Tuesday, December 27, 2016

Vegetables! Etc!

22 Dec
Pics & blurb by Dave

Not just vegetables, but fruit as well!

Ok...I know this isn't a blog full of Buddhas, or temples, or people in colourful clothes or exotic locations.  This is everyday.  What you eat and the hard working people who get this to you and who you should appreciate for their hard labour.

Stores here have lots of veggies and fruit available.  Some you recognize, some you don't.
We were lucky enough to discover a distribution centre in the next town, Dambulla, and spend a little time maneuvering around in the place to pick up some pics of the incredible work that gets done to move those veg! 
First, I've got some pics of veg & fruit in a variety of little side of the road stores.  After, I have a number of pics of the distribution centre.  There are quite a few pics here, but I found the place fascinating!
As usual, click on the pic to embiggen.










Now....for for the middle handling of veg from producer to store....


There are two of these huge warehouses next to each other.

































Thursday, December 22, 2016

Little shops in Bundi

I admire the small shop owners in the towns in India.  This is a short stack of shops in Bundi, eastern Rajasthan.   Plus my fave buddy in Bundi, the best chai maker in India!
As usual, click on the pics to embiggen!
A hole in the wall shop.  Waiting for business.
Very pleased paan walla.
Snooze in the heat of the day.
Keeping an eye on business.
Making tassles



Our good Bundi buddy, Krishna in his shop.  Definitely the best chai in all of India!!


Wednesday, December 14, 2016

A few pics from one day in Udaipur

Udaipur is still one of my favorite places.  For some reason I find I can easily spend long periods there, even though the pollution levels in much of the city have risen a fair bit.  I can hang out at the Lal Ghat Guest House without much problem and keep myself well occupied just sitting by the lake. 

The pics here are just from around and near Gangaur Ghat.  Just click on the pics to 'embiggen.'

I will follow up later with some pics of the dancers from the 'Rajasthan Cultural Show' at the Bagore-ki-Haveli.  A lot of 'cultural shows' I find kind of tacky, but I've seen this one - they change the show up a bit occasionally - a number of times and quite enjoy it.

These lovey little donkeys are worked so hard.  You often see them burdened down with sand bags.

A bunch of cows discovered this pile of sand, used in some construction,
and decided it was a great place to rub their faces in dirt.  I was keeping my distance
from cows & bulls this month, as they were in rut and unpredictable.

One way to move bamboo.

There used to be a little chai stall at this wall, now a weir signed area.

At the Gangaur Ghat a small offering area near a holy tree.

Shiva lingam offering at Gangaur Ghat.

A little puppet set up.

My favorite location.  The small old building on the water here is the Lal Ghat Guest House.

Near the City Palace, in a narrow alley leading off the main street is the studio of a fabulous painter....
Lala!  A warm and gentle man of great talent.

Wednesday, December 7, 2016

People we passed on the road from Udaipur to Bundi

Sometimes I feel like a dog with it's head sticking out the window in a car....except it's a lens instead of a slobbery tongue.
These are just a few of the sights from the car window....when I got to roll the window down!

To get from Udaipur to Bundi we rented a car with driver.  A good way to do it, as the buses can be painful, and the train slow.   You get to stop at a couple of impressive sights on the way, or for any 'pic stops' you like, and you do get to go through and see some small out of the way villages.  However, the last 1.5 hours are quite painful - to say the least - as I don't think the roads for the last bit have been fixed since Indian independence.

As usual, click on the pic to view it larger.

Wow....only four family members.




A milkman.

Women stacking up small brush wood for cooking fires on the side of the road.
...which they then carry in bundles on their heads.