an aside

I think I am getting India-burn out. My tolerance for the misogyny has reach ultimate lows. I have zero patience on the jam packed buses. I am sick of eating Indian food, especially shitty & overpriced Indian food here in Rajasthan. I don't want to bargain. I don't want to visit your shop, buy your water, or eat in your restaurant, so PLEASE stop shouting at me as I walk down the street. I hate the horns... I don't want to have the "hello, what is your country, what is your name, what is your hobby, what is your job" conversation with 1000 people in one day. I wish everyone would stop staring, just for 10 minutes. Before I left India, I was of the naive belief that what I wear would influence the behaviour of the men....but now I see my error...That is like suggesting that a rape victim was to blame for her "revealing clothing". I wear baggy clothes and long shirts and skirts and I am constantly stared at...and in Rajasthan "accidentally" bumped and brushed upon.

BUT, I do have a few heartening stories to share. The other evening as we were buying water, I felt a startling and precise ass grope. I jumped around and smacked the man on the back and yelled at him "DON'T"....the vendor raced around his goods, asked me what happened and within seconds him, his father, and three men from the surrounding area had stopped the man and were yelling and smacking him something good upside the head!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I had to yell for them to stop. They made him come and apologize to me. Although the rapid escalation to group violence scared me, I was thankful for their response....Finally, someone (a local) has spoken up and said "NO, this is not ok!" Yes, despite the millions of bad apples in India, there are some decent men here.

And then we were blessed to meet another. Then next morning, we headed out to a small town of 1400 people to do a camel safari away from the notorious tourist trade of Jaisalmer. As we tried to board the bus, a wild eyed whispy haired small French man pulled Shilo aside, seriously discouraging us from going to Khuri. "They are all theives!" He had a horrendous time there. After the previous evening Shilo and I were both still a little on edge and we had an apprehensive bus ride. Steeling ourselves for nasty touts and some serious bargaining, we told ourselves if it was really nasty, we could always take the evening bus back to Jaisalmer. NOTHING OF THE SORT. Helpful, kind and quiet is how I would describe our landing in Khuri. We walked into our chosen guesthouse and found the owner to be just as the Lonely Planet described, a gentle man. He and his family were completely gracious and welcoming. He talked with us for several hours about the culture and current issues of Rajasthan. His prices were fair. The homecooked food was TO DIE FOR, and lovely to eat a truly traditional meal. The camel safari he arranged was perfect. Honest and fun drivers with good camels. His home was an oasis for the travel weary couple that we are!

ahhh, if it could only always be like that :-)