about town

The family did an excellent job of pretending that our desire to take a trip in to town by ourselves was completely ordinary.  After Geela gave the go-ahead they had no option but to holler across the water for a shikara.  

Simon says that bargaining for a tuk tuk is painful in my presence.  I know that drivers look at me and begin to plan for their daughters' wedding ceremonies, but there isn’t really anything I can do about it.    Burkas are fairly common here, but I would surely create a moving mountain of fabric that would simply draw more attention.  Simon does concede, however that I make crossing the road easier as few drivers are willing to risk a huge white mess.

Foreign tourists are so rare here now that people stare openly, but it is safe and everyone has been very kind.  I had a gaggle of boys who insisted on following me around a sightseeing stop in the old city yelling “Hello, taxi!” until  I was forced to  take the offensive, chasing them with my camera.  I made them sit like maharajas on a black marble bench for this picture: