Being a tourist in India... (Heidi)

So I have finally been able to take some pictures that I think accurately reflect my experience here thus far... and I don't feel now that I need to do the pairs thing, so it must mean I'm getting comfortable with the place!

Sara and I enjoying Chai tea! Her maid Ramina makes the best tea in the world, seriously. I've decided I'm going to learn how to make it before I leave... anyone know if it's possible to find buffalo milk in Atlanta?
Buying tea at the tea market - This is a time where there's no way to fully share the experience without uploading smells... and this guy was just so cute!
Buying sugarcane juice on the side of the road - they put ice in it though, so I only had a sip. But it was delicious!

Sheep hanging out in the shade in Sara's old neighborhood.

So here begin my great adventures. I walked to to the corner and bought a pineapple for 20 rupes (40 cents).

Walking home I found a dog... in a dumpster.

I love this. This was on the way home from the pineapple purchase. It's just really cool to see the old and new way of dressing and the symbolism -- as the modern dress approaches the old very slowly goes away.
There is a construction family that lives right outside the apartment building. I think the way it works is that the families all move to the building site and live in tents, and then they move to the next site when they're done -- if anyone knows for sure let me know. I asked her dad if I could take a picture and he did this head bobbley thing and I had no clue whether he was saying yes or no... so I gestured a few more times and he told the girl to stop moving so I could take a pic...
After I showed her the picture, it created a bit of a stir. Other women came over and wanted their pictures taken... so I did. Even after asking permission, it's always stressful to see how people react, so this was a really fun and memorable experience. Absolutely beautiful people.
Later in the day I took a tour of some mosque tombs that are in the old part of the city. They were quite impressive, but the best part was that I came across some kids playing cricket in one of the open areas outside one of the tombs. I chatted with them for a little while (they spoke great English) and they invited me to play... so I did! I felt like a total tourist for loving the experience, but it was really fantastic. I'm pretty sure my driver thought I was nuts at that point.

The next day was filled with the tourism department city tour. I found that the kids on my bus were thrilled to have the opportunity to try out their English (on a "real American") and so they acted as my tour guides at all the sites. It was just hilarious to see everything from a kids point of view. This was on the way up to one of the temples... the sweepy broom-like things are used everywhere and work really well!
A child coming down from the temple with the powder on his forhead.
A store for doors, or something like that, in the Old City.
A cow crossing the road. Ironically, right in front of the zoo.
The zoo was interesting. It didn't take too long before I realized that I was an attraction... this charming woman only spoke Telagu and so her grandson (maybe) acted as an interpretor. She came up to me really close and looked me square in the eyes and just started smiling and then speaking like I should be able to understand her. She asked if I would take a picture with her and so I had them take one with my camera too. What you don't see is that there are about 50 people on the other side of the camera just smiling and staring. I just can't imagine what they'll say about these pictures.. "we went to the zoo and saw an American!"

At the fort...