Louise's Sari Debut

On Saturday afternoon, Louise fulfilled Item #1 on her India Checklist by riding on the back of a motorbike. In order to gain the fullest Indian experience, several conditions had to be met:

1. The woman on the back of the motorbike must be wearing a sari.
2. The woman must be riding side saddle.
3. The man driving the motorbike must be wearing a helmet.
4. The woman must not be wearing a helmet.

Louise, Nic, Ani and I gathered at my place for the photo shoot. Louise arrived looking fabulous in her bright turquoise sari, while Nic arrived in a Texas t-shirt looking quite groggy. But to his credit, people didn't leave his apartment until 5:30am the night before.

We headed outside and Ani and Louise hopped on the bike. Louise naturally posed for some quite fashionable photos. Nic and I jumped in a car and followed alongside as they drove through the city. We made our way through the neighborhood and on to the crowded streets of Delhi. We drove past India gate and around the giant traffic circle. One of my favorite sightings was a car full of men enthusiastically staring at Louise as she cruised by on the back of the bike. The sight of an Indian woman in a sari on a bike is absolutely nothing to them, but I imagine they rarely see white woman clad in a sari on the back of a bike.

We stopped near India Gate for another photo op and there, Louise got off the bike and I jumped on. But, I wasn't brave enough to sit side saddle. Plus, it wouldn't have been as exciting since I wasn't wearing a sari.