Pushkar Camel Fair - Day 5

Tuesday, 4 November 2014

Pati and BeeBee did the usual 7 am rise and breakfast and then set out walking toward the fairgrounds. Just before the main road, they caught a tuk-tuk to the stadium.

Arriving just before 10 am for the 11 am event, they found one empty plastic chair for BeeBee. With Pati sitting on the step beside her, they settled in to wait the hour for the events they came to see: the turban-tying contest and the mustache contest. Today they tried a different tactic: instead of sitting on the very top step, which should have the best view (but gets blocked), they sat on the step just behind the judges' table. That was not a good place to be either, as photographers and other "officials" crowded in, blocking the view again during the show. However, the three most serious mustache contenders arrived early and sat just feet away from Pati and BeeBee, so they had an excellent view of the men and their mustaches before the competition. They appeared to be great friends, probably competing against each other year after year. They were dressed in ornately-decorated white clothing, with colorful turbans. A fourth contender appeared a little later and sat beside BeeBee on the step (she had lost her chair by then to the "officials"); although he was more shabbily dressed, he had a respectable mustache.  The turban-tying contest consisted of 8 foreign couples, with the female tying a turban on the male. The two turban-tying contests appeared to be for style (first) and then speed. The 3 place-winning males received plaques (the females, who did the work, received nothing). This event was announced in English and Rajasthani. The main event for mustache length had 9 contestants. To prove length, they had to unwind the mustache. The one foreign contestant had the smallest, a handlebar mustache (no unwinding necessary). The rest ranged from handlebar, to several that were 3 or 4 feet long, to the obvious winner at possibly 12 feet long. This event was announced in Rajasthani only. The prize was 550 rupees (around $9 USD).

Pati and BeeBee then shopped a bit for souvenirs, since this is their last full day in Pushkar. They had lunch at the Hard Rock Cafe and took pictures of themselves with Mango, who is the head waiter there.  They spent a few minutes looking at the Lake, fending off the marigold-pushing priests looking for large "donations," and headed back to the B&B, catching a tuk-tuk just before leaving the main road.

After a few hours of internetting and tea at the B&B, they headed back to the market for a last visit. They had pasta at Hard Rock Cafe for dinner, and Mango made a special farewell cake for them.  Unlike all previous trips to or from the market or fair, not one tuk-tuk offered to sell them a ride (at inflated prices for the fair), so they were able to walk off some of the rich food they had eaten. Also unusual, no one offered to shine their shoes, which they had been putting off until the last day when they were through walking in sand.

And so Pati and BeeBee will leave Pushkar tomorrow, but the fair will continue, mostly for religious pilgrims rather than camels.

Footnote. According to CNN, J. C. Chounan was the winner of the longest moustache contest with a combined length of 11 feet. This moustache took 18 years to grow.

Pushkar Camel Fair - Day 4

Monday, 3 November 2014

Pati and BeeBee got up at the usual 7 am and had the usual breakfast in the usual place. During breakfast, Rohit, who is the nephew of the manager, spent some time talking with them about the land and religion (there are 400 temples in Pushkar). The manager's father owns the land around the B&B as well as several other adjacent B&Bs. He is a retired secondary school physics teacher and spends his retirement working on his garden plots. These plots grow the grains and vegetables used for the food in the B&Bs; the grandmother (omo) grinds their own grains to make the bread products (e.g., chipatis) that they serve. Right now, the fields are planted and watered, but they will not be ready for harvest for three months. The fields must be beautiful at harvest time.  There is also a greenhouse on the property and many flowers, especially marigolds and roses. Pushkar would be a pleasant place for an extended stay in the winter months; Rohit told about people who have stayed in the next-door B&B as tourists for 8 or 10 years. Technically, it is only legal to stay here 6 months.

After breakfast, Pati and BeeBee took a tuk-tuk to the bottom of a hill, in order to climb to Savitri Temple. Savitri is the first wife of Brahma. Papmochari Temple, for Brahma's second wife, is farther away. Rohit said they should visit Savitri Temple, because the climb only takes one-half hour, instead of Papmochandri Temple, which requires a one-hour climb. Good choice. The climb to Savitri Temple took them one hour, with many stops to rest. The incline was at least 45 degrees as they neared the top. The climb begins and ends with concrete steps, but in between the path is made of large rocks set roughly as steps. Quite a few people were climbing, men and women, and many of those were elderly and barefoot. Many were chanting as they climbed, repeating the same phrase with every other step; perhaps it encouraged them. There were also goats and monkey families along the path (Pati wondered if the coffee bean sized "offerings" that covered the steps came from the monkeys or goats but didn't have time to wait and see.) Pati and BeeBee spent a few minutes at the top, visiting the temple and enjoying the breeze. The walk down took one half hour. The tuk-tuk driver who agreed to pick them up at 12:15 was gone by the time they got down at 12:30. (They saw him later in town.)

