Rajasthan

We have just returned from an amazing 2 week tour of Rajasthan in north-west India, what an incredible part of the World! If you have not been, it is definitely one for your bucket list.  The people are so beautiful and (especially the ladies) colourful , the food was out of this world (my other half was in his element eating curry for breakfast, lunch and dinner every day!), the wildlife was amazing, the culture, history and melting pot of religions were all real eye-openers. It is rare that I return home feeling a more rounded person for my experiences on a holiday but I can honestly say India had that effect, it was a real adventure for both the mind and soul.

I think the photos speak for themselves….

The wildlife, most of these photos were taken on Jeep Safari in Ranthambore National Park, the main draw to this park is the tigers, we saw plenty of other wildlife and even tiger paw prints but no tigers.

Leopard on the hill above temple Galta Ji

Tiger paw print

The monkeys stole my heart, they are so comical and child-like in their expressions and behaviours, I defy anyone not to love them:

There’s nothing like having a friend to scratch those hard to reach places…

This little chap managed to scale up my leg and then the sleeve of the jacket tied around my waist to make sure he got his share of the food!

And of course all the wonderful, beautiful, friendly people:

The milk-man on his rounds


This chap was feeding dried chillis into a grinder to make chilli power, the air was thick with chilli dust that made me cough and my eyes stream but they guys who worked in the shop seemed to be unaffected:

A wedding party

This chap was throwing pots on a wheel that was set in motion by placing a long stick into an indentation in the wheel’s surface and levering it around, once the wheel was up to speed he threw the ball of clay into the centre and had until the wheel lost its momentum to make his pots – here he is making the third and final pot after setting the wheel in motion. Having thrown pots on a foot-propelled wheel, I can appreciate just how difficult this was but he made it look effortless!

The people and animals on India’s roads were a shock for the uninitiated (me), first of all there really aren’t any rules for the car/bus/truck drivers, it is a bit like being on the road where everyone is a learner driver, the lane markings on the road are just for decoration, no one follows them; if there are markings for 3 lanes, their will be 5-6 lines of traffic crawling along them, with vehicles weaving in and out and the only indication being a honk of the horn, as if to say, “I am right here and you’d better get out of my way”.  Added to that you have all manner of livestock wandering about, pigs, cows and dogs and people driving elephants, goats and camels down the road too. We were surprised not to see any serious accidents or more road kill (there was less than I see on the UK roads).

Huddled for warmth

And finally a few photos of historical monuments, temples and landscapes:

Thank you for making it the bottom of the page and indulging my memories of India, I hope you enjoyed it and I have inspired you to visit this wonderfully diverse country.  I promise the next post will be more textile related!

10 thoughts on “Rajasthan

  1. Galina

    What a journey and what an experience! Thanks for sharing! I’ve never been there…
    Back to textiles, have you seen lovely Indian silks there?

    Reply
    1. Teri Post author

      Thanks Galina, yes every time we had a tour guide they took us to textile shop so I have come back with several silk pashminas. I did look at some beautiful saris too but really couldn’t justify bringing any more home when I must have at least 20 in my store room waiting for the right project! We very naughty and bought and wool/silk carpet too.

      Reply
  2. Viltmaaraan

    Wow, very impressive Teri! What a special country, can’t compare it with ours. You can live a while on those impressions and let them come out on your textile objects.
    Thanks for sharing.

    Reply
    1. Teri Post author

      Thanks Jifke 🙂 I am already hatching some monkey themed felt in my head and then there are the printing blocks I bought too….

      Reply
  3. Ruth Lane

    What an inspirational journey you have take us all on! Your photography really captured the spirit of India (not that I have been there but I definitely need to add it to my bucket list). I love the animal photos and I’m really looking forward to seeing your new monkey hats! And printing blocks, oh my, I am green with envy. 🙂

    Reply

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