It didn't rain in India

Drips and drops on your skin...
Do you rather stay in?
Cozy warm with a cup of tea?
But there is a whole world out there to see!
I get itches because I want to see more,
of what the world has in store...

For now I heat up my chosen pea soup
and put my favorite CD of the moment on a loop
I go through a picture book
with some of the shots in India I took.
Thinking back of that time of this year,
gives me sadness but also cheer.
Curious of what I saw and did
copy the links and look at it!

A cup of tea
at Bakery Bizarr in Lier (BE)
is a real treat!

The place is gorgeous
and fall is as well!

Book 1
http://www.albelli.nl/onlinefotoboek-delen/a83fa9cd-1a2a-4d96-b8f6-771036511ad3
Book 2
http://www.albelli.nl/onlinefotoboek-delen/3eace575-0cc1-49f0-9a53-4f2598f7298c
Book 3
http://www.albelli.nl/onlinefotoboek-delen/793b25fa-e9b7-43c4-9d4c-8700ce067cb9
Book 4
http://www.albelli.nl/onlinefotoboek-delen/77e5b650-dbe2-459d-bcf2-1027afeeff33
Book 5
http://www.albelli.nl/onlinefotoboek-delen/46a85aab-e0b7-4f95-ad88-b99b73951884
Book 6
http://www.albelli.nl/onlinefotoboek-delen/50f0395e-f513-472f-b780-f1029ba4e15a



Six little books!

Yippie! They are here!

 

A couple of days ago

I said ''no''

to every form of distraction

and I got into action.

My favorite pics from India in 6 little books

check out how the first one looks...

http://www.albelli.nl/onlinefotoboek-delen/a83fa9cd-1a2a-4d96-b8f6-771036511ad3

Copy this link and paste in browser...
 

Treasure shopping

I would say

thriftshopping takes my breath away.

 

From ''Opnieuw en Co'' in Lier.

 

But that would not be fair

to all the treasures I find elsewhere...

 

From all around, from Lier Belgium,
to Richmond California.

Foreign country shopping gives me an extra thrill

although limiting to my suitcase's capacity takes a strong will.

 

Indian papier mache pot,
card from market in Amsterdam.

Nepali stars.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And then there are treasures from family and friends

things I am happy to take off their hands.

 

A groovy old school Easter deco-egg
from my awesome moeke.

 

So it will be more honest to state

that ''Treasure shopping'' and I regularly date.

 

Treasure from thrift shopping.

 

Out with a blast!

I am leaving India in a couple of hours

and it feels wrong...

Hasn't this trip just started?

How can it be over already?

Maybe I still can't grasp and understand 

all of the incredible things I saw.

And maybe I am just not ready to say goodbye

to all of the wonderful people that won a place in my heart...

THE Taj Mahal...
It was surreal,
seeing it with my own eyes.

On Ganges in Varanassi...
Goodbye Incredible India!

At Taj Mahal

How can you not
 fall in love with this country?

Bazars and temples

From Jaisalmer 

to Jodhpur

to Udaipur

to Pushkar...

Enjoying the busy bazars

the tremendous temples

and the fantastic forts!

Pushkar

In Fort Merangharh

Jain temple

Travelling full speed!

The travelling is going fast...

Here some images from days 5 to 7...

Day 5: Bikaner

Visit to Ford Junaragh,

the former gorgeous palace from the Maharadja from Bikaner.

Detail inside Ford Junaragh

Before entering Fort Junaragh



Visit to the Rat Temple...

Rats are sacred here

and it is believed to bring good luck

if a rat runs over your (of course bare) feet.

Can you spot the rats?

They are fed well, so they don't bite off your toes.



Kissing the hallway wall... 

Day 6: Bikaner - Jaisalmer

Stopped by a brick factory on the way...

The burntower

A little boy that lives
and probably works there

Camel Tattoo at the desert festival.

Day 7: Jaisalmer

Desert festival

Walk through town

And then I didn't mention

the Camel race,

the cultural program from the desert festival,

our camel ride

our visit to a silver smid

the millions of tiny shops

our visit to a deserted and destroyed desert village

and a million more images and pictures,

on film and in my head...

How India gets to me

90% of the time,

India makes me smile.

Sometimes it makes meynose curl,

my eyes water,

my heart jump

or my fingers tingle.

Yesterday it made me feel an enormous sadness

grief and pain.

Tears started flowing 

and my stomach turned in a knot...

There is no explaining, 

there are a million of reasons.

But I can give you an image

of the man that triggered this.

Desert man.

Overwhelmed

Today is my 6th day in India.

All I can say is...

I am overwhelmed

and I am in Love.

To order my mind, my heart and soul

and to give you and impression:

some images of our  first 4 days...

Day 1: car, trains, flights, bus from Belgium to Delhi

Picture taken from the bus, in Delhi.

Day 2: Delhi

Qutub Minar

Jama Masjid Mosque

Day 3: Delhi - Nawalgarh in Shekhawati

 



Detail from hotel in Newalgarh.

Hotel... brought tears to my eyes!
Beautiful restaured Haveli...



On streets of Nawalgarh
 

Shop in Nawalgarh

Lady in her house in Nawalgarh

Day 4: Bike tour and visit to Haveli in Nawalgarh 

and drive to Bilkaner

The cutest of kids in poor village in Nawalgarh.

Feet of lady that takes care of temple in Nawalgarh

Haveli Podar in Nawalgarh