Animals' kingdom

Animals are the masters in India. Holy cows lay down on the street blocking traffic without any concerns. Goats enjoy climbing walls to get a better view of the sunset in Jaipur. Monkeys fight over an afternoon snack on the hill surrounding their temple. And rats walk over the feet of the lucky visitors of Karni Mata temple to reach their honey and milk buffet.

Indian wedding crashers

During our visit to one of the colorful havelis or old noblemen houses in Shekawati region, we met a proud mother (and haveli housekeeper) whose daughter married recently. She sought for the photo album and we sat in her bed to look at the pictures. The bride is wearing a shiny red sari and the groom is wearing a blue shirt (the Bollywood Michael Jackson impersonator is just a family member).

Days later in Bikaner, several weddings were having place as the marriage season is coming to its end (it is unlucky to have rain in your wedding). We crashed the wedding in our elegant back-packer outfits and had delicious ice-cream while the bride and groom watched us from their thrones in the distance. They didn't seem to be having a lot of fun (almost every marriage is arranged by the parents), but they were getting thousands of presents from the true guests. Different food and drink stands are surrounded by shiny paper decorations.