I think I've entered the old age of my trip, where things have begun to seem a bit tedious in order to ease me into the next stage of my journey - going back home. It's now less than a week until I arrive, but that length seems absolutely filled with minutes and hours. As much as my time here has been amazing, I'm looking forward to going home, especially in the midst of the Canadian winter, which I've always found beautiful.
The only thing I've done recently was attend a portion of a Hindu wedding, but I didn't have my camera, nor did my roomates take many photos. Weddings here take place in the evening, and the actual ceremony doesn't start until after midnight. We arrived at about eight o'clock pm. The wedding was taking place at a hall which obviously specialized in that sort of thing. The grounds were lit up with christmas lights strung through the bushes. At the gate of the grounds, right after the parking lot was an archway, under which stood two men dressed up like some kind of traditional Indian soldiery, with massive fake moustache on their upper lips and large spears, guarding the archway. We walked down a red carpet lined with men in handsome suits and women glittering with gold in silk sarees. There was a small band playing with drums and horns. Beyond that was a dessert and tea stand, and further along the main dining area, lined with various stalls, and beyond that a massive tent with seats. At the far end of this tent was a small dais on which sat two golden thrones with plush red velvet cushions.
The colour scheme was white and orange. There was techno music playing in one corner of the tent. I was there due to a rather awkward string of association with the bride and groom - the volunteer worker for the brother-in-law of the sister of the husband of the sister of the bride. We took seats under the tent and I chatted and mused for a couple hours. Waiters would come by everynow and then offering coffee, or little snacks. One young man came by with drinks and I asked if it was chai (tea). It was coffee, so I declined, but after a few minutes the same boy came back with some other drink. I asked if it was chai, he said it was, but it was not the milk tea that I had my heart set upon. I declined, and his face seemed incredibly disapointed. I realized he must have gone off specifically to get me tea, and merely grabbed a different kind than I was hankering for. He came back several times, each time with things I didn't want. Finally, I just grabbed a coffee for his sake. It was the first coffee I've ever had.
After some time I looked up from a conversation to see the groom on his throne chatting with some other men. He was wearing a gold and red turban and a gold and red coat. He seemed fairly happy and was smiling. We had dinner, although I didn't eat much because I had eaten earlier that night. I just had some spring rolls and some saffron milk, because saffron milk sounds so exotic. It tastes like very sweet milk and has a slight yellow colouring. After we ate we got up to leave, since it was already about ten. As we were leaving we saw the bride walking towards the tent. She was dressed in a red and gold saree, and covered in gold jewelry, from bangels to a gold chain running from her nose to her ear. Her eyes were downcast, she walked slowly, surrounded by a cohort of other women and preceded by a camera man pointing his obnoxious light at her. The opposite of her jovial, relaxed groom, she looked completely timid, subdued and...well miserable.
One person in my party pointed out that this can hardly be blamed. For many women in India arranged marriages still spell the beginning of a period of servitude.
5 comments:
Poor serving boy. It was nice of you to eventually take a coffee though.
And Saffron Milk does sound very exotic! We'll have to make some.
What can I say Lua the seconds seem to go by like hours and the hours seem to go by like seconds.
How'd your first coffee taste?
You'll always have an interesting story to tell about how you got hooked on coffee.
The coffee was prbably a lighter affair than what you're used to in Canada. I didn't like it that much, as the after taste lingered in my mouth until I ate something else. Generally it was on the downside of meh.
It starts that way for all coffee drinkers. Then the caffeine takes hold of you in its beautiful embrace and the taste becomes haunting. It is the first idea that can penetrate your thick morning skull and it whispers to you all day from every corner.
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