Cows and moustaches and things like that in India

I'm finally at the last destination on our journey before I return to the UK at the end of next week.

We are in Jodhpur, a big city in Rajasthan, India, after arriving in Delhi late last Thursday night. Its funny, even though we've travelled a huge distance over the last 10 or so weeks, seen some strange things and got used to being in different places, and even though this is the 3rd time I've been to Johdpur, India is still like one big fat smack in the face :)

Entering Mongolia on the train and seeing the vast expanse of steppe dotted with ger camps was incredible. And walking over the border into China to see a city full of street traders and people on bikes was really exhilerating. But its nothing like coming out of Delhi airport and walking into the thick heat, the colour, the noise, and 100 people who all want you in their taxi.

I love it here, but part of that is because it's such an extreme country, so incredibly different from anywhere else. 20% of each day is so rewarding that you can forgive the other 80% that is frustrating, hot, sweaty, and smelly.

Some things I've seen in India in the last 4 days:

• A man praying to a cow in the street
• 2 adults and 3 children travelling on the same motorbike
• A festival
• Men with gigantic moustaches
  
• Hundreds of pilgrims walking with flags
• 4 cows lying in the road creating a brand new roundabout
• 2 car/motorbike crashes
• 3 crippled dogs standing together
• People queuing to pray in a shrine building lit up with hundreds of lights and filled with flowers
• A woman determined to sell me a turnip
• Babies with big kohl eyes looking out from the back of a rickshaw taxi
• One old man cycling 4 young men up an incline in Delhi
• The rooftop view of Mehrangarh fort from our guesthouse in Jodhpur
• Deep fried red chillis
  
• At least 4 million men standing around street corners in jeans and a shirt staring at me

The funny thing is we aren't really here to sightsee. We came to Jodhpur just over 3 years ago and found some beautiful furniture manufacturers. Since we are on our way over to New Zealand in September we thought we would stop and buy (pretty much!) all the furniture for our new house. We'll ship it over in one big container. So for the last 3 days we've been visiting shops and factories trying to locate some nice things and discuss logistics with lots of different owners and suppliers. I'm also getting a dress made for my friend's wedding on the 22nd. Very exciting!

So far things are going really well, and we've met some incredibly friendly, genuine people.

Sooo, no photos this time I'm afraid, because we've spent all our time on the furniture. That doesn't mean that every few yards I walk along the street here I don't see an award winning shot (or two). I really hope that one day I can go out with my camera and just take photographs. Although it will be very difficult because each time a westerner stops in the street here (without a camera!) 10 people stop with them, including 5 small children who want money, 3 handicraft shop owners, 1 man who wants to talk about cricket and 1 man who wants to stare at your chest.

We're in Jodhpur for the next week, so if I have any news or photographs before we go home I'll blog again. By the way, I know most of my readers are suffering with the yucky UK weather at the moment. Today it was stiflingly hot and I was starting to moan about it when the monsoon rain hit and it POURED down for about 2 hours, so much that it turned the streets into rivers and soaked my nice pair of shoes, grrr. Now it's stiflingly hot again and I wish it was raining. xx