Elephants, Camels and Monkeys, oh my!

I really like Jaipur. First because some of my favorite animals can be found in the street either domesticated or wild. The people here are very nice. I went walking in the streets last night by myself, and really did not feel in any danger. The local population is very curious and stares a lot, but not out of malice. Many of the individuals in our group are frequently asked to be in pictures with Indians - keep in mind that we go to monuments, so they are using a picture of an American over whatever landmark we are at. The streets are filled with rickshaws, these little motorized or unmotorized three-wheeled bikes used as a taxi. While walking last night I realized that the rickshaw is generally the only possession the driver has; at night they park their rickshaw and stretch across the handlebars and seat and sleep. When I was passing these homeless people last night they were curious but friendly. People are excited when I say I am an American. Many people are particually interested in my long hair; I recently found out that it is congruent with the popular perception of a moviestar. Another point of cultural confussion is my Bison pin. It is perceived as a cow, something very sacred to about 85% of the population. Some venders even thought the Bison pin was my way of publically declaring my overwhelming masculinity and fertility to the ladies - there was a language barrier so I just kept smiling and let them imagine the full capacity of my manliness. Today we went to a paper mill. We were allowed to see the process that takes shreds of discarded cotton through to high-end packaged stationary. You really don't visualize in your head that "made in India" means there is a factory here somewhere where human labor is cheaper than mechanized work. Often times that "factory" is in a nook on a flooding street with a foot-powered sewing machine. This paper mill was actually very nice, although small for an American perception of "factory." The owner (Salim) was considered to be one of the most important members of the Jaipur community. Yet the workers appeared to be paid better than average with good working conditions. I assume that this factory would have been one of the better jobs in the region. I have been able to pick up a few gifts; I got some anklets for Faith and some bendi's for Yari and Ashli. Tomorrow we travel back to Delhi. Shout out to Mom, Sia, The Fam, the gang, the office, Wellington, LW, France, EMC, and Joe.

AA