According to some people, this year's fair has only attracted about 25% of it's usual numbers, mostly due to increased travel costs and the bad economy. Walking around the grounds it is hard to fathom another 75% camels and their owners, sprawled over the desert hills.On the very outskirt of the grounds a large group of traditional Rajasthani men have set up camp. Surprisingly, these men have been the most accommodating when it comes to having their picture taken, and today I was invited to sit down and share some chai with a group of colourful turbans. Within minutes I was the major attraction of the area, and suddenly I found myself surrounded by a multitude of other curious turbans who wanted to look at the white girl drinking tea with the boys.
Naturally, nobody knew a word of English, and my hindi only stretches to the extent of the head wiggle. So there we sat, wiggling and waggling our heads together, sipping our tea, and being rather content in the knowledge that despite the obvious language barrier and the cultural differences, a peculiar amity had been born. It was a truly magical moment.
Maybe it is a stupid question but what is the chai exactly? I suppose it is some kind of black tee, right?
ReplyDeleteChai is very Indian, and it basically consists of black tea with lots of milk, sugar and spices like cinnamon, cardamon etc etc.
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