We had a second set of unexpected adventures on our trip to the Ajanta and Ellora caves. Five minutes after entering the famous Kailash Temple, we found our group of twenty-nine (26 students, Anju, Gene, and our guide completely surrounded by pushy, loud, and overly friendly Indians. They were determined to get our attention and get photographic evidence of these exotic, pale-faced people. They quickly got so loud and demanding that the man who is employed to protect the temple had to leave his post to become our personal body guard, using his flashlight and khaki uniform to shoo away the crowds and clear a path to the next statue. He then stood guard while our guide gave her explanations to block the throng from getting too close.
Despite his vigilance, a young man or two would occasionally slip through and stand by us, gesturing wildly to his distant friends to take a picture of him by the foreigners.
Our fans made navigating the narrow and sometimes very dark passage ways with thirty people (including our body guard) more than a bit difficult. But we finally, haphazardly finished our guided tour and were turned loose to explore on our own.
Two other girls (Molly, Izzy) and I headed out and immediately picket up an entourage of eight 20-30 year old men, who asked us incessantly, "Madam, madam, picture? Madam, photo? Hello, madam, photo?" A request we refused to grant because we knew they would keep us there posing until they had each taken about a dozen photos in various positions and because we weren't exactly sure what they wanted these pictures for and probably didn't want to know. So we tried to ignore them as we traipsed warily into unlit and tight passage ways with the men following a little distance behind us.
There was some help along the way. The temple guards were always very helpful, using their flashlights to show us down pitch-black, uneven staircases and shoo our crowd away.
On our way out, a woman ran up to us, yelling the same "Madams, madams, photos?" we had heard so much that day. For her, we relented and for the next fifteen minutes we posed for pictures with her, her husband, her friend, and her friend's husband--all of them throwing the arms onto our shoulders or holding our wrists, like we hadn't just met minutes ago. I'm sure they will show those pictures to their families and perhaps their future children by proclaiming us to be their American friends.
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