Arkola

Back in Udaipur for fives days.  Oh, the comfort of a soft bed, after sleeping on planks and a thin mattress, at the farm.

Time for a little relaxation, meeting friends, and perhaps a little shopping!

First a trip to Arkola to meet the block printing family.   We go there every visit, and enjoy seeing what's on the printing tables or drying in the sun.

a very healthy indigo vat

pomegranate skins for the orange colour

an assortment of rusty things for black colour

printing cloth

finished cloth  washed and waiting for ironing

I bought some block printed fabric;  couldn't resist two silk scarves;  and  20 mtrs of

beautiful Indian cotton (now going home by sea).    It's so soft and dyes beautifully.

All around there is cloth on the ground drying.   Some plain dyed, ready for the block

printing process.  Others are waiting for over dyeing.   Pots of dye everywhere.   It made

my fingers (which for once are very clean) twitch.