The full grandma, to Pali.

India is the land of grandmas.

You will be offered a cup of tea, some food, stay for a while, you can't quite understand, and you never know how long this is all going to take. You should come and visit. Can you wait wait here for half an hour? My friend wants to come and meet you. 

Breakfast is on rooftop of the hotel, with a view to the fort. I think it is a mild curry flat rice with mustard seeds. 

After picking up heavy antique elephant Giddy incense holder from Nanda, I hand off a shifter spanner and pliers to the first local near the closed  motorbike repair shop  asking him to pass it on. They're heavy. 

In town, I tried to find a bank. 3 or 4 listed in Google maps,  I can't find. At one I can find, a young girl is trying to sell me stickers and hovering right next to the bike. I decided not to leave it outside with all my stuff. 

On the same main road, another lady asks for money. No worries, I hand her some. But it's like the pigeon effect, giving one chip means that they all come. I go left at the red here to escape and give up on banks here. 

Rolling through the countryside is pretty but a bit boring after a few dozen kms.

In a small village/bunch of stalls by the road,  everyone looks super genuine, head wrap is different, clothing is different, more like time forgot them. Buying a bottle of water is 20 rupees. I've got 10 or 100. The incredibly scrupulous shop keeper only takes 10. I guzzle it. I think I'm the tiniest bit dehydrated. 

I met a guy who offers me accommodation at his home, some home made food he's carrying, a chai if we can go further, and then even some money. I have to decline at least 3 times, lying to say I've booked a hotel,  picking one at random on the map to show him, saying my stomach is still not good (true actually- his moist food in a plastic bag is giving me genuine horror).

Finally pulling into Pali, I met a 20 year old fitness instructor, then another young fellow who brings 3 mates. We all end up at a cafe me and the fitness man having a milk chai,  courtesy of the fitness man, sitting around doing videos,  chatting for a good half hour. 

Rolling further the young fellow now has an entire group of young girls on his bike who want to meet a foreign tourist. We all shake hands. Then two sets more kids on bikes all arrive to shake hands. Then we roll along together. Then we stop again and I'm fully surrounded with people,  who are offering tea I think,  but definitely alcohol, which also puts me straight on alert ⚠️. 

I chatted for like 5 minutes but I'm desperate to find a hotel asap plus escape. I selected 1st, blew them away, overtook some motorbikes haha. 

A few narrow main streets later, with barely enough space for a couple of motorbikes to pass, lined with shops and I'm there, at the Jodhana Hotel
ओयो जोधाणा होटल The outside is concerning. The entrance looks OK though,  and the owner has eyes that strongly invite trust. Checking out 3 rooms, one looks passable, so all great, I will have a roof over my head tonight.

Dinner at the Pushkar पुष्कर होटल एंड रेस्टोरेंट , I can't read the menu. A nearby lady kindly reads 2 lines of the menu but the 1st sounds excellent.  Turns out I think they call it Thali: 2 naan, Dahl, hot pea mix, mystery wheat sausage and gravy, plus a salted yoghurt drink, v nice until you hit the residual saline bitter herbal grit at the bottom. 

Wandering the shops, hoping not to receive a motorcycle to the hips, people always say hello. One guy, Pintubi, speaks excellent English,  has a serene smiling face, wants to show me the nearby temple.

It is Jain. Shoes must be off, no head covering needed. 

There is much gonging, chanting, incense burning.

Later we go to his home, meet the family, answer the usual questions. Then right after I've said I'm going, his brother and father arrived so had to answer them all again. 

Today is peak grandma in Pali.