I'm pretty sure that some sort of torture is going on in the guise of hospitality. We wake up early every day (hello, 5:00 AM, nice to see you), eat a huge breakfast, waddle to our cars, begin our day of work, with a constant stream of coffee and cookies if necessary. Then, before you know it, a giant buffet of foods from traditional Indian to classic Italian will be spread before us. One cannot pass up traditional Indian food while in India, so down the gullet it goes. Ooooh, so good!
Meeting after meeting continue, with more coffee to artificially maintain momentum. Then we're broken off into groups where we sight see or shop until Dinner, which, of course, will be huge and run until all hours of the evening. One must be sure to simply sip the wine because the glass will be surreptitiously replenished when least expected. Then, it's back to the hotel, where exhaustion causes the bed to nearly sing to me (that's normal, right?) yet it is the start of the day back home, so there is much more work to do. I attempt to wade through the mountains of emails and sort out various issues before passing out cold.
If I don't completely explode from overeating, I'll surely go mad from exhaustion.
I say all this only to relieve my self of all obligation to put together a coherent and interesting blog post. Instead, I present to you, a rag tag selection of images with no apparently segues or useful narratives.
So without further ado...
For my crafty friends, here's a little fabric porn.
I'll only be showing you a fraction of what's inside. I'm pretty sure that after a certain point, I lose all sense of reality and go into some sort of silk related sensory overload.
These are all printed silks that are so cheap, one might be inclined to shed a tear. If you were to turn the corner, you'd have wall after wall of silk saris to choose from. If I hadn’t been mopping my drool up off the floor, you would see a pictures.
Along the other wall were their cottons
I'm pretty sure my host cannot fathom why I'd care about the cottons, but my god, for 12 dollars I could get enough fabric to recreate Princes Dianna's wedding dress, train and all. The printing is easily as beautiful as the silks yet with loads more practicality. Also inside were gorgeous pashmina shawls and other hand crafted textiles. If I told you the prices, you probably wouldn’t believe me. I recall seeing pashmina shawls in stores for over $100. Here, you can get a hand loomed, reversible one for under $30.
If money were no object, this store would have afforded me the option to look as lovely as some of the staff who joined us for dinner last night
This is the prelude to yet another binging incident.
Must...find...stretch...pants
But what is a blog post about India, without the obligatory cow?
It has been my goal to attempt to get my picture taken next to one of these fellas. I'm informed that no native would every consider having her picture taken next to a cow. I pointed out that most New Yorkers wouldn't deign to have their picture taken in front of the Statue of Liberty either. It's all part of tourist adventure. If it happens, you’ll all be the first to know.
Now back to the salt mines for me.
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Comments (16)
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Posted by cizk hbwceonmz | April 13, 2008 1:44 AM
Posted on April 13, 2008 01:44
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Posted by lmbjzpu xszwb | April 13, 2008 1:44 AM
Posted on April 13, 2008 01:44
I think I'm in a fabric coma now. Thanks for the photos!
(Now, can you talk my boyfriend into going to India with me solely to fabric-shop?) :)
Posted by Shannon | July 17, 2006 6:21 PM
Posted on July 17, 2006 18:21
faaahbriiic ... faaahbriiic (hypnotized chant) I don't know how you can keep in control - I would be a shopping whirlwind. Keep showing us those great photos!
Posted by Delica | July 7, 2006 12:30 PM
Posted on July 7, 2006 12:30
Definitely buy a sari... they're better than stretch pants. I'm loving your travel-blog!
Posted by Amy in StL | July 7, 2006 10:37 AM
Posted on July 7, 2006 10:37
You are too cute. I envision you being wheeled from meal to meal with only the occasional detour through a fabric store or cow post (what do you call a place where cows wander, anyway?)
I miss you terribly. I went to KC last night and Deena was making Deciduous. It looks amazing. Come home soon! (And bring silk. Or cotton. Or really just anything pretty and exotic.)
xox, J
Posted by Julia | July 7, 2006 10:33 AM
Posted on July 7, 2006 10:33
How often do you get to eat Indian food in India anyhow? Gorge away and worry about the stretch pants later!
Posted by Nancy | July 7, 2006 10:22 AM
Posted on July 7, 2006 10:22
Are you going to buy a sari or two? It's such fun? (and you don't need an elasticated waistband which can be a bonus!)
Posted by abi | July 7, 2006 9:55 AM
Posted on July 7, 2006 09:55
i'm enjoying very much this posts from india! hope you work less and enjoy yourself more!
Posted by betty | July 7, 2006 5:37 AM
Posted on July 7, 2006 05:37
OMG I want that fabric! O_O
And the food!
Color me jealous.
Posted by Maria | July 7, 2006 12:57 AM
Posted on July 7, 2006 00:57
Just know that we won't blame you if you get next to a cow in a pic. It's the kind of thing us city people can only wonder about, in spite of all those California Cheese-type cows that supposedly hang out around the town I live in.
Now, about all that fabric: Those images almost make me want to sew (or drape the stuff) again. Simply Gorgeous.
Posted by Wendy | July 6, 2006 10:51 PM
Posted on July 6, 2006 22:51
Oh man, I so want to go to India. I work with a bunch of people from there and the women always wear the most beautiful saris at company parties. I just want to paw at all that fabric, but I dare not.
My boss, who is Indian, insists that I would really love it there and I could shop until my head (and luggage) explodes without much of a dent in my bank account. He told me that there's a whole town where everyone just makes stuff. Handcrafts, that's it. Is it wrong to want to travel that far just so to eat and shop?
I'm loving yout travelog, keep it up!! (and I think you'd look simply astounding in a sari, grab some of that silk! You can just wear it while lounging around the house.)
Posted by Debbie | July 6, 2006 9:41 PM
Posted on July 6, 2006 21:41
I am so enjoying this travelogue of yours!
Posted by --Deb | July 6, 2006 7:44 PM
Posted on July 6, 2006 19:44
Be careful; when I was in Varanasi one of those cows gouged me in the side with its horn! Yikes! haha!
Posted by Karma | July 6, 2006 7:27 PM
Posted on July 6, 2006 19:27
Oh wow, that fabric is gorgeous! And while I feel bad that you have to stuff yourself, I would love to be there eating right along with you. Yum-oh. Was that too Rachael Ray?
Posted by Wendie | July 6, 2006 6:56 PM
Posted on July 6, 2006 18:56
Love the cow! Yum, I'm so jealous that you're getting all that yummy food. Sounds like you're enjoying it as much as you can while you're there! Can't wait to see the fabric you bring back.
Posted by Jenna | July 6, 2006 6:01 PM
Posted on July 6, 2006 18:01