And the bride is welcomed into their house

Being so close to the wedding and getting to understand more about the traditions surrounding it has been so fascinating. Each bride leaves their family home to start a new life living with her husbands family. On the couples departure from the wedding, before embarking on the four hour trip back to Samdari Bhanu, the new bride, wails at leaving her family. This feels too personal to watch and so I sit back in the car. Little does she know how fortunate she is to be marrying in to such a fantastic family. We were then so privileged to be there at the family house the following day when they undertook the welcoming ceremony and the new extended family life begins as we depart - perfect timing!

Lock the car door

The wedding was a four hour drive along winding dusty tracks and when you're lucky tarmac road that hasn't been washed away during monsoon. We left at 5 in the morning on the wedding day and on the return left at 11pm, with Kamlesh's brother driving. Throughout the journey we were constantly forced off the single track road until eventually we got a flat back tyre. Stopping on the track road almost immediately we saw torch lights coming towards us through the fields  either side of the road and then they stopped and the farmers then communicated with duck calls. So we got back in the car, locked the car doors and slowly drove up the rod to Rhaki, the village that we had previously been on motorbikes and between us all successfully headed home, and got to be gone 3am. An amazing wedding day together with an unexpected challenge. Who knows if the farmers would have robbed us, but better to be safe than sorry! 

You're a little bit fatty

On the night before Kamlesh's wedding there's huge celebrations planned and the inevitable happens and we're ushered into a house and dressed in a sari! His wonderful sister Julie is dressing us and hilarious decides to comment that we're a little bit fatty when we're squeezing into the underskirts! It's a real experience living with them as vegetarians and non drinkers. Perhaps we'll come back a little less fatty! 

Don't go further than the end of the street

After each meal there is a rest factored in, but our western unyoga posture is not suited to spending all this time sitting on the floor, so I'm always keen to walk around and explore. However we're now under the care of the family, who along with their warmth, feel responsible for us. But they're not used to having lone females wanting to wander the streets. So I'm advised only to walk to the end of the street. Of course I then head to the market and come back with pictures galore and know that our staying here is going to be a real cultural exchange, as they are also learning from us and watching how we do things. 

And off to school

Kamlesh is the headmaster of a local private school, so on our first morning we headed over there and was greeted by over 200 children all in unison welcoming us, followed by the brave ones coming up and shaking our hands. Heading into the small class rooms was interesting, with the boys and girls sitting separately, standing up and saying good morning and the settling down quietly. Here they all seem to want to learn, with their hearts set in being teachers, doctors or soldiers. Big aspirations for such small kids. 

A warm welcome

After a long day of traveling, and wedding shopping in Jodhpur we make the bumpy journey back to Samdari to meet Kamlesh's family. When we arrive their road is decorated with tinsel and lights, but we have to patiently wait to be allowed in. Then suddenly we're beckoned to the house and get a warm welcome from mum, dad and grandma. We're given Rajasthan turbans, a necklace for the wedding and a red paste bindi. And then we're fed, and fed some more. And introduced to the custom of feeding each other, so this is going to be an incredible leaning experience of ready getting into the customs and traditions of family life and celebrating a wedding. 

And you are lovely too

There's always hilarious moments when you go through airport security in different countries. Ages ago when travelling in China the security guards were laughing in anticipation of patting down both me and my tall travelling companion. So when we left Delhi to get on air internal flight we joined the security queue, got body scanned and then had to go into a small cubicle to be parred down .... hilarious woman obviously loves this job, and after doing her security check says my necklace is lovely and I'm lovely too and gives me a big wink. Time for a quick exit!