the inescapable, incessant heat has been experienced by us to SUCh a limited degree….we choose to endure it to see a monument or site, only to be picked up IMMEDIATELY by our faithful driver Asif the microsecond we enter the parking lot area (more on Asif later). It’s hard to comprehend what this must be like for the many many many people who stay outside all day, exposed to the relentless, merciless sun and heat. How do they have energy – or will – for anything? Life is an entirely different experience – entirely – when it is comfortable.

And pig, camel, dog and goat. In New Zealand, sheep rule. Here, lots of other critters do, but nothing beats the cow. Bony and ubiquitous, they do what they want, when they want, where they want. The price for an accidental death on the road, according to Asif (our formidable driver who has yes like a hawk and reflexes like a martial artist…and undersatndably so), is several thousand rupees….and this is on a no-fault basis and is enforced by the wrath of the villagers, who will encircle your modern-day camel (i.e. the offending automobile) in a matter of seconds.

In India, the street is your stable and your stable is your street. Breathe deep.

or, the phenomenon where you’ve NEVER had that feeling before!!! (sorry, my favorite George Carlin joke). Anyway, it’s really deja vu when, after concluding an inspiring historical tour of a thousand-year-old-or-more monument, you are whisked into a side room full of fabrics, offered tea and given a shpiel you’ve heard at least 3 times in the past 3 days, with assistants in tw to roll out the different pieces in eye-battingly rapid successsions.

Difference between the wall hanging biz here and the carpet biz in Turkey? It’s Indian “chai” and not apple tea. But the disdain when you say you will think about it is universal.