Return to Laos and I keep smiling.

Wat Sisaket

How can I say it feels like "coming home"?  I was only here for 8 weeks before I went away.   

But I keep smiling.  

India is crowds and noise, fumes.  More "in your face" and "on the edge".  More confronting. 

Laos is a kinder life.  More familiar and gentle.  

The peacefulness of buddhism, temples and monks. The gentleness of Laos people.  The smiles.  

Thankyou

This made me smile - 

wouldn't a temple always be smoke free?

A study in patience,,,, or optimism.

Outside the temples people may have cages of birds they sell to worshipers.  The birds are put into the little bamboo cages (on the ground, above), and later released.

And a local cat is sitting there - ever hopeful

       

Back to spaghetti power-lines and Lao flags 

and quiet streets

Mmmmm  tempting

What a lovely few days in Vientiane:
Catherine and Icat gallery.  Beautiful photos
Gentle tuk tuk drivers. The people's smiles
Japanese restaurant.
Wat Sisaket
The Little House
Daniele Schumanns inspiring talk about being creative.  
     - note to self Marg

Jodphur the blue City.

Called the blue city after the blue colour wash of the houses in the old town.  

(Blue originally meant people were high caste Brahmin)  

                

I just love this photo.  Near the market.

The Mehrangarh Fort dominates the town.  

Rough Guides called this "the most spectacular citadel in Rajasthan".  

On the wall, just inside Loha Pol, the 6th gate, are the hand prints of Maharaja Man Singh's widows.    He died in 1843.  

As the wives left the palace for the last time to commit sati on his funeral pyre, they placed their hand prints on the wall.  

This was the last mass sati by wives of a Marwari Maharaja.

This palanquin has the Peacock which is the national bird of India.  

Even the cleaners look so elegant in their sari's

Umaid Bhawan Palace - "A colossal Indo-Saracenic heap" (Rough Guides)

Commissioned in 1929 by Umaid Singh the second last Maharajah before independence, 

primarily as a famine relief project.  It kept 3000 labourers employed for 16 years.  

His descendants retain much of their wealth, influence and respect.  

(Photos of polo with Prince Charles etc)

The palace now has 3 purposes - a fairly dull museum, the residence for the royal family and a luxury hotel.  

The hotel has art deco furniture and fittings, sweeping staircases and lots of guilt.  

To see them, none guests need to spend a minimum of 2000 rupees at the bar.

While we were there, some new guests arrived to check in and a band played a welcome as they were deposited by their limousine. 

Women shopping at the cloth market.     

Mandvi and Vijay Vilas

Mandvi is a 1 1/2 hour local bus ride from Bhuj.  It was once a major port of the region and still has a four-hundred-year-old ship building industry, which builds small wooden ships called dhow.

Sadhu's off to a convention

Mandvi also contains the summer retreat for Maharao (king) of the Kutch State.  Thinks it's just for tourists to visit now.

Tea in the consevatory

What is it with these Maharajah's - they like killing animals and then putting their stuffed bodies in their dining room!

After being photoed with all these women's families, they were happy to return the favour.  

Maybe because there weren't many "foreign" tourists, I would often be asked to be in family photos.

The market Johdpur

           
               The clock tower which signifies the Sardar Market










Herbs, spices and grains of all kinds

Pickles

What a life. This poor man grinds flour in the dust and heat of Jodhpur.

I don't know what these were for

Sapplings and bamboo made into ladders etc

I think this shop in the above 2 photos grinds substances to make washes for when you paint the house.

And of course - the textiles.

some badandi dyed scarves

This man is selling all kinds of trim for sewing.

I think these men make up pots of dyes and you bring along what you wanted dyed.

A great idea.