i am in the hotel manager's office using the internet.

today we finished our tour of rajahstan, it's been absolutely beautiful and amazing. megz is sick and cranky cause I won't let her look at the picture of her engagement ring (it's for her own good, she doesn't actually want to but she's caving to curiosity.) i am the keeper of secrets...

today Tinku (our driver) took us to his house before our tour finished. i feel a bit guilty about my snide comments, particularly as I saw a two year old drinking water from a puddle in the dirt outside his gate. His daughter is 23, same age as me and has a corner of the two bedroom apartment to herself and will have an arranged marriage when dad decides it's time. i suddenly don't feel so clever and smart having wrangled my way out of commisioned goods. I will tip him well tomorrow....I don't want to get murdered by my driver aka 'the White Tiger' style.

We have had some hilarious good times, highlights include CRASHING AN INDIAN WEDDING in Udapiur. The tailor we went to was going to one down the street so we tagged along, expecting to be the height of rudeness but willing to offend to tick 'indian wedding' off the list of things to do in life. To the contrary, we were quite possibly more popular than the bride and feature in a good number of their wedding photos. When the people here aren't trying to sell you something they seem amazingly generous, never in Australia would you be chatting to the brother of the father of the bride at a wedding that you've crashed. It is a little disconcerting that my whiteness has everything to do with it. I feel like Edward Cullen, sparkling in the sunlight causing mass hysteria amongst school aged girls (it's the girls that seem more avid in touching us and taking our photos.)

highlights include the Taj Mahal (poor megz had to endure a huge 'kelly hissy fit' while we tried to get in) and the Golden Temple at Amritstar...also standing in a bar that Aishwarya Rai has been in. Actually, even learning how to pronounce Aishwarya (Ash-warrior...Kamal the tailor insists she is a reincarnation of the sun.)

from here we head to to Varanasi. will be sure not to place any body part in the river, I've had all your warnings.

having fun, staying safe!