Today started with coffee part 1 (not great) and part 2 (good) then went off to the Langur Room by the golden temple). Largest free volunteer kitchen in the world and massive organisation!
We went through and sat in parallel lines (allcomers mixed in together) and were served rice, 2 chappatis, lentil and chickpea dalhs, with a rice pudding and water. Each was dropped from a height (expertly onto steel plates, with water dispensed from “oil tank” bowsers on wheels with bike handle bars! (Brake level turned water on and off!). It was REALLY tasty despite serving maybe 1000 places per sitting, every 20 mins or so
Unfortunately Ying dropped her hat in the eating hall, but very generously the helpers found someone fluent in English, sat us down and retrieved the hat (amazingly) and spent the next 15 mins chatting and refusing our thanks! So we took his photo…
Later went shopping for scarves for Sally…
Encounters with Locals: Usually it’s Where are you from? My son/daughter is living in Birmingham/Derby/Leicester. I live in Birmingham / London. Photo please? Shaking hands with small children is also popular passtime!!! Although shopkeepers and TukTuk drivers are there for the hardish, sell, ordinary passers by were invariably kind, greeting us spontaneously, warning of pickpockets etc
Saying hello to fellow travellers in the next TukTuk racing along and over/undertaking on the road is also popular pastime. Sometimes locals would hop in alongside the driver for a free/subsidised ride, which seemed entirely reasonable (though I think entailed unannounced detours for us at times!)