The next morning we left Udaipur for our long drive up to Dagree. I should make a note that the distances we 
are traveling are more like 300 kilometres that can take 6-7 hours do to the horrible road conditions. We made a quick stop of at the Sas Bahu temples which dates back to the early eleventh century AD before hitting the open road. Very beautiful and fairly well preserved, we enjoyed a nice breezy walk through.
We stopped at a roadside cafe for the worst tourist lunch yet, paying close to $12 for a tiny undercooked plate of fries with rotten ketchup, a grilled cheese sandwich with processed cheese and a watery mushroom soup (the Indian food wasn’t cheaper, if you’re wondering). Basically you’re at the mercy of the road when it comes to these restaurants. I was not impr
essed.
I slept as best I could along the bumpy and under paved roads leading up to Dagree as I appear to be tired a lot here (I think it's the sun). We met Sabu Ram, our tour organizer shortly after 5pm and we made the 45 minute drive to the village where he grew up. We arrived in his rural village shortly before 6pm and met the whole family. His two married sisters came to stay from nearby villages with their children and his parents welcomed us with open arms!
are traveling are more like 300 kilometres that can take 6-7 hours do to the horrible road conditions. We made a quick stop of at the Sas Bahu temples which dates back to the early eleventh century AD before hitting the open road. Very beautiful and fairly well preserved, we enjoyed a nice breezy walk through.We stopped at a roadside cafe for the worst tourist lunch yet, paying close to $12 for a tiny undercooked plate of fries with rotten ketchup, a grilled cheese sandwich with processed cheese and a watery mushroom soup (the Indian food wasn’t cheaper, if you’re wondering). Basically you’re at the mercy of the road when it comes to these restaurants. I was not impr
essed.I slept as best I could along the bumpy and under paved roads leading up to Dagree as I appear to be tired a lot here (I think it's the sun). We met Sabu Ram, our tour organizer shortly after 5pm and we made the 45 minute drive to the village where he grew up. We arrived in his rural village shortly before 6pm and met the whole family. His two married sisters came to stay from nearby villages with their children and his parents welcomed us with open arms!
They live in a c
ement house with five rooms, two enclosed, a small kitchen (pictured above) and a storeroom. There is a toilet and shower around the back of the house, but life is very primitive and without luxury. A few cows and goats live out back and are washed and fed regularly. Fields of mustard and barley are planted around the house on four and a half acres. On the right is a picture of the field along with Sabu's grandfather and nephew who wanted me to take their picture!! On the property, th
ere is a well for watering that is about 550 feet deep and they only put the pump at 350 feet due to the salt water. This is the second well that they have dug as the well only seems to last about 10 years before it goes dry. The harvesting of the crop is done by hand with tools. We have seen tractors around India, but they are expensive and not that many people own them. We see most farming done by a team of workers in the field. Even potato harvesting is done by hand which seems arduous and archaic.
While his mom and sisters made dinner, we took the short drive into town to meet the locals. Most of
the townspeople never leave the area and are unaccustomed to foreigners, so we were the hit of the evening. We felt like Brad and Angelina mingling with the locals!! No one speaks English (or else very little), but they all wanted to know where w
e're from, how old we are, what do we do for work, etc. We were invited over to Sabu's teacher's house for tea and cigarettes. The custom in India is always to offer you tea. I myself am not a big tea drinker, but have to be polite! Where ever we went along came our entourage of mostly young boys following and offering an embarrassed smile when you looked at them. If you paid them any attention, they immediately became shy, but they loved photo taking and then looking at the picture on the camera. They were really adorable.
ement house with five rooms, two enclosed, a small kitchen (pictured above) and a storeroom. There is a toilet and shower around the back of the house, but life is very primitive and without luxury. A few cows and goats live out back and are washed and fed regularly. Fields of mustard and barley are planted around the house on four and a half acres. On the right is a picture of the field along with Sabu's grandfather and nephew who wanted me to take their picture!! On the property, th
ere is a well for watering that is about 550 feet deep and they only put the pump at 350 feet due to the salt water. This is the second well that they have dug as the well only seems to last about 10 years before it goes dry. The harvesting of the crop is done by hand with tools. We have seen tractors around India, but they are expensive and not that many people own them. We see most farming done by a team of workers in the field. Even potato harvesting is done by hand which seems arduous and archaic.While his mom and sisters made dinner, we took the short drive into town to meet the locals. Most of
the townspeople never leave the area and are unaccustomed to foreigners, so we were the hit of the evening. We felt like Brad and Angelina mingling with the locals!! No one speaks English (or else very little), but they all wanted to know where w
e're from, how old we are, what do we do for work, etc. We were invited over to Sabu's teacher's house for tea and cigarettes. The custom in India is always to offer you tea. I myself am not a big tea drinker, but have to be polite! Where ever we went along came our entourage of mostly young boys following and offering an embarrassed smile when you looked at them. If you paid them any attention, they immediately became shy, but they loved photo taking and then looking at the picture on the camera. They were really adorable. We went back home for a delicious dinner that we ate on the floor. Dinner bega
n with some sweet substance that we fed each other before moving onto dal and chapati. There was also a kind of rice pudding for dessert made with milk and rice. As there aren't very many lights in the house, things quiet down early and we went to our room to watch a movie on the lap top, going to bed at 10:30.
We woke up with the sun and went into town again to meet with the locals.
There were school children everywhere in their uniforms so the crowd was smaller, but still the curious looks persisted. We had more tea and visited with the locals. We went back to the farm for lunch and dressup time. Sabu's sisters had been working on a sari for me since our arrival and dressed me up full Indian style. Joe got off with only a hat, but we
fit right in! Unfortunately, I think I am more of a jeans girl. The local men here are always trying to get me to by a sari and dress like the other women, but I think I prefer to stick with what I know. I also don't need the added stares! We left Dagree shortly after lunch for the trip into the big city of Jaipur. We really enjoyed our time out in the country. It allowed us to meet and see how the locals live and we will always cherish that experience.
n with some sweet substance that we fed each other before moving onto dal and chapati. There was also a kind of rice pudding for dessert made with milk and rice. As there aren't very many lights in the house, things quiet down early and we went to our room to watch a movie on the lap top, going to bed at 10:30.We woke up with the sun and went into town again to meet with the locals.
There were school children everywhere in their uniforms so the crowd was smaller, but still the curious looks persisted. We had more tea and visited with the locals. We went back to the farm for lunch and dressup time. Sabu's sisters had been working on a sari for me since our arrival and dressed me up full Indian style. Joe got off with only a hat, but we
fit right in! Unfortunately, I think I am more of a jeans girl. The local men here are always trying to get me to by a sari and dress like the other women, but I think I prefer to stick with what I know. I also don't need the added stares! We left Dagree shortly after lunch for the trip into the big city of Jaipur. We really enjoyed our time out in the country. It allowed us to meet and see how the locals live and we will always cherish that experience. 
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