jhawalar, continued

[note: this is heather's post, please read part 1 before this]

so matt had complained in his last blog entry that he had the task of describing the most indescribable event yet…but this one definitely takes that prize. the only way to ensure that you would capture a fraction of the experience, you'd need a wormhole. truly. anyone got any wormholes handy? so, pie has laid the background. we were weary, hot, tired, had very little water, and stopped at this place to buy candy for some kids. i was so exhausted that i tripped over my bike when i tried to get the kickstand down. the people at the store chuckled at me, which did nothing to help my mood…but then they set out a chair for me in the shade and it was an offer i couldn't refuse. they asked if we wanted chai, and we said yes. really i just wanted a shady place to sit for a minute. first the tailor came over and started talking to us – in very broken english. but many smiles were exchanged and we were enjoying each other's company…when people started to come out of the woodwork. first people would be peekingout from behind a fence, and then they would come out and look at us and smile and giggle. then pie decided it would be a good time to start taking pictures –these digital cameras are like magical boxes – they get such a kickout of seeing their faces on the little screen! it was all the rage. a beatles-mania-type frenzy even! we then decided to buy candy for everyone. and from then on it was just a flurry of activity! i think a crowd of over 30 people must have accumulated – i sat down and giggled with the girls while all the boys crowded around matt. i was so happy to have some female companionship after the misogyny i had faced in town. we just had a crowd around us, holding our hands, taking pictures, laughing…but hardly any words were exchanged. they asked if we were hungry and brought us to a home where one of the moms made us (more) chai and biscuits. we were told to "please come" back to storefront where they had made parantha(like a wheat tortilla from scratch and hot off the griddle) and mango chutney and this fried spicy egg stuff that was delectable! once again, dozens of people crowded around and watched us eat.

then it was time to go, we had to get our bikes back. standing in the doorway of the shop, i remember thinking how sad i was to leave thesepeople. hardly any words had been effectively communicated, but there was a tangible love. an exchange of feelings of this magnitude would happen in america between family, an intimate/romantic relationship, or the best of friends. these people opened their homes and their hearts to us. literally, not a minute went by where each face wasn'tsmiling. and matt's experience (with the guys) was totally separate from mine with the gals – that's how it usually goes down in india. so standing in the doorway ready to leave, we were both thinking the same thing – i had tears in my eyes and matt was losing it – when one man looked at us and asked what we were thinking….broken verbal communication ensued, but it didn't matter. we exchanged part of hearts with those people – they were so happy to have american guests! and we took away, i would say, the best experience in india so far (if it's possible to pick one, which it 's not:)

we skipped the taj mahal to go off the tourist circuit and hit up this jhalawar place – and it would have just been another city if we hadn't met these people, if we hadn't rented bikes, gotten tired, and stopped at that shop. but mother india's hand once again played a part when we least expected it – and i wonder if we weren't the lucky ones in that exchange.