Gathering invasive water hyacinth plants

These ladies spend their days gathering the floating weeds that infest all lakes here.  If it isn't removed the lakes will become so clogged and the water fowl will leave for waters new.  No wifi yesterday so this is late.

I am  writing this to the sounds of multiple firecrackers, blaring music and musicians playing their instruments in total disharmony.  A wedding party is processing down the street, but for nearly two hours has only moved a few yards!  At the rear is a twinkly well lit cart, pulled by a bicycle, containing a generator from which snake parallel electric leads forward either side of the procession.  These leads are linked to boys pushing carts which hold umbrella chandeliers which light up the white mare upon which sits the groom who is holding a small nephew.  Further on the chandeliers become smaller and are held on boy’s shoulders; these light up some well dressed women who are walking in a huddle; then the men who are inspired to dance madly every so often in front of the leading cart which is also attached to the electric lines and is blaring out the music through large trumpet horns.  Musicians are scattered among the processing horde. Everything becomes quite frantic when dancing begins; women are encouraged to join in – well wishers start dropping paper money over the dancer’s heads which is grabbed by the musicians who encourage more donations by increasing their noisy efforts.  I’m exhausted so I wonder how the groom, the nephew and the mare are.  But they do it all the time and I bet most people have hearing loss before they are very old!  I once saw a pony at a pony club gymkhana jumping competition sprouting cotton wool from its ears – apparently it hated the microphone.  I feel the same and hate loud noises.

 
Spent the day in the bird sanctuary again and rented a hideous bicycle which had to go back and be replaced – still my knees nearly hit my nose and my bum was pretty sore by the end of 5hours. It was still foggy but I was lucky enough to see 6 jackals in the morning and again one solitary one for about 4 minutes when I was quite alone later on. It walked towards me from a sitting position and then thinking better of it he loped away – such a thrill. Everywhere little yellow tips and white butterflies flitted around and the ground squirrels constantly caught the eye. Saw the painted stork multiple nesting sites – terrific noise of the young screaming for food when a parent floated in. Many nests had 4 offspring so there was a constant procession of providers.  Some were able to fly (at 2 ½ months and will be on their own by 5 months) but there was one that was only a month old and was a bundle of white fluff.
There were three terrapins sitting in the sun, their yellow bellies speckled with black dots but we also saw two huge ones, with 3 foot shells, basking on an island some way off.  Managed to capture a harrier stooping on a coot and then plucking it before eating but of course it was a long way off. I also captured a heron catching a fish.
Saw eagles, owls, heron, antelope – so many things but now the internet is down.
 
Off to Jaipur again by bus tomorrow to stay one night and have my stitch removed and then who knows…