They then walked to the carnival to see the rides. Despite some misgivings, they bought tickets for one of the 4 very tall ferris wheels. They agreed to hold on tight every second and only take pictures when it was stopped and they were on the top. Finally enough people were on for it to start; Pati took pictures until then. The ride cost 30 rupees (about 50 cents US). After 12 revolutions, they expected the ride to end.. It didn't stop, so Pati began taking pictures on the move, but with both of them still holding on tight. After 24 revolutions, they were amazed at the good deal. At 34 revolutions, the car began to rock. BeeBee told Pati to stop it; he said it was the wind. At 38 revolutions, the car sped up and rocked. They were ready to get off! Finally, at 42 revolutions, their turn was up and they got off.

They then walked until they found the craft fair they couldn't find yesterday. There were some nice things there, but nothing they wanted. It was nearly deserted.

They then walked to the market and had lunch at the Rainbow Restaurant, where they had excellent seats overlooking the lake and ghats. The other patrons in the open air seating area where they were seemed to be mostly Americans on a tour together. The waiter, a pleasant young man, brought around treats for all the diners. Once it was a desert sample and the second time (for Pati and BeeBee only) a cool minty drink. As they finished their meal and he had cleared the table, he slipped Pati a  handwritten note in English: "If you like the service, please tip the waiter. Do not tip at the cashier." Pati and BeeBee had already totaled up the bill; it came to 780 rupees. Pati happily gave the young man a 100 rupee tip. At the cashier, the bill was 860 rupees. So the cashier got his tip anyway.

Leaving the restaurant, they shopped as they walked through the market and bought some hand-colored cards they will use as Christmas cards. Walking on toward the B&B, they encountered their earlier tuk-tuk driver who said he had come back for them at the foot of the hill. They explained their slowness, and since he already had a fare, they took another tuk-tuk back to the B&B.

Ferris Wheel (note Savitri Temple at top left)

Demon

Pushkar Camel Fair - Day 3

Sunday, 2 November 2014

Pati and BeeBee got up at 7 am and had breakfast in the terrace cafe, as usual. As they were heading out for the fair, their breakfast friend of the day before was checking out. He was headed for the train station and will get in to Agra at 9:30 tonight.  There he will immediately go to see the Taj Mahal in the light of the full moon. He had only a very small backpack on his back for his month-long trip through India.

Pati and BeeBee started out walking for the fairground and were soon picked up by a tuk-tuk, which made the trip much faster. By 10 am, they were seated at the top of the fairground stands on rickety plastic chairs, but in the shade.  The horse-dancing competition was scheduled for 11 am, and promptly at 11am, the awards ceremony for another India vs. the rest of the world competition was held. (No one would have come, otherwise.) The stands began to fill with all those people who are not willing to come early for seats and wait. Actually, the first people there were beggar women, who were stretched out asleep in the shade, with their laundry hanging on whatever was available, and their children out begging. (They target foreign women. The best begging ploy so far: tap the target on the knee and simply say "money.")

The horse dancing competition began just before 11:30. There were probably 8 competitors. BeeBee lost count while trying to maintain "her" space and still see the competition through people who stood up or leaned in front of people who had got there earlier. Although there really was not enough room, there were even people standing behind Pati and BeeBee, in danger of falling off the back of the stands. One woman in particular was American, with an Indian guide. She got there around 11 am and was impatient for the event to start. After the first horse, she was impatient for it to end. She left after the second horse. There was another group, possibly American, that swarmed onto the stands at about 11am, grabbing seats, and in general were obnoxious. At precisely noon, they all got up and left, blocking the view of those behind them. Their seats were promptly grabbed by Indians who had been standing, and others filled their vacuum, standing and leaning in. So it was difficult for Pati and BeeBee to see the performance of the last two or three horses. The horse dancing was probably very good (three horses used the same primitive trampolines as the camels yesterday), but they were just not as exciting after seeing the camels dance.

After the competition, Pati and BeeBee fought the crowds to go to Hard Rock Cafe for lunch. They were seated at a table with a young Danish girl, who has been doing volunteer work in India for a few months after graduating college. She had wanted to see the camel racing, but that is next Thursday, so she (and Pati and BeeBee) unfortunately will not see it.

