Horn Please

On Monday we gladly breathed our last crappy breaths of Agra. So far, this has been the armpit of the subcontinent and no amount of Taj Mahal Brand deodorant could make it pleasant enough for a return sniff. The best part about Agra had to've been leaving it. We took the 1.5hr bus to Bharatpur and things were immediately more pleasant. Even the poo was nicer.
While passing acres of agriculture, we also got a first hand look at another local industry: poo cakes. These are dried cow-dung Frisbees that are used as fuel in home cook stoves. Apparently, the road between Agra and Bharatpur is the poo cake production epicenter of Rajasthan. There were poo cakes being dried on hills, poo cakes being stored in 5ft tall stacks, and even poo cakes being born as we passed!
Almost too soon, we arrived in Bharatpur and rickshawed over to our palatial digs for the night, the Park Regency (C- moldy, clammy, paint falling from the ceiling, under construction, expensive).
This place, which the manager just the day before had said he'd only be able to keep available for us until 2pm, was under construction, full of bugs and completely devoid of other visitors. The plus side is that we could walk to the Keoladeo Bird Park. This provided a pleasant bike ride and walk through what was an incredible nature reserve, or so we've been told. We didn't see many exotic birds, but there were lots of cows, a few deer, monkeys (do not feed), a small temple. There, Kiima and I got our first forehead dots. I quickly washed mine off and Kiima kept hers. Overall, it was a peaceful few hours in a much-needed green area.
Later that night, while falling asleep to MTV, an outside racket continued that I had to investigate. As it turns out, the owner of three local hotels, and a seemingly very important man, was giving his daughter away in marriage right next door to our stained pillows. I had been following the groom's procession (gaudy marching band, groom on white horse, dancing family) on the road to the wedding when I was invited to join in. After politely refusing some vigorous attempts to get me to dance, I returned to the room to convince Kiima to have a look. She hesitantly agreed and was soon glad she trusted me. We both were re-invited and went in alongside the grooms party. This must've been the wedding of the year, and future brides should take note, this was also the buffet of the year. Incredible amounts of hot foods, fresh fruits, fresh vegetables, fresh juices, breads, sweets, dosas, and made-to-order pizzas were served by 50 to well over 200 guests. Linnea and Pat, I'm available for consultation on this matter if you like. The ceremony, and its two participants, looked to be every bit as awkward as many US weddings I've seen, though much more colorful by far. We're so glad we made ourselves available for inviting to the event. I had hoped this might happen when we were throwing around ideas several months ago.
Today we bummed around the town, killing time until our night train to Udaipur. We shopped for many apparently non-existent toiletry products in the main market area and then toured the local fort. On the way to pick up our bags, we got harassed by this freaky, one-eyed cycle rickshaw driver for the second time in a couple of hours. He must've followed us for a mile or two. I fear seeing him in my sleep.