- Ravi (in the cap behind me) - the angel/con who very possibly saved us from getting any closer to the bombs in Delhi.
- Arriving in Delhi under the blanket of night, giggling like a schoolgirl with the excitement of all the adventures laying ahead.
- The smell. The damp, deep, dirty humidity carrying the scents of every sweating man, woman and child. Mostly in the big cities where the thick layer of pollution prevents any air from escaping or even just circulating.
- After arriving, barely even getting a shoddy, groggy half-sleep, waking to open the door on a beaming Tommy.
- The first Holy Cow.
- The first monkey.
- The men at the Honey Dew Cafe in Pushkar. The skinny chef and owner, who through broken-yet-confident English made Italian coffee with a smile. And his Buddah comrade, shirtless & always belly-laughing through his greying beard and sparkling eyes.
- The Taj Mahal. Revealing itself in the misty light of dawn against a pink sky. No words.
- Laughing. Talking. Crying.
- Emma from Goa, who became not only a buffer for me and Tom when things got a bit heated, but also my saviour the day after Tom left Mumbai. She saved me from myself.
- The dancers in Jaipur. Mother and two daughters. With a lack of an audience because of the rain, they decided to have me and Tom...well, mostly me...entertain them. I sat and chatted as long as the language barrier would allow. The mother noticed I wasn't wearing earrings so she took out one of her many pairs, licked the hooks and stuck them in my ears. It sounds gross, but I will cherish them forever.
- Vikki - our driver. And how I will always feel like we cheated this honest man.
- Insides:
a) Ten martial art forms
b) 2-5 minute Tommy Time
c) multi-winking
d) mom jokes - The perfume man in Pushkar giving me incense sticks, even after I kindly declined his oils.
- The pilgrim men at The Sivitri Temple, delighted by me taking their picture.
- The colours of the Rajasthani women. Even those living in extreme poverty. Spectacular.
- The manager at Hotel Apollo Guest House in Mumbai, offering many, many everythings.
- The oasis that was Villa Anjuna in Goa. Diggler the bartender, and the pool.....the glorious pool....
- Spitting, smoking gypsies in the Holy City, suckering Tom into getting henna on his palm.
- The cons:
a) The "Rajan" Experience
b) Sheik in Jaipur
c) Maniac taxi driver in Mumbai
d) Pillow case fraud
e) Pushkar Passports - The children. From those begging for bakshish to just wanting to hold your hand. The smiling and the sobbing. Shitting on the sidewalk. Spinning on the sidewalk.
- The Marine Drive walk with Tom, after Hari Putar and caramel "Top Corn".
- Saying goodbye to Tommy in the middle of the night in Mumbai. Big cities are so much quieter when you have no one to talk to.
- The sunsets. Atop the Savitri Temple, looking out over Pushkar. Goa, our final beautiful night. How the red sun dipped perfectly between the island and the hills.
- Climbing the rocks in Palolem to see the crabs in their natural habitat, ripping apart dead fish with their claws.
- The family at the bottom of the temple in Pushkar, sipping their ginger chai while they insisted I visit their home for chapati. I declined, as Tom finally showed up in the dark on the rented motorbike.
- The motorbike. And the scooters in Goa. How freeing to zip through the mountainous roads with the wind in your hair and the sun on your back. It feels like love.
- Munchie - our dog for an hour. On the scooter, south of Palolem, on the hunt for a Kingfisher (bird, not beer). Stopping at the side of the road, a white dog came out of nowhere and hopped on the scooter, wedging himself between Tom's legs. We couldn't shake him! The most docile dog....we had no idea if he belonged to anyone. Every time Tom pushed him off he would charge at us at full speed. So we let him ride aroud with us for a while. We got to a remote, deserted beach right before sunset & Munchie followed us happily onto the sand. When we went to leave, he was right there waiting to go. So amazing! Sadly, since we didn't know where or to whom he belonged, we had to push him off again where he picked us up. It broke my heart seeing this beautiful dog running after us at full hilt, til we rounded a blind corner and he was finally gone. So sad.
- The hotel in Udaipur. 4-poster bed. Clean. Perfect location. View of Lake Palace from the roof. Just. Awesome.
- People - whole families - taking our pictures. The Fort in Agra, City Palace in Udaipur, the beach in Palolem, the Lotus Temple in Jaipur. The final time by the India Gate in Mumbai, me asking for 200 rupees after. The look on that boys face...
- The first Indian sleeper train. Udaipur to Ahmedabad. Our shock when we first saw the teeny cabin. The nice young German couple who we shared it with. Then the train from Ahmedabad to Mumbai. NOT a sleeper, and 8 hours long. Luckily, it was AC coach class. "Chai, chai, masala chai", "soooooooup."
- The deep regret of not "splurging" on those last minute scarves and necklaces from the Mumbai Colaba Causeway market....sigh......
- Our scary encounter with two very pushy (and probaby high) bongo drum "salesmen" in Mumbai.
- Fish, fish and MORE fish in Goa. Delish!
- Bleddy cesar with extra tobacco, wester and Tom juice.
- Finally reaching the Savitri Temple at the top of the mountain in Pushkar. Decided to wait 2 hours for the sunset. SO, so worth it.
- Drinks at the insanely oppulent Rambagh Palace in Jaipur. The smell of jasmine dripping off of everything. The sexy, exotic sitar. I felt like royalty for an hour. Grey Goose martini with roquefort cheese and mint stuffed olives...DIVINE! Decided to write a book about all of the different olives I've eaten all over the world. Tom thought it was a terrible idea...
- ...but I am still going to write "Lanes Shmlanes: My Adventures on the Indian Highway with Tommy '2-5' and Vikki Martin".
- The Lake Palaces, in Jaipur & Udaipur.