After this, Pati and BeeBee fought the crowds again through the market to go find the craft fair that was to open at 3 pm today. They had high hopes that there would be good souvenir shopping there. They searched everywhere, and finally came upon a new set of stalls with several of them offering merchandise. Unfortunately, what is being offered is carnival- rather than craft-quality. Maybe something better will turn up tomorrow.

There are 4 huge ferris wheels here, along with other carnival rides. One ferris wheel is in operation today (for the first time), and Pati had looked forward to riding it to get great pictures from the top of the fair and the town. Today, Pati got his first good look at the passenger compartments: each is an enclosed compartment seating perhaps 4 not-too-big people, but with no safety bars, no seat belts, open to two sides and no doors.  Hummmm. Pati will think about this some more later.

Leaving the fair, they were soon overtaken by a tuk-tuk, which they gratefully climbed into, and arrived back at the B&B, where they climbed to the terrace cafe to consume 2 liters of cold water and a pot of black tea.

Horse Dancing

BeeBee Is Famous

Saturday, 1 November 2014

As Pati and BeeBee were talking with a manager as they waited for the tuk-tuk to go to dinner, an employee ran up the stairs with today's local newspaper. He unfolded it to the front page with a flourish and pointed to a picture. It was BeeBee standing beside two turbaned men, all of them intent on watching the camel event in progress. Since the paper is probably in Rajasthani, BeeBee has no idea what it says about the picture. Something positive, she hopes. The manager was kind enough to give them the paper to keep.

Local Celebrities

Pushkar Camel Fair - Day 2

Saturday, 1 November 2014

Pati and BeeBee got up a little later today (7 am) and headed up to the terrace cafe for the same breakfast as yesterday. There are 4 tables there, and when a guest arrived that would have required a 5th table, he asked to sit with them. He is Canadian and traveling alone. His wife, with whom he always travels ("we are trekkers"), got sick at the last minute, so he came alone. He is visiting most of the same places in India that Pati and BeeBee are, but this is the only place they will visit at the same time.

After breakfast, Pati and BeeBee took a tuk-tuk to the fairgrounds and settled in to wait for the first event, the camel beauty contest (how this was different from yesterday's camel beautification event, they never figured out). Camels who were clearly entered in the event were off to the side (as yesterday), but this time there was drumming and camels jumping! People crowded around, close to the camels (and close to the jumping!), making it hard to see exactly what was going on.

The beauty contest was scheduled for 11 am in a makeshift ring; just before 11:30, the 8 camels entered the ring one at a time with their drivers, each making a turn around the front of the ring before joining the others at the back. Each was then brought forward (some bowing) for the seated judges to view, and finally the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners were announced. A camel with a blue cover on its hump was a clear crowd favorite and took one of the three prizes, but, not understanding Rajasthani, Pati and BeeBee do not know which prize. All the beauty contestants left the ring.

After a long pause, camels lined up to enter the ring for the second event: camel dancing. It is easier to suggest a YouTube search than to describe this phenomenom.  Before today, BeeBee would have said if you've seen one camel dance, you've seen them all. But the crowd-favorite blue-humped camel was one of the entrants, and after his choreography, which included dancing on primitive trampolines, there was a clear winner.

After this excitement, Pati and BeeBee had lunch at Honey and Spice, a health-food vegetarian restaurant. The food was good, if long in showing up.

They then went to the lake, intending to walk around it, but postponed the walk since shoes must be removed, and by that time, BeeBee's feet were very sore. Upon leaving, and trying to avoid the religious scammers, they were hailed by a familiar voice. It was the driver who had brought them to Pushkar. He is here with another group and will be leaving tomorrow. Unfortunately, he will not be their driver when they leave Pushkar.

Pati and BeeBee then walked back to their B&B and headed to the terrace cafe to rest and blog.

After a few hours of internetting and rest, they took a tuk-tuk back to the market and had a delicious dinner at the best restaurant they have found so far, Hard Rock Cafe. The waiter, Mango, is brother to the young man who makes the meals at the B&B, and told Pati and BeeBee to tell his brother "hi," which they did upon returning.  They would like to have breakfast some morning at Hard Rock Cafe; the breakfast menu is very tempting.

