Village

The two small villages (population of ~300) we stopped at on the way to the desert were quite clean and picturesque. The first village was half Hindu and half Muslim. While they all get along well, they settle down only on the side of the village where their community stays. There was an imaginary line. All houses were built using cow dung, mud and water and then the wall were painted and decorated. There was a lot of cow dung drying in piles all around, it is also used as fuel. Families are big and there is not enough space for everyone to sleep inside, so they put blankets on platforms outside and kids sleep there. For Diwali they had a celebration where visitors from other villages came, they cooked a couple of goats and ate them all together. Each village had a school and a doctor. Only men work and women take care of kids and households. As one old uncle was telling us: "All they do is bring water and make chapatis. Foreign women work, it's better for the men there..." :o) Well, I am sure that these women work hard as well, it's not an easy life.