Bits and Pieces of Holiday - North India (2)

I've been back for 2 months and am still talking about that holiday in India. So many pictures to share and stories to tell. This is the last though. Hope you've enjoyed the sights of  North India  through my eyes.

Our guide directed us to THIS bench, popularly known as ' Princess Di's Chair'. She sat on this bench during her state visit to India in 1992.

Back and front, this elephant  was adorned from tusks to tail! It was the Elephant Festival and were we over the moon, when we landed in Jaipur to find it happening. It was a colourful and riotious day, a memorable day with the jumbos. They even played Holi.

At Sheraton in Jaipur, this man entertained us while we breakfasted. Such a colourful character as he moved from table to table playing some traditional tunes. Rajasthan facinates !

Would you believe I went shopping  for saree material with 2 men - my hubby and a  friend ( translated Hindi for us) in choosing saree materials in Jaipur. I was shown so many and I shook my head, 'no, no.no' again and again - I did not fancy the fanciful designs with the glitter. So plain Jane was quite happy with this!

Women power at work - at the Golden Temple, Amritsar. A happy lot of volunteers, conveyor -like, cleaning  the bowls  used for serving food to the countless visitors.

In Agra, marble craftsmen are a familiar sight. This master craftsman of inlay marble acknowledging my camera.  I am astounded by the sheer hard and oh so painstaking skill of  the craftsmen. Each piece done is a labour of love. That's what the Taj Mahal stands for - love unbounded and eternal for Mumtaz. 

Fancy meeting Dr Abdul Majeed, batik specialist who was so happy to have visitors in his house to talk briefly about batik. Here he's showing hubby some bits of info.

BOONDHI!  Little golden balls  being tossed into a big wok . Now as I pop some into my mouth  for the odd snack time, the puffy balls reminds me of the market place in Udaipur.

Another day at the market for  a mother and her baby. I didn't hear her cry. She was watching the the ins and outs of the constant weaving.

I never fail to visit crafts shops whenever I have the opportunity. It is part of my itinerary! My hubby and I were shown how a block print  is done, stage by stage.

Her name is LAXMI.  As the rickshaw circled a  roundabout in Udaipur, I snapped a picture of her. I love these animals.

A pit stop for the washroom and a cuppa on the bus to Agra. My hubby got talking to this man . He turned out to be a professor who was on his way to a remote village in Ahmedabad to continue his work with the villagers in the traditional art and crafts . He was full of praise for the food he enjoys in the villages - full of the good earth, so to speak.