Camel Cart Ride (part 2)

Saturday, 1 November, Pushkar

When Pati and BeeBee booked their camel ride at their guest house, the manager said "pay at the end." At the end of the ride, Pati paid the driver 2500 rupees. When he saw the manager, Pati told him he had paid the driver at the end of the ride. The manager told Pati that he meant at the end of the stay but he would sort it. The next day the manager came to Pati and told him it wasn't sorted.

The camel driver, who had been instructed not to accept money from Pati and BeeBee, decided the 2500 rupees was a tip and refused to give any of it up. It turned out that the guest house hired a camel ride company who hired the camel driver. Since all the regular drivers were busy, the camel ride company hired a random farmer from the fair to haul them. This helps explain the zero English policy the driver had during the ride.   The manager asked Pati to ride on the back of his motorcycle (sans helmet) to the camel stand "office" to resolve the problem. Off they went.

Pati had initially planned to offer the "boss man" his profit from the ride and go back to the guest house. After an intense discussion in Ragisthani (Pati supposed), the manager told Pati that the boss man considered the camel driver a scoundrel since 2500 was almost a month's income and 15 "tips" like this would buy the whole camel. It was decided that the manager, the boss man, and Pati would motorcycle to the camel encampment and thrash this out with the driver. Off they went.  

Pati wondered how they would find the particular driver among the hundreds in the encampment. The boss man called him on a cell phone. Pati was taken aback that a man straight out the middle ages had a cell phone but it worked and the two motorcycles raced across the dunes directly to him. The manager, the boss man, the driver, and several new friends then entered into an intense shouting match. Pati, not understand a word, did his part by standing and looking perplexed and foreign. He also wondered if anyone was armed.   At the end of the argument, the driver peeled 2500 rupees off of a rather large wad and it was given to Pati. Pati thought the boss man would take the money  - but no. Pati felt sorry for the driver and wanted to give him the tip he had originally planned which was 500 rupees (he had only managed to tip 100 the first time because he has a hard time digging money out of his security wallet). It seemed the driver was so offended that he would not accept Pati's tip. However, he was not that offended. 

When they got back, Pati paid the manager for the camel ride and the manager will pay the boss man. Pati isn't sure who will pay the driver since the boss man fired him for yelling at him. Pati would feel bad about this except the boss man only hired the driver one time and was unlikely to hire him again anyway. The manager said he was going to steal the driver's camel to get even with him but Pati thinks this is just talk.

Camel Cart Ride

Pushkar Camel Fair -Day 1

Friday, 31 October 2014, Pushkar

Pati and BeeBee got up early this morning, eager to take in the first official day of the Pushkar Camel Fair. They had a breakfast of muesli, yogurt, and toast (how different from the previous hotels!) in the cool open-air rooftop terrace restaurant. Around the B&B are gardens, which at this time of year appear to be just dirt plots. The B&B manager told them that all the land around the B&B belongs to his grandfather, and that was the man in one of the gardens with a hoe. In fact, the family owns 6 hotels in Pushkar.

After breakfast, they set off on foot toward the fairgrounds. The roads and streets are paved, with lots of sand at the edges, and lots of what camels leave behind. Also lots of scam artists, trying to hand out flowers to be used for prayers at the lake (where the flowers mark just who can be hit up for $500 to $1000 USD for prayers for their family). Needless to say, Pati and BeeBee rejected all flowers.

Their way to the fair went through the market, streets crowded with pedestrians and vehicles, with all sorts of clothing, jewelry, metal and sandlewood artifacts, fabrics, and food to buy. They followed a map given to them by the B&B and eventually ended up at the fairgrounds, where many schoolgirls in colorful saris were performing a choreographed dance to music. The "fairgrounds" is really a large oval arena with stone seats on one of the long sides and one of the ends, and events that do not need all of the arena tend to happen near the sides with seating. Following the schoolgirls was a dancer performing to music produced by a line of drummers; there were two "guest" drummers who were clearly non-Indians pulled from the seated audience. Following this was a football (soccer) match played by a local team in uniforms vs. all foreign males who wanted to play, collectively call the "rest of the world" team. The rest of the world team scored first and went on to win the match; Pati and BeeBee suspected that perhaps the game was rigged. There were 4 players from the USA, and the rest were from France, the UK, Sweden, and other countries. While all this was going on, a camel beautification contest was also going on to the side. The owner of the most beautifully-decorated camel was crowned king; he mounted his camel and rode in front of the stands, holding a large ornate umbrella over his own head.

