Dal Lake

Dal lake probably the main reason Srinagar is the summer capital of Kashmir. The houseboats on the lake make for a prime Indian Honeymoon spot. Staying on the house boats can be quite a romantic experience, some are pretty lush inside , however, nowhere near as posh as the 5 star prices they are asking. Since I'm alone except for my Scissors, I opted to stay in a hotel while in Srinagar. Besides its only a hassle getting to and from the boats as they are located on the lake you need to hire a Shikara, which means you have to haggle for the price every time you want to go somewhere on land.







Shikaras are the boats that ply all means of trade and leisure on the lake. I took a Shikara out for a trip around the lake, 250 rs for 3 hours.








It would have actually been a very enjoyable experience except for the fact I spent an Hour telling him I wasn't interested in any other tours, his guest house, Pashima shawls, or him!




So after we made that perfectly clear, I then had to ward off all the other Shikaras that came up to the boat to try to sell me their wares. Why would I want to dress up in Kashmiri dress and get my picture taken on a boat? WHY? I don't fall for the typical tourist crap and when the driver asked if I wanted to steer the boat I said , "No thanks, I'm paying you to do that." He asked me a few more times,lol. I finally asked him, "why are you tired and lazy" and he said, "Yes Yes." So we stopped amidst the Lilly ponds and took a half hour rest in the afternoon sun. That was the only time he shut up!








I asked about the sanitation on the house boats and where the waste goes, he flat out said into the lake, and then in the next sentence said but the lake is clean and you can swim in it UGGGH yeah right dude.

I did see a new water sport ,one I haven't seen before, they call it water skating I will call it Door skiing. Basically a guy getting pulled by a boat standing on a door. And if he falls into the water well like the Shikara driver said its clean.





The lake itself is home to 14,000 people who live on houseboats or small islands. There are Pharmacy's, stores, mini marts, schools, you name it they got it of course except for the BAR!








There are plenty of signs up reminding people to keep the lake clean , but there are plenty of signs of human garbage as well. Until people can respect the lake it will never be really clean.

Lets just hope that these children treat their lake better than their parents.

Chor Bazaar

The Chor bazaar in Mumbai is packed full of little shops selling anything and everything, it translates to thieves market. It is called that because during Queen Victoria of England's visit to India, it is said that her violin was stolen off the ship and it was found in the bazaar, so hence the name Thieves market.

I love to wander around there getting dusty looking at all the little odd and ends there. And then when I do find something of interest the haggling starts. You can find old ship parts ,vintage cameras, weird bits. I found a tigers tooth and hippo horn but I wont buy either one on principal. There is plenty of reproduction crap to buy as well you just have to know if its really vintage/antique. I found a really cool stone inlayed skull mug, it caught my eye, but when I smelled and looked at the inside I knew it wasn't old, even when the boy tried to persuade me that it was, I laughed and another guy said no its not old. I bought my Whistles at Chor bazaar and also some of the vintage wood blocks

However the most incredible find so far has been this beautiful old Plymouth with the most retro teal paint job. She isn't pristine, she looks like she has been around the block a bit, but I bet she would be fun to drive around India. Just as long as the cows stayed clear. I'm calling her Christine.





I have seen lots of old musical instruments Tuba any one??



And the old Photography equipment is impressive.



Really if its old its here.



And of course You have to have mangoes and guys with colorful beards.

The Brass Whistle That Made Me Turn Red

They are pretty vintage a few are stamped 1960's, when I found them I instantly thought how cool since I am all about recycling history into my designs. So that in turn led me on the Leather cord chase remember my previous post. Well I never found the leather, but I went back to the bazaar the other day and found some vintage Afghan necklace's that I thought would look ideal with the brass whistle's.

So I made them up and then I had to take pictures as you do before you can list a new product for sale. I was raking my brain as how to show that these could also be unisex. In the Hotel Shabana , there is a fellow American staying here. He is a nice young boy from PA. and I thought well heck I will ask him to model for me in the lobby, he didn't mind and I took the snaps.

Later I also took some up close images, but I was up in the air with which image should be my first picture for my items.

So I posted both a pic of the up close shot and a pic of the body shot. The girls on the Artfire forums got a giggle out of the sexy pics and usual banter started. Girls will be girls after all. But then when a dear friend of mine from Artfire Holly of RoyalMetals posted in the thread I dropped my jaw. this is what Holly posted.

OMGGGGGGGGGGGG That boy is 19 years old, lives in Pa., is traveling around India and some other countries, his mother will be there in a week or so to visit him. I know because HE IS MY NEPHEW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I can not believe this!!!!!

So needless to say I was embarrassed for taking pictures of her nephew like that but the whole family got a kick out of it, and so did Nick. I hope to meet his mother when she arrives next week. Holly asked me to look out for him as well and is happy to know that, he isn't completely alone in Mumbai.

What a small world it is, I am still shaking my head in disbelief.

The close up shot



The shot that started the banter



And the shot that I posted to show them he was just a boy and the one that his Aunt Holly recognized him in.



And today I took a few more shots to show off the whistles as hipster and unisex. This is one of the room wallahs Rakesh. I really like the 70's look that's happening.

