White skin tax

Raksha-Bandhan (or Rakhi for short) is the festival of sisters and brothers. The girls give their brothers and cousins bracelets and in return, the boys promise to look after the girls. To mark to occasion, over the rooftops, one can see the children flying kites. The whole sky is full of them, wavering about. It is quite a sight as the sun drops behind the fort.
Heading out of Jodhpur, there was some type of a procession or protest heading back into town. Groups from 1 to 12 people walk along with flags, dressed smartly, but brightly. In one of the groups, there is a man lying on the ground. At first, I hope that he is not injured, but as I approach, he can seen to be rolling along. Clearly, this is his protest. A man follows him, holding an umbrella over him to shadow him from the sun. He is still over 30km from Jodhpur!
On the subject of umbrellas, it is not uncommon to see a poor farmer in the countryside, dressed in the traditional orange turban and white shirt, with the shorts made from a wrapped around piece of fabric carrying a stick in one hand and a black English style brolly in the other! It is highly practical, yet looks strange. The roads are a fascinating place from which to see India. Women walk along the side of the road (also, often in the middle of it!) carrying heavy pots and other loads on their heads. They are perfectly poised and balance the vessels with ease. Sometimes, they place a ring on their heads and then carry the pots on top of that. If one stops to ask women by the side of the road for directions, they giggle and run away. I expect that the correct thing to do is to only approach the men. They, themselves are not much use as during a conversation, during which they are likely to point in all directions leading off of an intersection or to point and wave their hands around in such a way that their helpful suggestion is as clear as the water that fills the gutters here!
The next stop is Udaipur, a city of palaces, built around a beautiful lake. From all angles, the restaurants and cafés invite tourists to sit and watch the James Bond film 'Octopussy', which was filmed in the Palace in the centre of the lake. It is a stunning Palace, now turned into a hotel and only open to its guests. From a rooftop restaurant in the evening, the white palace reflects peacefully against the water in the lake. On the shore of the lake, the City Palace is stunningly lit up to show the intricacy of its design and its grandeur. The City Palace is a huge complex of buildings and courtyards. The views from the top, back over the lake do not disappoint. Being a major tourist attraction, there is little calm whilst wandering around it, and as with most of the Indian Palaces visited to date, the outside has fared time better than the inside. Upon exiting the Palace, the pressure to buy something from the touts rises. Whether it is food, gifts, hotels, a guided tour or a rickshaw, they are keen to sell their wares to the 'rich tourists'. Even the Palace itself imposes its own WST (white skin tax). It charges foreigners 10 times the local entrance fee as well as a relatively expensive premium for the privilege of using a camera once inside! This WST has been evident throughout India, and on principle, where possible, those sights are avoided (unless they are the major ones). It is a shame as it just makes tourists feel ripped off and constantly be on their guard for being taken advantage of!
Rant over and back out to the countryside.