Can we backpeddle a little?

Ok. Now here's a REAL post. I promise. Now I have all the time in the world because this sun is just too hot and (as displayed in the previous post) it's just making me crazy. Where shall I start? Currently, we're still here in Arambol (we don't really want to leave) and Nechama and I desperately need this week for rest and relaxation. The past month had been so busy, and at times so stressful, that Nechama's immunity levels went down and she became ill (she's all fine now, except for a little sunburn). So this place is perfect for us. Each day we try a new restaurant, and introduce Israeli food to our non-Jewish companions (which they now LOVE) and talk on the beach by candlelight until the early hours of the morning. Quite some paradise.

The first day here we hired some scooters and explored some of the jungle/village area surrounding Arambol, and spent the afternoon on a deserted stretch named 'Paradise Beach'. It was nearly that, with the lapping waves and the fine sand, and except for some local Indians that began shooting birds in the sky (that scared the hell out of us - a shotgun on the beach? what the?) it was a near perfect day. And that was just the first!

But what I did miss out on telling you about was of our experiences in Rajasthan and Mumbai. I know that I must be repeating myself over and over again. But now with more detail...

Our camel safari in Jaisalmer was a special night as well. Waving goodbye to our driver (he wanted to join us, but we needed a break from him) we trotted off into the sunset on our camels - and I had a beast of a camel. He was HUGE. But not only was he a good size gamal, he couldn't control his bowels. First I thought maybe he just had fruity farts, but after a while (and being told by Nechama) I realised that my lovely beast and I have something in common - unpredictable tummies! Thankgod I have been ok so far. So we watched the sunset sitting on sandunes, taking glamour photos of ourselves in the pink and purple light, and then made a fire to give us some light in the dark. But in the end we didn't really need a fire, for the moon was nealry full, and it lit up the entire sky. It was so luminous it was difficult to even see the stars!
After eating dinner out under the diamond sky (and it was delicious too - I'm not the biggest fan of Rajasthani food, a little too dry and overwhelmingly spicy (and not in the good way) but this was tasty!) the boss of the camel drivers/camp took us to a nearby village where traditional Rajasthani dancers were twirling around a fire. Nechama went by motorcycle, an Kate and I bumped along on a cart pulled by a trotting camel. It was so much fun, with the wind whipping about us under the bright night sky. We were the only Westerners around (which has chanegd dramatically since arriving in Goa) and the only other tourists were drunk Indian men dancing with the Rajasthani dancers and making delightful fools out of themselves... If only ther wives were about....

That night we slept under the stars and the next day headed back to Jodhpur for one last time. In Jodphur we attempted to explore a Maharaja's palace that was converted into a hotel - and what a majestic hotel! The museum housed some lovely art deco pieces, and the entire building was an interesting combination of art deco, mughal and 19th century british architecture. Not that I know anything about it - but it kinda worked. Sort of. It actually was a little bit gross in size and style. But I wanted to see the hotel, a place where guests pay US$1400 a night for a suite, or more, so we pretended that I was interested in looking at hotels for my parents who are planning to come to India in December. Yes, I know, that sounds pretty far out there, but I told the lovely lady who stopped us in the main lobby that "My parents are interested in coming to India, but unlike myself (we were dressed in sloppy teeshirts and fisherman pants) they are looking for luxurious hotels to make their stay more comfortable. It's their thirtieth wedding anniversary, and I want to give them a special present during their stay in India." I even gave her some artificial dates of my parents expected arrival (thanks Mum and Dad!) and we found ourselves wandering through some corridoors of this exclusive residence. I'm sure she knew that we were bullshitting, and there was a waiter in the restaurant who gave us a smug look as if to say , "Yes, I've seen you allll before, I know EXACTLY what you're up to!" but we were glad that we had the opportunity to have a little bit of a sticky beak.

That night in Jodhpur we went to the Marwar Festival, a gig put on by the Rajasthani Tourism Department displaying traditional Rajasthani dancing and songs and turbaned moustached men singing off key. It was quite enjoyable, boring at times, but wherever we go, there's always an adventure to be had. First we sat in the local area at the back, but we couldn't see the stage and we kept receiving looks and jeers from the Indian men.
**(Side note - Indian men can be such perverts. Well, not perverts, but when they see Western women, most of them, just see sex objects. It's quite sad. While the women are expected to be demure and modest and keep to the rules, the men have no rules - just don't bring home the tourist to your wife. But you get used to it after a while and use the advantage to bargain or find out a yum place to eat. Yes, that's all I care about. Food. But the food here is INCREDIBLE! I love it! Sure, you can get crap food, and sometimes we have been unlucky. But I'm trying to work my way through the Punjabi cuisine (my favourite type of Indian food... its what we know back home as Indian - full of flavour, full of spice)- we'll see how it goes.)**
Then we sat with the Western tourists, but after watching a dance and a half we were a little bored and hungry. So we ate these lovely dishes off the side of the field - but spicy as hell! One was bread with this vegetable curry-esque (sabji) called pav bhaji, and the other was dry noodles, tomato, coriander, saffron, masala, chips, and peanuts called puri, and it was so tasty we went back for more. So there we were, sitting by ourselves devouring this delicious cheap eats, and some boys are sitting near us, and, of course, ask our names and where we're from. We responded politerly, and then one friend left and returned with three icecreams. He handed an icecream each to us, said "Have a good night" and left. That's all. No more conversation, no innuendos, nothing wanted in return. yum! unexpected, but free icecream! we stayed until the fireworks display was over (i LOVE fireworks... thankgod I'm in india where fire crackers go off ever couple hours at night!) and made our way home. But accompanying us back home a group of Indian college students (all boys, of course) decided to join us. "Where you from?""What you study?" "Are you sisters?" Do Nechama and I even LOOK like sisters?! They were harmless enough, but we decided to take a rickshaw back home (we were walking along the road) when the group turned into a mob of teenage boys. But we are superwomen. We can handle anything. Almost.

From Jodhpur we drove to a Rainforest hideaway resort called Ranakpur. Ranakpur really doesn't have much, aside from a lovely dam, gorgeous rainforests, and a Jain temple thats over 1000 years old. Maybe I'm wrong about the years, but I'l update it if its incorrect. But this temple was breathtaking. So intricate, such detail, walking through the complex in bare feet, our soles skimming the cool marble floor while we took ridiculous photos of ourselves in yoga poses. But Ranakpur was where our lovely roadtrip turned a little sour...

no time for that now. will update soon. love to all. shavuah tov. xxx and yes mum and dad, i'm still alive ;P