fifi's birthday
fifi had been looking forward to this day for a while, and we didnt really know where we would be celebrating it we just had to reassure ourselves it would be a day of rest (yeah, right!)
we had arrived in Bhuj, in the Kutch desert, the most westerly town in india.. it is known amongst indians and NGO's that this is the epicentre of an earthquake that struck in 2001. 10,000 people losing their lives, indeed our hotel manager had walked out of his bathroom in his house two minutes before the same room toppled 30m into the lake.
we had also arrived during the holi festival, a national holiday. renowned in gujarat and rajasthan states for their wild coloured paint throwing, bonfires and music.. was this true?
as we set out to find out for ourselves we saw old men get "coloured" by teenagers on motor bikes, and other younger kids on foot, all had their hands full of dye that was just waiting to be "placed" all over us.. as word got around there were some tourists about, we had more and more people throwing dye over us.. oh dear! :)
we retreated back to our hotel, showered, and promptly threw our clothes away! fi said "that's the way my shirt would like to go!". it was amazing experiencing this festival, and we are thankfull we were in a small city to see this, not like the mayhem that occurs on the streets of larger towns - where you cannot escape!
in jaipur, the tourists where driven around in an open toppped bus so they are safe.
in the evening, i surprised fi with a date with the hotel manager, vinod and his wife.. he drove us to an oasis in the middle of the desert where they had a dam, lots of irrigation channels that fed a lush tropical forest, a shaded temple and a first class safari lodge.
on the way back thru the desert in the car we saw a cobra moving across the road in the full moonlight,and also two desert foxes feeding in the roadside channels.
fi was presented with a traditional embroidered bag which she hasnt stopped wearing and smiling about.
a memorable day :)
jim
we had arrived in Bhuj, in the Kutch desert, the most westerly town in india.. it is known amongst indians and NGO's that this is the epicentre of an earthquake that struck in 2001. 10,000 people losing their lives, indeed our hotel manager had walked out of his bathroom in his house two minutes before the same room toppled 30m into the lake.
we had also arrived during the holi festival, a national holiday. renowned in gujarat and rajasthan states for their wild coloured paint throwing, bonfires and music.. was this true?
as we set out to find out for ourselves we saw old men get "coloured" by teenagers on motor bikes, and other younger kids on foot, all had their hands full of dye that was just waiting to be "placed" all over us.. as word got around there were some tourists about, we had more and more people throwing dye over us.. oh dear! :)
we retreated back to our hotel, showered, and promptly threw our clothes away! fi said "that's the way my shirt would like to go!". it was amazing experiencing this festival, and we are thankfull we were in a small city to see this, not like the mayhem that occurs on the streets of larger towns - where you cannot escape!
in jaipur, the tourists where driven around in an open toppped bus so they are safe.
in the evening, i surprised fi with a date with the hotel manager, vinod and his wife.. he drove us to an oasis in the middle of the desert where they had a dam, lots of irrigation channels that fed a lush tropical forest, a shaded temple and a first class safari lodge.
on the way back thru the desert in the car we saw a cobra moving across the road in the full moonlight,and also two desert foxes feeding in the roadside channels.
fi was presented with a traditional embroidered bag which she hasnt stopped wearing and smiling about.
a memorable day :)
jim
posted by Fi and Jim @ 7:11 am
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