Nothing says tourist like...
So either my brain is trying to process everything my eyes are taking in too fast, or their isn't enough blood circulating through my head because it's in my stomach trying to digest all the food I've been eating. Either way, day 2 in India has been long. The treats above are Jalebi, a funnel cake-like fried dessert we munched on after the restaurant we went to didn't have any Gulab Jamun (wait, I thought this was an Indian restaurant? I think they just wanted us to leave...)
Before our adventures in khana our group had adventures in driving from Delhi to Jaipur, a 5 hour trip which grew into 9 when we met with the extreme traffic on the highway. The detour through rural Haryana and Rajasthan crashed us into the chaos of rural living mixed with the thrill-ride that is driving in India (lanes, speed, stop lights, and all other "rules" of driving are mere suggestions... the horns are the only real consistent weapon in a driver's repertoire).Throw in the ox-carts, the wandering cows, and the brightly-clad women carrying gigantic bags on their heads, and you've got the picture of India I expected. Of course a traveling group of 13 Americans not only drew every Indian eye in the vicinity, but also was bound to draw in some bad luck too. Below is a picture of one of our group's vans wedged over a concrete block, a team of problem solvers on the job to dislodge it. Nothing says tourist like a huge sign on the top of the windshield that reads "TOURIST".
