The Wedding.

It. Was. Amazing. I have never quite experienced anything like it. The four hour drive was completely worth it. The noise. The colour. The food. The dancing. It. Was. INSANE!

It all kicked off at the grooms house where the family gathered to present him with garlands (literally chains they put around his neck) of money followed by several other rituals. I felt a little like a creepy voyeur just peeping in the background, but everyone was so welcoming and so encouraging that soon enough I was snapping away with the camera. The sari's were just sensational. I have never seen so many people looking that good. They were so bright and sparkly and drapey and amazing and I felt so plain in my suit ( I was going to wear a sari but it turns out you need to be particularly skilled to be able to walk in them, so I opted for one of Raman's gorgeous 'suit' things: tights and a colourful long dress/top thing with the scarf around the neck.) We then jumped in the car and moved on to a spot on the road where we all got out and gathered, escorting the groom (who was perched atop a wonderfully decorated horse) down the street to the wedding palace (the place where weddings are). This was my favourite part of the night. There was a drumming crew playing the best music ever, the kind that fills you up and you can feel it in your tummy space. There was a line of beaded lamps being carried down the road as we went, dancing to the music. And did I mention the fireworks. Yeah, that's right. Fireworks. Going off about 5 meters away. It was so cool. As we entered the palace a large green garden area opened up, lined with 'stalls' with all different types of food. It was incredible. I'm actually surprised I didn't vomit I ate that much. The party danced the groom all the way into the palace and up onto the stage where he sat waiting for the arrival of the bride. In the meantime we danced our faces off. It was so incredibly sweaty, but so much fun. As it turns out I'm pretty okay at an Indian boogie. Haha. The bride arrived and the drumming and dancing was in full swing. She was so amazingly beautiful. All her arms and feet were hennaed, and her sari was practically blinding. The whole party was dancing around her and singing and being crazy and she managed to look incredibly serene and beautiful all the way up to the stage. The night continued on in a blur of sweat, food and dancing. It was excellent. There were a lot of strange men offering me beer which was a little strange, but I was lucky enough to have the gorgeous Riva to help me figure out just what the fuck was happening. Here the marriage is more a celebration of two families coming together, more than just the bride and groom, so it was just a massive party! All the old mamma's were sitting around eating and nattering away, the young folks were dancing like crazy, and the waiters were forever weaving through the crowd with food, water and BANANA SHAKES!! It was simply superb. I can't even begin to capture the magic that was involved, and have barely done it justice in this rather excruciatingly long natter (and for this please forgive me). Finally at about 3.30 in the morning we staggered up the stairs to where we were sleeping and collapsed into a food induced coma, limbs aching from so much indian dancing. I think I can safely say it was one of the best things I have ever been a part of in my life. I just can't even say what it was, it was just super. Ok, I'll stop now. I am sure I have made you jealous enough.


In other news, I am moving on to McLeod Ganj tonight. A shudder inducing 8hour bus trip will get me to the 'Little Tibet' of India. Yoga, meditation, monkeys, momo's, mountains and the Dalai Lama. Yep, should be good, let's hope I don't get too homesick and manage to somehow make some equally feral friends to share my adventure with.