bikes

decided to stay put in pushkar and will head straight to udaipur from here. yesterday i rented a burly steed of a bicycle... must've weighed 40lbs, of course had no gears, was equipped with a very wide seat and made a charming clank with every rotation as the pedal crankarm wacked against the battered and bent chainguard. i was quite a sight and sound clanking down the highway, thru villages and eventually thru the busy pedestrian and motorbike/bicycle only market area. occasionally along the way, the chainguard would completely prevent any pedal action and i'd have to pull over, dismount and wack it with a rock a few times.

after riding for several hours thru the countryside with the hot sun beating down on me with no respite, i made it back to pushkar but decided to try to circumvent the busy market area. course i got lost, wound up on a rocky/sandy back road... my hands were sweaty and i gripped on for dear life as i was violently bounced up and down by the huge springs under the seat with every rock i hit. after some time bouncing and skidding down this road, i reached a tiny village where a group of kids came running out shouting excitedly and grabbing onto my bike nearly sending me hurtling to the ground. they all want to sit on the bike and bring me to their house for tea... i'm exhausted and simply eager to find my way back to town! finally, i return the bike completely smoked and happy (and thankful for no major mechanical issues... not sure how i would've worked that one out).
last night i told the owner of the guesthouse i wanted to hire a motorbike or moped but was hoping to hire a local guide or someone to take me around. he offered his brother's services so i hopped on the back of mahendra's scooter and off we went. after working our way thru the busy streets of pushkar center i took the driver's seat. i learned something about myself today! i'm a horrible scooter driver! i fishtailed horribly thru the sand, swerved all over with every obstacle and think i whirled majendra into a few thorny shrubs... kids ran at us shouting "hello pen" trying to grab at me as i shouted laughingly for them to run away, not towards the weaving bike. i shouted at cows to run in the other direction also but the darn kids and cows didnt' listen. i didn't last very long in the driver's seat :) think i'm meant for new road scooter driving only! anyway, rode thru some really pretty farmland (wheat, fields of drying rose petals, dal), small villages and out to a very tranquil area where there was a shiva temple. very beautiful and fun day! as we returned to town, majendra ran into a group of his rough and tumble appearing friends... they seemed rather riled up and soon i was told they had to go to the local election and i was invited - told it would take 3 hrs. i declined as i felt a white chic heading off with a large group of indian men to a potentially riotous election event was a bad idea... so, i was sent away with a young boy from the village to get me thru the busy alleys with the motor bike. first he was riding the back but then we both agreed it'd be safer if he navigated the chaotic narrow alleys!! back at the guesthouse i joined the wife for a chat on the rooftop as she sorted wheat for chapatis and admired the view of kites swooping thru the air from every rooftop against the hills... quite a magical setting.
tomorrow i'm off to udaipur, one of my final destinations! tonight i think there will be a special rajasthani dinner at the guesthouse unless i understood incorrectly which is highly possible. i'm hoping i heard correctly... maybe i'll be allowed to help in the kitchen too!
p.s. so, i definitely heard incorrectly but i came back to the guesthouse and asked if dinner was possible. they said, yes and then asked what i wanted. i never really know what my options are so i just said, "whatever you want to make me/whatever's easy". next thing i know, the wife is patting the bed in their room indicating for me to sit. they're watching an indian slapstick comedy type of movie and i sit and pretend to watch with them. a piece of newspaper is then laid on the bed followed by a train of pots, plates and servers. next thing i know, i'm enjoying a real typical rajasthani dinner of some mixture of dal and rice mashed together (tasted and looked like mashed potatoes) with a thin oily curry, dal with a bit of veg, chapatis and indian kofta?(fried balls filled with veg and spices... sweet and spicy). it was very tasty and i appreciate being treated as part of the family.

i'm somewhat sad to leave tomorrow but i'm also excited to visit the udaipur countryside, go for walks and bike rides thru surrounding villages. i say goodbye in the a.m. and off we go.