Stupid here, stupid there

The relaxing vibe of Pushkar means that today, and each day since we arrived, my stress-meter has plummeted. Very relaxing here. Two young men started talking to us today, they had come to town specifically to meet foreigners and practice their English. They were "like brothers, we share everything."

"Even your girlfriend?" Rich asks, and the one guy jumps in to clarify, and I honestly didn't get too clear on what he was saying. He was the one that studies sanskrit at college, not english, so, anybody's guess what the heck he went on about for a good 4 minutes, but I think it was something along the lines of how important married life is here and women are to be respected.

I heard the English student ask Rich if we were married, and Rich told him, "No, No, she's just my friend."

This young lad of 19, who had a lot of good manners, taste, sensitivity and also, I think, an eye that could look beyond and see me for the mosquito-bitten beauty I am, says "I think you are very lucky.

Then Rich offers to sell me for 20, 000 Rupees. And everybody laughs - Har-de-har-har.

Actually, it was funny, the guys were really sweet and when I said Namaste to say goodbye and put my hands in the heart chakra, they looked impressed and did the same.

Pushkar is a Hindu Holy site, so there's lots of signs posted everywhere requesting that the folks just traveling through don't "eat meat, show affection in public, smoke, or wear inappropriate clothes."

So Day 1, wandering around looking for Ayelet's recommended Guest House (Note to Ayelet:
I found it! Very cute but we found a good place - with an amazing bathroom, I'll go back to say hello from you. I was out of it that first day) I come across this young Indian man, who let me into the courtyard of the Raj Guru Guest house but then advised me they didn't serve chai at any old time of day (Uhm? pardon? Am I still in India?). This young man clearly doesn't think the signs about appropriate clothing here apply to him as his T-shirt says, in big bold letters: If she's not shakin' then she's a fakin'

And I'm not supposed to show some ankle. Though don't get me wrong, I fully believe "When in Pushkar..." but I've seen some tourists in revealing outfits here that make me wonder 'why wouldn't they just go to Vegas?' or 'how sad, they speak English, they just can't read it.' Especially that British woman I saw today in a see-through number. Poor thing, the literacy rate is a huge issue in the UK.

Which reminds me of one of my favourite talks with my dad, years ago, when he mentioned that travel should broaden the mind, expand one's world view, but reality and the law of the Universe dictactes that "Stupid here, stupid there. Stupid everywhere."