Tonight we are going solo, Maggi and Richard have decided to stay at the hotel for dinner and catch up on their sleep and jet lag. So, we traipse out to the street and follow the path we took to lunch – through the empty car park, past the vicious dogs (who have now decided we are Richard and try to attack, but the old guys sitting in the chairs outside the store yell at them and beat them back) and past Golden Street restaurant to The Foyer Restaurant and Cafe.
It’s a cute, funky little place with great murals and artwork adorning the walls, and some cool/kitschy interior decorating pieces. And we are the only customers – which in certain circumstances might worry us, but this place has really good reviews, so we aren’t the least little bit concerned tonight.
It’s lovely and quiet and the food is outstanding. I order what is now my all time favorite Indian dishes, Chicken Bedami, and Ed goes for the Chicken Shahi Korma, along with butter naan, all of which are fantastic, filling and completely eaten up by the two of us.
Walking out into the dark street after our excellent meal, we hear loud music up ahead. Aha! Across the street there is a wedding taking place, with music, lights and much dancing out in front of a hotel. We cross over to get a better look and end up hanging around, watching the dancing and the family photos and the revelry (with other non-invited, Caucasian “guests”) in the hotel entrance drive.
Totally fun! With the excitement over as they all file into the event hall, we turn back toward the hotel, most carefully crossing back over the street to avoid the dogs, then through the empty parking lot, where lo and behold, more music…which means another wedding!
For this one, we have to cross the main street – in the dark. Ay yi yi, if Bhanu only knew! but, hey, there’s a wedding! And we aren’t going to miss out, so we buck it up, wait for a break in the traffic and scoot across to get a better look. And, OMG, we’re so glad we did! This is truly a production, with a generator powering lights every where, a two big bands – one percussion, one horns - and the groom on horseback! Yes, horseback! I am totally obsessed with him.
There is of course the requisite dancing, the money dance (which we saw at wedding #1), and with that the procession starts to move….the guys with the generator wheeling it along behind all the lights. Amazing!
As the lights and the music begin their march, we begin ours back across the crazy, busy road and back into the more serene, relaxing atmosphere of the Trident Agra, where we have a night cap and then hit the sack to get ready for our first long bus ride day tomorrow morning.
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