Day Eight continued - Visiting a market

A cow 'grazing'

Cows in towns and citites are free to wander wherever they want but at night they are fed by the family that owns them. On holy days and holidays people buy cows rich green plants for them to feed on as feeding cows brings blessings.

In towns and cities we often saw cows ankle deep in squashed plastic bottles and rubbish, rooting around for something to eat. Apparently there is a real problem of cows eating food thrown away in plastic bags because they eat the whole thing and then die from the plastic inside them.

These cows are pictured in Bikaner where we visited the market after seeing the wondrous fort in that town.(see posts below.)

Somehow Anne and I got separated from our group and had to cross four lanes of non-stop traffic on our own. The memory of running for it where there is no obvious place to cross will stay with me! 

The market itself with colourful, fresh fruit and vegetables all perfectly displayed was a great place to wander. 

However we thoughtlessly wandered into a place nearby which turned out to be the mens' urinal and then we went a bit too close to a gathering of cows, one of which head butted Anne with it's horns.  We were also yelled at by a man with a stall crushing sugar cane. In our rush to get back to the safety of the coach I tripped and fell on the pavement.

 No real harm done but a reminder of why, for someone like me, a first visit to India is best done as part of a group and I admire any woman that goes there alone.