Wednesday was the transition from the tour part of the trip to the wedding part of the trip, but we had time for a little bit more adventure. We got up early and did a bit of exploration of the town, with a break for some tea. The village is a grid oriented around a “tank” or pond for drinking water. We learned that the villages in this area were each laid out as part of the construction of a villa, like the one we’re staying at.
Around 10, a group of us went on an excursion for some arts and crafts. We started with a local tile manufacturer, then moved on to see another villa. The day was a bit chaotic – none of us really had a sense of what the plan was, and how long we were going to spend at places. We bounced to another villa for coffee, then had a far-too-brief visit to a local weaving center. Kat made some rushed purchases, but could have happily spent the whole day there. We did some other shopping and got to our lunch stop late enough that everyone was stressing about getting back to the hotel in time for the evening wedding activities. India doesn’t always operate at the fastest pace, so we were all watching the clock.
We did make it back in time (just) and joined the evening festivities by the pool – the main focus was getting henna applied, and meeting all of the new guests joining the festivities.
This morning, the day started with a group procession to a temple, then a return to the villa for the wedding ceremony itself. Now we’re all just chilling until dinner, enjoying the pool and the gorgeous weather.
I haven’t seen a watch like Kat’s in a very long time and am eager to hear more about the festivities.