All along the way, we have been staying in very nice hotels.  One in particular was palatial - see below!



This hotel had at least five courtyards, all as big as the one below.



Then for a change of pace, we spent a night in a tent!





There are a lot of trucks on the roads and highways and most are brightly decorated.  The fronts of these trucks, including the license plates, have colorful patterns while the backs often display mural-like paintings.







For the celebration of Diwali, many homes in the villages were decorated with lively folk art designs and images.  Sometimes these drawings were on the walls of the homes and sometimes on the floors.  I loved them all!





Our guide is eager for us to interact with the local people and when we do, the locals are as delighted as we are.  Several days ago our guide stopped the bus so we could talk with a group of women who performing a ritual to celebrate a Hindu god.  (Notice that there is a pile of brown stuff on the ground in front of them.)There were many smiles on the faces of the tourists and the locals and much picture taking.



Soon some men showed up to find out why the tour bus had stopped in their village.



The pile on the ground was a Hindu image made especially for the occasion.  It was made of mud and cow manure.  Our guide refers to it as "Holy Cow Shit."  Stuck into it are peacock feathers.



HCS is an important product in India.  It supplies the fuel for cooking and ash is then used to scour the pots and pans. (Lower left is a pile of ash.)



This is about as down and dirty as I want to get right now.  More in a day or so.