As there was a gap in entertainment, Pari and BeeBee went back to the market for lunch at the Laughing Budda, which was up a very steep set of stairs, and on a narrow projection from the second floor of a building. They had an excellent view of the people walking through the market below, and could analyze the behavior of the sellers. Across the street from them, at street level, was a shop prominently displaying bags of something that looked like fancy beans or rice on the left (Pati called them tictacs for their appearance and apparent size as he saw them from a distance) and cartons and packs of cigarettes on the right.  The shop keeper watched for Westerners: when they appeared, he called out to them about cigarettes. For Indians, he pushed the tictacs.

After lunch, Pati and BeeBee headed back to the B&B, intending to rest, but the B&B manager convinced them to return for the 6 pm candle lighting on the lake. The candles were really small clay bowls with a wick in oil, and thousands of them were set on the ghats (steps) all around the lake. It was a quite beautiful scene, with lights twinkling and reflecting in the lake. Tomorrow, Pati and BeeBee plan to return to the lake early and walk around it.

After this, they stopped for dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe (not THE Hard Rock Cafe but a restaurant owned by the extended family of the B&B where they are staying). The food was excellent; they plan to eat there again sometime.

Camels!

Camel Cart Ride or Riding the Welcome Wagon

Thursday, 30 October 2014, Pushkar

As Pati and BeeBee checked into their B&B, they discussed various options for learning their way around the Pushkar camel fair before it officially opened on Friday. The option they chose was a camel cart ride from 4 to 6 pm. They also discussed a possible visit to the market with a trusted member of the B&B family, at 7 pm after their ride. For the camel cart ride, they would be picked up by the camel cart on the road outside their B&B, taken to the fair grounds and driven around the camel, cattle, and horse markets, and then driven back. The camel cart is similar to a flatbed trailer, with two large inflated tires. The bed of the cart is probably wood, but covered with comfortable and colorful blankets. That is all the comfort for sitting, because the cart does not have shock absorbers or places to hold on. There is a colorful canopy above, which probably helps when the sun is out and hot. The camel is harnessed in front, and the driver controls the camel with two lines and verbal commands. Usually the driver can sit in front on the right, when automobile traffic is not bad, or when the road or path is easy to navigate, but otherwise he walks ahead of the camel. Pati and BeeBee's camel's name was Rama. They did not learn the driver's name. He only knew a few words of English. The camel may have known more but wasn't talkative. The cost for this exotic ride was 2400 rupees, or about $40 USD for both of them.

Just after 4 pm, they walked out to the road where the camel, cart and driver were waiting. BeeBee had imagined that the cart would be only big enough for the two of them, but it was possible to seat 9 in relative comfort, as they saw in other carts later. As they had approached the cart, they were able to observe where those large quantities of water that camels drink eventually end up.  With some difficulty, they climbed aboard and seated themselves in front, with BeeBee just behind the camel. The camel flicked his tail, Pati and BeeBee ducked, but not quickly enough to avoid the camel's "special blessing." BeeBee found that the drinking water she had brought was perfectly suited to cleaning her glasses (which had mysteriously developed spots on them).

They started out and soon joined the end of a small procession of camels with riders. They all wound slowly through the fair, observing camels, cattle, horses, sellers' stalls, and hawkers. Everything was fascinating, and more animals arrived by the minute to join those already there. They had thought they would be safer from persistent hawkers by being inside the cart, but no place is safe. Being on the cart also marked them as having money to spend. At one point, when the driver stopped (looking for his boss), a group of men began to play terrible music and dance together, demanding money from Pati. The driver advised Pati, with a shake of his head, not to give money and tried to send the men away. They became angry with the driver, but left to harass other people.

Finally, they had seen enough. It was getting dark, so they headed back to the B&B. They had left shortly after 4 pm, and it seemed that they would be getting back shortly after 6 pm. Their route back included a shortcut on a well-traveled path through the sand to get to the paved road. At one point, the path narrowed, with a drop-off to the left and a bank to the right.  The path was just barely wider than the cart. Suddenly a large SUV appeared in front of them. Backing up for either vehicle seemed very difficult, but easier for the SUV. Angrily, the SUV driver demanded that the camel cart move aside, toward the dropoff. The camel cart driver jockeyed the cart closer to the edge. The SUV took a run at the resulting space, but it wasn't enough, and the SUV kept stalling in the sand. More angry words. More shifting of the cart.  The cart tipped somewhat, but the canopy snagged on a small tree there and held. Pati, on the front left corner, hung on tightly. BeeBee shifted to the right to help balance the cart. The SUV took another run at the space and succeeded this time. He plowed away through the sand without any offer of help to the stuck cart. Fortunately, there was another camel driver behind them, and both of them together with the camel got the cart back on the path, Pati and BeeBee looking on from the ground.

