Hi everyone! It is Sunday morning and we are in the city of Bikaner in Rajasthan, India. We haven’t had Internet access over the past few days we traveled from Delhi to Alsisar to Bikaner, but we have had many adventures. On Friday morning, we got up early for the 7-hour drive to the village of Alsisar. Indian roads can be a bit bumpy, and traffic lanes seem to serve more as suggestion than rule here – hence the liberal use of the horn to signal to other drivers that one plans to pass them, or in other cases, that they should get out of the way. Drivers also slow down for and honk at animals who wander into the roads, such as the many cows, goats, and camels that we passed. Small birds in the road receive the gentlest of warnings. I guess it’s not much wonder why car rental hasn’t caught on in India!

In Alsisar, we stayed at the Indra Villas hotel, a beautiful sandstone and marble resort with rooms that open onto a swimming pool. Our hosts welcomed us with a lovely ritual in which they anointed our foreheads with holy powder and presented us with flower necklaces. We took dinner and breakfast on the upstairs veranda, which provided an amazing view of the village. Wild peacocks fly from roof to roof, and we even saw a male peacock dancing for his mate on an afternoon excursion to the town’s havelies, exquisitely decorated mansions built by rich merchants hundreds of years ago.

There is so much more for us to tell you about, but we need to get going soon, so this post will have to be continued. Everyone is well and we miss you all!

Andrea and Martha