And of course if you want to buy any of these very cool vintage brass whistles you can find them at my Artfire studio.

Wooden Block Printing

The ancient printing process of using carved wooden blocks and dye to print patterns on to textiles is a dying art-form. When I asked a couple of the locals here about where to find them besides the tourist stalls, they laughed and said that in India they use silkscreen now to print fabrics. Now I am sure that their are some master carvers still around,and hopefully in my travels i will encounter them. But so far I have found some very cool pieces regardless if they are for the tourist trade.

They vary in size from a small flower being 1/2 inch to bigger paisleys 3 - 4 inches.

They have some with the OHM sign and some with cross. They also sell thin ones that can be used as a border. Below are some of the ones I have found if you are interested let me know and I will pick out the best ones I can find depending on what you want.












I found some larger blocks today so I am editing this post and adding the pics of them. They are aprox.5-6 inches high or wide depending on the shape by 3 1/2-4 inches.

These are most costly obviously more work involved.

Elephanta Island

Elephanta Island is an hour boat ride out of Mumbai. Its a pleasant enough trip, you get a bit of a ocean breeze a nice relief from the heat and the views of Mumbai are worth the 120INR return. The boats leave from the Gateway of India, one of the most famous landmarks in Mumbai if not all of India. The Gateway was constructed after King George and Queen Mary of England came to India and this was their point of disembarkation.

Behind the Gateway is the Taj Palace hotel and tower. The Taj Palace was built by Jamsedji Tata it is widely believed that Tata decided to build the luxurious hotel after he was refused entry to one of the city's grand hotels of the time, Watson's Hotel, as it was restricted to 'whites only'. It was also the scene of a stand off between the terrorists and the police during the '08 attacks.



The boat ride takes you past the Indian navy boats, I don't think I was suppose to take pics of these, cause later I saw a sign on the boat that said not to take photo's of the navy ships.



We were also accompanied for a bit of the boat ride by a flock of flamingos. That flew along side us.



Once on the Island you walk 1Km to get to the entrance, the walk is not boring there are food and trinket sellers and monkeys to entertain you all the way up to the caves.

In Chicago I had recently gone to a slide presentation of a yoga teacher who had just come back from India. She had gone to Elphanta Island and was told by her tour guide not to look the monkeys in the eye. I don't know I tried to look them in the eye but they appeared more occupied with looking for food behind me. I finally got this ones attention.




There are five caves in total Art historians have dated the caves in the range of late 5th to late 8th century AD. Archaeological excavations have unearthed a few Kshatrapa coins dated to 4th century AD.

Really only cave #1 is worthy of a visit the other 4 are just empty caves carved into the rock.



Hinduism is complex and I am only scratching the surface of this religion. But so far I understand that there is one God but comes in many different forms. I have a lot to learn about.

Juice Bar

I had to go to the Vodaphone store to replace a three day old faulty sim card. Interesting experience, I had to wait about 45 minutes in that time I saw all walks of life enter and leave. From Businessmen to housewives, street sellers to beggars it appears that all of India has a Cell phone.

Afterward I walked around Fort the neighborhood that the store was in. One of the wonderful things about India is all the street stalls and sellers. I got thirsty so I stopped for a fresh squeezed juice. There were so many juices to choose from some of them from fruit I have never heard of. I didn't feel very adventurous so I just asked for watermelon juice. But it was cold and delicious and full of watermelon bits.



The colors of India is one of the things I was excited to see before I got here and they are plentiful. Walking along I stumbled upon this marigold seller. They use the flower to adorn entrances and their shrines. The flower is strung onto strings to form a necklace.

The Chabad House

I was walking around Colaba yesterday that's South Mumbai. I had my camera out and I was taking photos. Of various things, street life in general, when a security guard saw me and singled to me. I thought it was because I wasn't allowed to or that he didn't want me taking photos. There is a large security presence around Mumbai since the 2008 terrorist attacks , especially in areas frequented by foreigners or the elite.

So I was rather surprised when he pointed out I was standing next a wall that was pockmarked with bullet holes that had been highlighted with red paint and with the words above it

We Condemn The 26-11-08 Terror Attack



I immediately knew that this must have been where the Chabad house was. and sure enough right behind me was the actually building that the Israelis were in when the terrorists came in and started shooting. The building lays vacant now but there is a very sad an eerie feeling to that street.

My first days in India

I arrived in Mumbai/Bombay on the 26th of April. My first impressions are that I am pleasantly surprised the lack of hassle from touts or beggars on the streets. It really is a lot better than I had prepared myself for. What I hadn't prepared for was the intense heat. I had expected 30-35 Celsius not the 40-45 that I have been experiencing since I arrived. The Indians say its not normal to be this hot in April, they are saying the monsoons may come early this year. SO I am drinking loads of water and then topping it off with Kingfisher beer, India's Finest Lager.

Navigating this city by car is not for the faint at heart. The roads are filled with black and yellow cabs taking you anywhere you want to go for not even a tenth of what you would pay in the US or Europe for a cab ride. However the cabs with AC do charge more. And along with the masses of cars comes a constant streaming of horns, it doesn't stop. One actually drowns it out after awhile.