Udiapur

I know I know, I posted these at the exact same time, but I thought that I would break up your reading a little.

The plan we finally came up with was to hire a driver to drive us from Jodhpur to Udiapur (god if these computers were better I would draw you guys the sweetest google map...). And yet again, driving was an insane experience. I mean I had driven around the city in the rickshaws and in a car a little bit...and I thought that people were crazy divers...but this surpased it all. Let me break it down for you:

1) Best way to drive in India. Good horn. Good breaks. Good luck.

2) When it is a two lane road, it is actually a 6 lane road (the dirt sholder counts as hald a lane).

3) Feel free to enter on coming traffice or drive on the other side of the road if it is more convient for you.

4) There are no traffice signals, and if there are any don't worry about them at all.

5) Cows are sacrad, they can go where ever they chose and if they are crossing the road/HIGHWAY! you had better not hit them (but also you had better not slow down.) Our driver told us that cows, donkeys and goats are the Indian traffic police.

6) And the NUMBER ONE RULE......the biggest vehicle wins. That is the main rule of the road, you move out of the way for the biggest (including the elephants).

So we embarked on a 7 hour car ride, which probably took about a year off my life. In fact I am going to venture to say that this trip (between the harrowing experiences and weather forcast of constant smoke) has taken 3-4 years of my poor little life. The video game like car ride was broken up by a peaceful stop at a Jain temple, Ranakpur. Jains, even more than the Bishnoi beleive in the sanctity of all living things and wear masks so they don't breath in bugs and sweep in front of them so they don't step on bugs. It is a hindu religion STRONGLY influenced by Buddhism.

The day was great though. And I surived. And now we are in Udiapur. The lake city. THere are two huge palaces in the middle of the lake, and all the city surrounds them. It is actually where James Bonds "Octopussy" was shot, and they are showing it at the guest house tonight. It might be a possibility since all of us are so tense from todays adventure...

Oh and as an aside...all the people here are obsesed with Bryan's chops. He kind of looks like a British empire army comander amungst well...a bunch of Indians! They all seem to love it though :)