of the stops. Emma was grateful for some Diet Coke. Upon reaching Jaipur, Bhanu surprised us with a fantastic BBQ lunch. Skewers of veggies, paneer, chicken, fish and shrimp were served over a charcoal rotisserie at our table. There was also a main course buffet. Sooo much good food.  My favourite discovery today was a dessert called kulfi. It is a traditional “ice cream” that tasted like sweetened condensed milk. Absolutely stunning!! After lunch we had a quick walk-about. I checked out the Crocs shop. I find it interesting that “name brand items” (Crocs, Swatches, iPhones etc cost the exact same amount here. For example Crocs run around $35 at home. Here they are around 2100 rupee, whic...

  08/01/22  kittens, cows, snakes, dogs, rats The appreciation of our privilege continues. Before leaving our hotel, the shop keeper opened the hotel boutique. He had no guests/sales for the last 28 days. He had to close his business completely due to minor eye surgery.  Our “pee pee stop” during the morning drive confirmed the devestation of the tourist industry. The once busy and flourishing roadside business had been shuttered for nearly 3 years. We were the 2nd guests they had welcomed since the closures. We did our best to “contribute to the local economy.” None of us feel the urge to barter for lower prices.  We stopped at a “cow hospital”. Cows are revered in India and cared for at this hospital by donation. Any cows capable of milk production are milked as a revenue stream. Newborns are also sold to farmers as a revenue stream.  Emma has been advised that while she can HAVE a cow at home, she cannot TAKE a cow home.  We’ve had to check her pockets f...