Bishnoi village

We stopped at this Bishnoi villager's house--a mud construction with thatched roof--for tea and to see how these people are trying to maintain their traditional way of life. Following local tradition, our host welcomed us with tea made from a substance illegal in the states, filtered through a tea strainer that looked a lot like an old sock. Alas, the tea didn't have any transformative properties that I noticed. Mom was sure I was going to end up with a stomach ailment from drinking it, but dad and I both tried it and we had no such problems.
We also had some yummy chai tea--and I'm not a big chai drinker. (You'll know i've crossed to the dark side if you ever catch me ordering one at Starbucks)
EVERYWHERE we went kids called Boppa, "Ali Baba," as in, "Ali Baba, give me some money." (Synopsis of Ali Baba's Story) I liked to call him Ali Boppa.
Our guide showed Boppa how to tie a turban the way the locals do. We had been told everywhere we went that you could always tell where someone was from and what kind of work they did by how the men tied their turbans and how the women dressed and what jewelry they wore. We saw women working in the fields in full saris with bangles all the way up their arms.


Eddie would have had a conniption fit over the "safety violations" we saw. This baby swing certainly wouldn't have met with his approval. The baby in it seemed quite content.


Maybe they cleaned up for us, but I was impressed that the house/compound was neat as a pin. The outdoor stove was in use preparing lentils for their cows. Utensils were neatly tucked into the roof to keep them away from the animals, and the inside kitchen area (fridge and stove) were spotless.