shrines

Some of the little wayside shrines in Udaipur 

we are on the road again this morning

off to Gujarat to small villages, then to 

Sasan Gir where the Asian lions roams

there might be a little blip in blogging

to Udiapur

After a couple of days in Pachewar we made our way slowly back
to Udaipur.    To break the journey we called in to Todger, for an
overnight stay at a friends' new haveli, The Hill Valley Resort.   Set
high in the Aravali hills the air was clean and fresh, a nice change
from the craziness of the traffic  We still have oh and ah moments
when travelling.   The cars manage to weave in and out of lanes,
never the correct ones, and then there is usually one car/lorry 
going the wrong way.   A traffic inspector's nightmare.

We stayed here a couple of years ago, and there were no front or back doors,
the swimming pool was under constructions and ladies were planting the 
lawn grass plant by grass plant.  

On to Ankola to see the block printers.  Along the country lanes we caught up 
with a camel train on the way to a holy festival and then Pushkar camel fair.

leader of the pack

the middle

bringing up the back, baby camels

the camels carry all the household equipment,

beds, pots and pans, and, of course, the

small children and babies

And so to Ankona.    Block printed cloth bought and some fine white Indian cotton.

The necessary cups of chai and chat.    The 'showroom' was in a bit of a mess, as

everywhere people are tidying up for Diwali, but that didn't matter I had a fine time

among the piles of fabric!

One of the ladies of the family showing her

skill at shibori/bhandani.   Very impressive.

a pile of cloth ready for dyeing - they are all large

pieces, about 5 mts, folded into four for tying and

no markings of a pattern are made, it's just

done by eye.   Amazing.

Pachewar

This is catch up time!     We set off on our wanderings through Rajasthan
a week ago.   We were will off the beaten track so no chance to blog.

A long journey made even longer with traffic jams and road works.  The
countryside is beautiful, I just love the Aravali Hills.   Stops for chai were
interesting diversions.   We could watch the lorries whizzing by and be
entertained by passing musicians, such as the two man band with one
drum and a cymbal between them.  No music as such, just a minute of
what could best be described as NOISE.

We arrived, somewhat dusty, in Pachewar after eight hours on the road.
Driving through the small village to the fort we encountered 'major' road
works.   A huge trench, which we later discovered had been by the owner
of the house, so he could find and connect to the main water pipe.   The
car had to reverse through very narrow lanes, eventually arriving at the
fort, we were the only guests, very exclusive!

A glimpse within

The fort taken from the original outer wall

our front door - with ventilation!

the interior shabby chic

The village was lovely, so clean.    People going about their daily business; the potter,

the shopkeeper, school children, and those just sitting and chatting.

The village was situated by a lake.   We had walks around, talking to ladies 
doing the washing, the men taking the buffalo for morning walks, children just
being cheeky.   Then there was the bird watching.  Ha, ha, you try to find a
green pigeon the same colour as the leaves on the tree.   Our friend Samshu
spotted loads, and we felt like idiots not seeing one!   Well, we did eventually.

 the lake at sunset

Happy Diwali

We're back in Udaipur after five days without internet access, and today 
is Diwali.  Local time 11pm, the fireworks have been going on continuously
for five hours.   Totally amazing, it sounds like a battlefield out there.

From Lake Pichola Hotel we look across the lake to the town, the sky is
alight with fireworks and whizz pop bangs.

The day was spent meeting friends, drinking chai and eating too many
delicious Indian sweeties!   A fabulous atmosphere.   Feeling tired but can't
imagine actually getting much sleep with all the din outside!

Good night!

Ah, India!

Four lovely relaxing days in Udaipur.   Meeting friends, copious cups 
of chai;  a little shopping;  walking in the Aravali Hills.   The lake is
looking gorgeous, full to the brim.   Not only are the fish jumping 
Samshu caught one for lunch.  Delicious.

Udaipur at night looks like a fairy tale.   I wish you could hear all the fireworks

and music in the background as the city prepares for the run up to Diwali.

Today we have a five hour drive to Pachewar, a small village with a huge

fort.   That will be our home for four days.  Built four hundred years ago it

looks amazing.    

Packing to do, breakfast to eat before we hit the road  in an hour's time.

pocket patch

last minute mending

a pocket patch for my favourite kurta

it has two big pockets, very handy

one had a hole in it, and now it hasn't

off to warmer climes for a week or two