re: WFDT - 5/20

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What the hell was it then?

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Some sort of "impossible" meat. Made from beans.

We went in May because a good friend of ours sponsored the trip, monetarily. He wanted us to meet his family and experience his culture.

He was our guide and we couldn't have done it without him. They treat visitors like royalty. I had to sneak away to get cash, because everything was paid for and semi-planned, and there were a couple of things I wanted to buy that may have been considered "expensive" (over $10). Tipping was never expected, but a $3 tip (service charges were tacked on at 5%) was met with astonishment. An Uber, in ridiculous traffic, all the way across the city was less than $5.

ETA: We had an Uber driver stay with us for 5 days, driving us from Delhi, to the mountains in UK (Uttarakhand, a state, in the Northern mountainous region of India). The long-term drivers are given a cot in the hotel, sometimes in the lobby or restaurant, and are expected to be at the host's disposal, when needed. The cities of Haridwar, Rishikesh, and Mussoorie were about 30 degrees cooler.

The heat was no different from a day on the beach, here in FL, just less humidity. The difference is the pollution, amount of people and garbage. Cows walk down city streets; monkeys climb buildings. We saw a woman holding an infant, riding sidesaddle on the back of a motorcycle, a toddler hanging on to her Dad, riding the back of a motorcycle, a dead motorcyclist on the side of the road.

The current president, and expected to get re-elected on 6/6, has apparently done a lot for the country. The brand new highways were deserted, so travel, outside of the cities, was great.

It was an offer to travel that couldn't be turned down. Having said that...It was exhausting and wonderful.

And the comment on wearing very little, I was dressed in pants and long sleeves everyday. I respected their modest dress code and acted accordingly. Even still, we had dozens of people take their picture with us. I can only imagine what it must be like to be blonde!

As this is the food board, I will wrap up with - The food at every meal was fantastic. If you are brave, the street food is also delicious. You can spend in a week, what one meal would cost a couple, in the US.