A couple of hours outside of Orchha we pull over the truck for lunch. Within a few minutes the local goat farmers come over and stand behind us. They watch in fascination as we quickly setup the tables, food and cleaning gear.
Whilst we are eating two interesting people approach us.
The first is an Indian journalist who took photos of us at the palaces in Orchha this morning. He asks if he can take more photos of us, we agree. He is from Bombay and I think he has himself an interesting story today. He says that Indian people can learn a lot from us, referring to our impromptu roadside picnic. I wonder what most Indian people think of us.
The second visitor is an inquisitive young Indian chap, well dressed and sporting a large orange bindi. He has many questions. He is curious of what we think of India, what attracts us to India and he wants to know about our class system. We talk briefly about Shakespeare and other writers. He says he thinks we are all from the higher class of our societies, which we are not. His biggest surprise comes when he asks about our poor people. We tell him that our governments give them money for food and shelter. He is amazed. It is easy to assume that different cultures understand simples aspects of our societies, when they do not.
It was a very interesting stop.