fireworks and solid gold dancers and palaces, oh my

we've been priviledged to tag along with an indian wedding party for a few days in udaipur. wow. there is no party like an indian wedding. they held a party last night in palace grounds for a few hundred folks that included not only tons of great food, gorgeous clothes, djs, flower petal decorated footpaths, a few live bands and singers and a dance troup with several changes of sparkly outfits, but the soon to be wed couples entrance was announced with a full fireworks show. not just sparklers, mind you, but at least the equivalent of a mid-sized town 4th of july celebration. udaipur has been a great experience with several moments of extreme beauty and travel-mystery. one of those was watching the fireworks overhead exploding above the palace walls while the bats went crazy and flickered and swooped against the sky. another was walking across a dry lake bed today, surrounded by palaces in the near distance, camels in crazy outfits walking by with striking men in long coats and orange turbans, water buffalo tended by tiny old women in white and young women in bright pink s, greens, and blues with baskets of cow dung on their heads, and listening to the rythmic broadcasting of the muslim prayers roll across the landscape. very very cool. tonight we get on a 12 - 16 hour bus journey to jaiselmer where we hope to do a little camel safari......