Day 10

I woke up today and seriously thought I had Polio. The insane bus ride last night must have tweaked something in my back because I couldn't even move. Something in my neck was pinched and it was affecting the entire left side of my body. After three Alieve and a Tylenol, I fell back asleep and started to feel better. So good news is I DONT have polio! Yay! But it does make you appreciate having a doctor just a phone call away.

Ariana also got a surprise this morning as well when she woke up with 15 mosquito bites, all in her right arm. She must have extra sweet blood because neither Allie or I got bit. I am thinking maybe Allie's curse is starting to rub off on us.

Despite our afflictions, you couldn't keep us inside the house for long. Ariana battled through the itch, and I was so anxious to see the city, I didn't care what kind of pain I was in.

Because I have a secret……

I am having a love affair with India!

Mid-afternoon, we visited Lake Palace. The lake was dried up except for one small part where little indian boys cooled off by swimming. Donkeys and horses grazed along side the walls of the palace. Boats were stranded in the grass, left waiting for the lake to fill up again.

It was actually probably not very sanitary water… but it was beautiful. One little boy followed us around trying to jump into our photos, until Allie asked him his name in Hindi and he suddenly got really shy.

It is great shopping here, even better than Delhi. A lot of the shops are closed because the summer season is their slow season. But some people still manage to stay open. All the better for us. Less crowd and lower prices.

Apparently, you can get anything in India right on the street. We were offered cocaine, opium, and marijuana today just by people passing us. Guess we must just look like habitual drug users.

"Excuse me miss, miss, I have good quality marijuana. It is of the best quality".

It made me laugh out loud when I heard it, but it apparently sent the wrong message because he responded with, " oooooo, you like? you like?"

Seriously, you can't walk through the streets of India without finding a reason to smile.

We have been referring to the pants we wear around as "India pants" and they are the most comfortable pieces of clothing I have ever worn. It is like walking around in pajamas all day. One pair run about 3 USD, and I am planning on bringing every color back to the US and starting a trend. I can totally see movie stars wearing these around with strappy sandals, big sunglasses and scarves.

We ended the outing with a refreshing coffee drink and a bunch of beautiful post cards that we have already filled out for our friends and family. Then we watched a parade of women all dressed in beautiful saris balancing trays of water atop their heads. Little boys lead the procession with drums, and it would have seemed quite ordinary, if two of the women weren't spinning their heads out of control and needing a man on each arm to lead her through the streets. Every once in a while, a man would break a coconut and spill the milk into her tray.

This is why I am falling in love with India. It is one big beautiful adventure every day. Shopping in the states is going to seem so boring after this, especially when I can't argue my way into lower price. And what will my life be like without old crazy men asking me to purchase opium from them on a daily basis?


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RIP Mike Peterson- It has technically been a year since you passed, but the label makes no bit of difference. We miss you every day of the year. You were an amazing son, brother, friend, and boyfriend, and we will never forget