Last Day in Pushkar

Today is James and my last day in Pushkar. Robyn and Krissy left yesterday afternoon to travel down to Udaipur for a couple of nights and we will meet them in Jaipur on Tuesday morning.

Today James and I went for a drive with Fiona to a small village about 18 kms out of Pushkar where there are shoe makers and lots of good fabrics.

These young girls were very keen to have their photos taken and followed us around as we looked at the old fort and ruins in the village. They then called their friends and we had quite a little gathering following us around - very sweet!

It was a very beautiful village and most of the houses and buildings had been painted afresh for Diwali festival last month. We were lucky enough to have a local man with us who could explain much about the village.

This is a fabric wholesaler - out in the middle of nowhere.

Back in Pushkar a couple of days ago - Krissy buying haberdashery from a local vendor on the street. They were very intrigued!

We went for a walk along the ghats around the lake in Pushkar. Not as confronting as Varanasi and lots of people bathing and swimming when we were there.

A building along the ghats - Robyn was keen to see if she could walk up these stairs to the rooftop!!!

Tomorrow James and I head to Jaipur with a car and driver. We have had time to relax and unwind here in Pushkar, as well as do some fun things and spend time with local families - which has been lovely. If you are ever in Pushkar you can't go past staying in Our Pukka Place - it's close to the main town (about 5 minutes walk) but far enough away to be peaceful and away from the bustle. Fiona and Praveen will make you feel very welcome and the boys who work in the hotel are very obliging. Fiona also has a blog with links to all the other projects she has on the go. She works with many local families and artisans, and helps to support and encourage them . Fiona also runs textile tours in India and other countries such as Vietnam and Syria and has a fabulous knowledge of textiles and their history. Follow these links to check it out for yourself.

Our Pukka Place

Creative Arts Safaris

The Stitching Project

We are into the last week of our trip and although we have lots to explore in Jaipur and Delhi we are looking forward to getting home soon. Love to all, see you soon....and don't leave me off your Xmas present list!!! xxxx

Camel Safari and Block Printing

We are still in Pushkar and have been enjoying a few of the things on offer around this area. Robyn and Krissy decided to go on a camel safari last night. Here they are getting acquainted with their camels in the front yard of our hotel.

And riding off into the sunset! Apparently it took quite some time to get out to their camp yesterday afternoon and they thought they were way out in the desert.....this morning it took about 5 minutes to return to town on galloping camels!!!
Yesterday morning Robyn and I did a block printing workshop Fiona arranged for us, with a local family who make their living producing lengths of block printed fabric. The piece above is 2 metres I printed in a 3 colour block. It was lots of fun and it was very interesting seeing and experiencing the process of block printing in this country - I picked up a lot of tips and ideas.

This young man was trying to understand my English - no he's not falling asleep...he was very patient!!! We had several family members helping us and there were also lots of other people around who came to watch the white ladies printing! It was really interesting being in the family's home and we got to talk to and hold the babies! as well as watch the family go about their morning activities.

Rob concentrating very hard on getting the registration right!

These are some of the blocks the family uses to print their fabrics. They are carved elsewhere by a master carver....beautifully intricate and highly detailed blocks. Apparently the family told Fiona that they were impressed with my patience and printing - maybe I could get a job here!!!

We are enjoying our time in Pushkar and it's great to be able to participate in things at a local level instead of being a tourist all the time and looking from the outside in.

Love to all until next post. Miss you all and can't wait to see you soon. xxxx

Pushkar

We had a little change of plan after spending hours bumping along rough Indian back roads washed out by big monsoon rains and are now in Pushkar. Pushkar is a very holy city and has quite strict rules regarding food and alcohol. There are many westerners here and the town is quite laid back and friendly.

Pushkar is in Rajasthan and is very colourful compared to other places we have been. The women's saris are extremely beautiful and the men wear all sorts of colourful turbans.
James thinks he might apply for this job???!!!

We are staying in a hotel -Our Pukka Place - owned by Fiona (an Australian woman living in Pushkar) and her husband Praveen. Fiona is well known in Australia for her textile work and nows runs tours of India and other countries. They have been very welcoming and it's lovely to have someone to talk with who knows the local community well and can explain many things to us about life in India. Fiona and Praveen also run cooking classes and last night we all went to their new house to do a class. First we visited the local market to buy veges and then drove out to their place. This is us enjoying our feast after much hard slogging over the stove!!!

James and I cooking up a storm!

We learnt how to make chappatis... we were meant to make perfect round ones so we were good cooks who could be married off. James made a heart shaped one.......ahhh how romantic!

Praveen recently bought Fiona a camel...yes she has been wanting one for a long time! Here's James, Robyn and Krissy making friends with Baba.

At the moment in India there are many weddings and they are loud and colourful affairs that go on for days. We have seen several going through the streets with loud brass bands and processions of women and sometimes men. Yesterday we saw one with lots of carts carrying the wedding gifts so everyone could see how wealthy the families are. Really interesting.

This one today was very beautiful.

We are enjoying staying in one place for a while and getting a feel for the place. Pushkar has some lovely shops so this morning we went out and did a bit of serious shopping.....now need to go and buy another bag I think!

Hope everyone is well at home. We are safe and resting up after some hectic travelling...taking it easy. Tomorrow Robyn and I are going to do a block printing workshop and tomorrow night Rob and Krissy are going on a camel safari.

Love to all at home...talk to you soon xxxx