By the time I returned to Udaipur from Jaisalmer, it was clear to me that even though the temples, museums and forts are amazing and stupendous, traveling from one to the next does not appear to be my cup of tea. Or at least I have sipped enough of this potent tea to be pretty saturated at this point. So the plan I had when I left Udaipur, to come back for no more than a day before heading east to see as many places as possible before the Nov. 16th start of my 10-day silent meditation in Bodh Gaya, required modification.
What that modification would be became apparent when Rita said her sister wanted her to return to Delhi for the Diwali celebration. Along with the Lawyer I met on the plane from Delhi to Udaipur, Rita wanted me to talk to her niece's boyfriend about the possibility of building straw-bale homes. I had thought it would be a good idea for Rita to join me in these discussions, particularly if they come to the point of talking about working for pay (as both of these projects might) since she could help to negotiate these matters much better than I. It might also provide for a bit of revenue for Rita which she could sorely use to support her social activism. Her and David's story is a long and interesting one that I hope to get back to at another time.
We had talked about doing this when I traveled to Delhi before flying home at the end of November but this way she does not have to make a special trip. And I would be able to spend a few more days with locals doing whatever comes up, instead of suffering through another marvelous temple.
I'm hoping that after a few days in Delhi, I'll be able to enjoy Agra and the Taj Mahal.
Because it is Diwali, getting a train to Delhi is not possible so Rita is buying the bus tickets now. Rita has turned into a good friend and it will be fun to have someone to chat with during the 14 hour trip.
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