They finally got back to the B&B, well after dark. Pati thanked the camel driver and paid him his agreed-upon fee of 2,400 rupees plus a 100 rupee tip.

Pati and BeeBee decided they had had enough excitement for the day and would go to the market another day.

Camel (Rama) with Cart

Wagah Flag Lowering Ceremony (Beating Retreat Ceremony)

Friday 24 October 2014

After their train trip and after checking in at the Holiday Inn (not your everyday Holiday Inn!) in Amritsar, Pati and BeeBee were driven to Wagah on the border between India and Pakistan. Since 1959, the Border Security Forces (BSF) of India and the Pakistan Rangers have performed an elaborate flag lowering ceremony at this international border. The ceremony is a mock-aggressive, well-choreographed (and infinitely negotiated) competition between the two different groups. Participating soldiers are chosen for their height, physique, and performance abilities. The Indian side has recently added women to their corps, but they are not allowed yet to do anything more than march to the gates, since the Pakistanis do not yet have women soldiers here.

Both sides have built tall stands for viewers. Pati and BeeBee, being US citizens, were permitted to sit in the VIP section with a slightly better view into the Pakistan side. However, once the performance began, and people stood up, height was more important than VIP-ness!

The performance on the Indian side was preceeded by children and some adults running into the performance area carrying the flag of India. Anyone could enter the queue to carry the flag. After this, some young women (and some young men and children) danced in an impromptu fashion to music blaring on the loudspeaker, enthusiastically if not especially well.  Through all this, a man climbed through the stands selling baseball caps sporting the flag of India.

Promptly at 5 pm, the main event began, and it ended promptly at 5:30.  Pati and BeeBee's guide had explained the ceremony and what the various shouted slogans would mean. This was fortunate, since otherwise, they would have had very little idea what was being said! A man in white was the Master of Ceremonies on the Indian side; another MC on the Pakistan side could be heard performing similar duties.  The MCs shouted slogans that were repeated by the audience. On the Indian side, it was: BSF! Second to none! And so on. Undoubtedly, the Pakistan side was shouting similar slogans for the Rangers. Between the slogans, the soldiers of each side took turns strutting and posturing for the benefit of the audience and the soldiers on the other side.

The ceremony ended with the flags of both countries lowering simultaneously, a soldier from each side shaking hands, and the gates slamming shut.

Readers of this blog should really find videos of this ceremony on YouTube.

Postscript: as a result of recent unrest between India and Pakistan, sweets for Diwali were not given to the Rangers by the BSF.

Postscript: We just found out that a suicide bomber killed at least 60 people a few days after our visit.

BSF! Second to None!

Diwali

Thursday, 23 October 2014

Diwali is the beginning of the Hindu new year. It is a holiday celebrated outwardly by bright lights (like our Christmas) and fireworks (like our 4th of July).  Pati and BeeBee didn't plan to be in India for Diwali, but are happy to be here for it. They missed this celebration on earlier visits.

One unfortunate consequence of Diwali is that, because it is a holiday, fewer tourist activities are possible and the crowds are much larger.  Unfortunately for their guides, they must work on a holiday. Pati and BeeBee's guide told them that the tourist season is only six months of the year, that he therefore works six months and stays at home for the rest of the year.  The working six months must pay for the non-working months. He cannot afford to miss a day of work. He did not take even one day off from work last year.

Pati and BeeBee celebrated Diwali by a nice dinner on the rooftop terrace of their B&B, watching fireworks. Fireworks began at dark (about 6 pm) and went well beyond midnight, trailing off at about 2 pm with the occasional boom thereafter. It was as if everyone made the trip to South Carolina to buy a carload of the big illegal fireworks (but all they really had to do was go to the fireworks street in the market where they are perfectly legal to buy). Then they set them off all night all over the city. It rivaled the more controlled 4th of July displays at home. There were no safety officers directing their use here; frequently it sounded as though someone was beating a corregated piece of metal with a large club, as if a firework went off sideways into a wall instead of making it into the sky. Pati also saw a man walking through the street beating a drum, reminding him of Christmas carolers at home making their rounds to spread cheer.

Although the booming continued into the night, making sleep difficult on a night when they had to get up again so early, it seemed that Pati and BeeBee had a cheerful sendoff from their days in New Delhi.

Diwali