10.31.18 Halloween and Halloween Eve
Our next hotel is the OAT Camp - a 4.5-hour drive from our previous luxurious digs at Nahargarh Hotel. We may have been camping out in the middle of nowhere, surrounding by farmers, water buffalo, barking dogs, calls to temple and wild jackals, but with the help of earplugs, a hot water bottle and the most comfortable bed we've been in yet, it was the best sleep most of us have had these last 3.5 weeks.
And the food??? Clearly the most impressive and delicious meals we've had right down to the apple pancakes, actual syrup and a magical jar of Skippy peanut butter that Brian tried to hide in his jacket for "safe-keeping."
Our next hotel is the OAT Camp - a 4.5-hour drive from our previous luxurious digs at Nahargarh Hotel. We may have been camping out in the middle of nowhere, surrounding by farmers, water buffalo, barking dogs, calls to temple and wild jackals, but with the help of earplugs, a hot water bottle and the most comfortable bed we've been in yet, it was the best sleep most of us have had these last 3.5 weeks.
And the food??? Clearly the most impressive and delicious meals we've had right down to the apple pancakes, actual syrup and a magical jar of Skippy peanut butter that Brian tried to hide in his jacket for "safe-keeping."
Our stylish porter.
My home away from home for one night.
Our dining facility.
Intruder in the feeder!
Intruder in the feeder!
Before we retired to our tents, and after we finished dinner, we had some wonderful entertainment from a group of villagers. After they sang and danced, the competition was on when we joined them and I managed to get some hilarious video of Cathy and Michele (before she fell - which I wish I had captured as well).
https://youtu.be/fTzhSdmKVIk
HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!!
After breakfast, and before departure, we dressed up for Halloween - girls donned the male turbans and males the female garb. I could hardly hold the camera steady with all the laughter...
HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!!
After breakfast, and before departure, we dressed up for Halloween - girls donned the male turbans and males the female garb. I could hardly hold the camera steady with all the laughter...
Cathy
Dorothye.
Cynthia - turban with a 'tude.
Caribbean Michele.
Turban trio: Dorothye, Michele and Charlene.
Our fearless leader looks lovely in red...
...but needs to work on balancing the water jug on his head.
Gerhard is simply stunning (ha ha)
Sadly it is time to head out, so we board a "jugar", which means temporary arrangement - in this case a open end, decrepit, on-its-last-leg truck with a 2-stroke engine emitting diesel fumes that could suffocate a person.
But how fun! Decorated for the upcoming festival, and blasting Bollywood music, it was a hoot!
The following youtube videos were really created for the audio portion of our journey and not necessarily the bumpy landscape...
We enjoyed a quick stop at the Abhaneri step wells, where we saw the ancient Chand Baoli - a waterway built to provide a constant water supply to locals. Built over 1000 years ago by King Chanda of Nikumbh dynasty and dedicated to Hashat Mata, goddess of joy and happiness, it was designed to conserve as much water as possible for the community. Hard to believe that the women would navigate all those steps down and then back up to the top after filling their water jugs.
In addition to the step well, there was incredibly well-preserved art throughout the enclosure.
Ganesh (part elephant, part boy)
Shiva (half man and half woman)
Kama Sutra
Local color shots on the way to Agra...
Making bracelets
Harshshat Mata Temple (7th-8th century)
Yes we are on the WRONG side of the highway,
but we are bigger (and in India that's what counts).
A wedding cart for the wedding procession.
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