Getting my Saree on.

Duncan went to our convenient little bottle store and got a few supplies in and at 6.30pm we went to Rikke's room. Then since our room was bigger we all went down there. The first thing to go on was the bodice. They are very fitted ( I gather the Indian ladies down't wear a bra.) Fortunately it fitted!!

 The skirt/petticoat had a drawstring waist so that was easily fitted.

 The saree is about 6metres long so quite a thing to sort out. I was told to stand very still - and dont try and help!

Is it a left hand saree or a right hand? Fortunately Rikke and I are both right handed so the scarf - y bit goes over our left shoulder.

The saree gets tucked into the petticoat on the righthand side

Round it goes..

It has been a long day, so my tummy is a bit bloated.

Only one wrap around

Now Natasha does the pleats that go over the shoulder

She has had a trying time in the markets trying to source the correct safety pins to hold the pleating

Somehow now, she does a second wrap around the body

I guess some women get a third wrap around - but not me!

Now the excess is gathered up

Another of the strong safety pins is used

The length is adjusted before the final tuck in

It feels great!!

Me and Rikke.

Natasha rings up Room service and asks if they have a bindi - the red dot indicated a married woman. When that fails, she pops down to reception and asks any of the women in the lobby.

A predinner drink and I'm ready to go!

The waiters look a bit bemused , but agree to take a group photo with Rikke, Natasha and Daniel.

Yes indeed, the highlight of my holiday. It is very comfortable to wear, beautiful fabric with regal peacocks on the border.

Out and about in Bombay (Mumbai) Thursday 13th Feb 2020

After breakfast we head out for a walk along the promenade by the Arabian Sea. We soon realise that this is a mistake - we are in a different neighbourhood to the pleasant ones we saw nearer the city. The air is fetid, the shoreline is littered with rotting detritus and in front of us a man is having a poo.

Fishing fleet

Man in red T shirt with his trousers down.

Shanty town

 We head back down the street to find the nice shops we have been promised. It is a tangle of stalls and small shops, offering fish which is already attracting flies, chickens in small hutches waiting to be slaughtered, and heaps of dusty fruit and vegetables. Mangy cats, and maimed and diseased people wander through the crowds begging. It is so awful that I find it stressful. Photos don't seem to capture the abjectness of it all. At least we  find a handy little liquor store!
Finally we make our way back to the hotel to try and sort out our room. The second room is tiny as well - just as little more room around the double bed. We refuse it. Unfortunately the balcony and swimming pool is out of action due to a wedding, so we go down to reception and sit and glare.

Rikke insisted she be allowed to use the pool, so they pinned up the garlands as she lay on her lounger. I wasn't so game as to have these Indian men ogling my misshapen body!!

 Finally we are offered a very lovely room - let down again by basic maintenance: No plug in the cracked basin, out of date biscuits, tea bags not replaced, and why don't they let the women do the cleaning???? These men have no idea.

Then we get an email from Kirsty to say we will be denied entry to our cruise because we spent two hours in transit in Hong Kong. Then we receive another email saying our booking is cancelled because of an order from the Cruise Association, and we will get a refund.

 We have rest and reassess our plans, watch some TV and await Saree night!

Jaipur to Bombay Wednesday 12th Feb 2020

Today is a bit of a turnaround day as we fly to Mumbai. However there is always something there is always something to watch outside the hotel window - men filling a truck with sand using pannikins, the size of a wok, poor women sifting through rubbish while on the paddock next to them they train Polo ponies.
Due to the apparent inefficiency  of  Indian systems, we leave early for the airport - but of course the plane is late. My seat back is faulty, and I keep reclining throughout the flight. We dive down through the clouds and pollution - I'm not sure whether there is something on our runway, or whether we weren't lined up properly, but we abruptly surged up, pulling up out of the landing and of course putting me into the recline position. We had to circle for another 20minutes before landing. When we finally did make it, I turned to apologise to the lady behind me for my seat. She said "I didn't notice.... we came so awfully close to that hill!"
Another long delay for our bags. The transfer people have been waiting 2 hours - and our hotel is 26km away in rush hour traffic.

Bombay actually looks like many modern cities from this distance.

There is a very fancy causeway, and the promenade looks nicely done.

Our room is pitifully small and they can't give us another one. We can't open up our suitcases. There appear to be many other disgruntled customers.

We go down for dinner and have to share a table with Rikke from Denmark, Daniel from Britain and Natasha from Goa in India.

Easy access  - not.

Not much other room in our room

Its hard to tell from my photo but there was food and toothpicks etc on the floor

Peeling paint

However!!!!... the conversation flows (I'm adjusting to that India Tempranillo). I say that I would love to get dressed up in the full saree outfit. Natasha says "I can help with that" but first I will have to buy a saree which I don't want to do. Rikke offers hers. And my response is "If you lend me your saree, Natasha helps me get into it, I will make a donation to the ashram for abused women that Rikke has been helping out at." We agree to meet tomorrow night for the action!

Less viewing, more doing. Jaipur Tues 10th Feb

We stopped at a factory display warehouse, of block printing and hand knotted rugs and other textiles. We look at the displays and then I have a go, then the doors open and there is a huge shop! I buy a few silk scarves.

Three colours on three different blocks - one that was prepared earlier

Second colour going on - very intricate

Now my turn! The outline block.

It's perfect!

Now adding the first colour. Everything must line up.

Yep, I think I've got it!

Give it a thump!

All right I will!

It looks kind of brown, but the colours are Henna, pomegranate husk, cherry tree root and cacao

He is going to put it in an oxidising solution to change and set the colours

While this is drying we go and see the rug making.

They do get plenty of breaks - their concentration must be spot on as every one is hand knotted....

So the pattern even looks good from the back

Like merino there are long fibrous  threads every so often. These are burned off.

They are trimmed by hand!

Then each rug, after 3 or 4 months in production (depending on size and intricacy) is giving a final soapy suds wash before being put in the show room for sale.

Hard to decide - and I think I left one behind that I REALLY wanted!!

Then its on to the City Palace where the Rajasthani Royal Family still live. It shows in the upkeep of some wonderful buildings.

Inside the courtyard we are looking at the wing where the family lives

Tahir takes some photos of us at the peacock gate.

As the head of the royal family, A prince needed to bath in the water of the sacred Ganges. When he visited England last century he took two of these big vats made of silver with him. One came back filled with Whiskey. No wonder Royal Stag Whiskey sponsors a lot of cricket matches for the Indians

 Here there is an excellent clothing museum, but like a lot of museums with old cloth in them there is no photography allowed. We also have an excellent lunch here.
We pass Lakshmi Narayan temple on the way back. At night there is a 10minute show here, but given that it is over 30mins from the hotel we decline.

Also known as Vishnu

A glimpse of the modern university

We have another great meal at the restaurant tonight.