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.

Amritsar

From the moment you reach the Golden Temple of Amritsar, the holiest place for the welcoming Sikh religion, you can sense that something special is going on inside its white marble walls. Every person in the world despite race, religion, or condition, is invited to share a place in the common sleeping hall, enjoy a quick meal of dhal and chapati, and refresh at the temple's lake. The prayers are heard all over the complex and the colorful turbans contrast with the deep dark beards of the Sikh people.

We fully embraced the experience of living in such a community: we slept and ate inside the temple halls with more than 100,000 people. Also, we volunteered as dish washers (two among thousands) and were compensated with a hot cup of chai, the most delicious we have had (there is something about earning your own tea).

Find Wally in Lamayuru

In the middle of nowhere

Do's:

• Laugh with the local people while they figure out how to play with a Mexican toy
• Roll all the mane prayer wheels that you find in your way (clockwise)
• Eat steamed momo
• Eat fried momo
• Eat momo soup
• Have all the momo you can
• Watch the milky way in the darkest night laying down on the rooftop of your guesthouse
• Buy a couple of mangoes, feed the skins to the holy cows , and let them lick your hands (there tongs are really rough, twisty and hygienic)

Dont's:

• Restrain from the mutton balls (yes, they are as disgusting as you imagine)

Yu-leh!!

Around 9am we reached Khardung La, the highest motorable road on the planet at 5,606m over the sea level. A few kilometers from Tibet, Pakistan and China, Ladakh's region hides picturesque towns where tibetan refugees live around their Gompas. The lamas wake up at dawn for morning puja and drink a incredibly buttery and somewhat disgusting masala chai (that you can use as lip gloss). The most important word to know in Ladakhi language is Yuleh, which means hello, good-bye, how are you, thank you, you are welcome, and other uses. It can even be used twice. Yuleh, Yuleh.

Photogenic Popularity

At the Jama Masjid, the largest mosque in India, our obvious tourist look was enhanced by colorful tablecloths that were tied around us by a grumpy bearded old man. This situation expanded our popularity among the masses that fighted to have their picture (or their children's picture) taken with us. The pictures are self-explanatory. Don't miss the baby sitting on my lap.

Delhi's Spice Market

In the middle of chaotic Old Delhi we met Saleem, a rickshaw driver who showed us the real spice market. With itchy noses from all the curry and masala, we climbed through the darkest alleys and stairs to the peaceful rooftop of the market; children were flying purple kites and men were taking a nap lying down on red hot chili bags. We had a delicious cup of masala chai with the market workers.

Mucha Calor

Usually red means heat.
Dark red means a lot of heat.
As you can see, it will be very very hot in Northern India...and that's where we are going!

I guess that a little sweat will be good, a natural cleanser for all the smog and radicals (and some fat) accumulated in the past years. Also, my bureaucratic white skin needs some color.

I cannot wait for an extra-hot cup of extra-sweet chai for refreshing our throats.

One more day

Tomorrow is my last day of work at the Ministry of Economics. Basically, I am cleaning up my office, getting rid of 2.3 years of accumulated paper, and saying good-bye to my great view of the Russian Embassy from my window.

These past years that I have been working at the Mexican Government, I have realized that public service is the most uncertain job ever. When you get to your office in the morning, you could easily find:

1. A dead cow hanging from a flag-pole and two thousand litters of milk poured in the entrance of your building by angry milkmen
2. A letter of an unknown man from Oaxaca state asking the President for a house and 20,000 USD for providing confidential information about a secret gold mine in his backyard
3. The cleaning lady has eaten the chocolates you left inside your desk

It has been a really interesting and exciting experience. However, it is also an almost-karoshi adventure. With several more pounds, fewer hair, and many bureaucrats in my friends' list, I say good-bye. Nomorekaroshi. Nomaskaroshi.