Trains, Smog, Ferris wheels, and Gandhi

Rajasthani traditional dance at Shilpgram Utsav


Indian ferris wheel

Shilpgram Utsav

Making juice from sugar cane

I'll let the pictures and video do most of my talking for me. Shilpgram Utsav was a fair taking place approximately 6km outside of Udaipur. Far enough that there were almost zero foreign tourists there. It was quite an amazing time. Hundreds of stalls selling handicrafts, great food, traditional dance and music performances, snake charmers, and a set of carnival rides that could only be legal in India. I loved it!
Indian ferris wheel

Ahmedabad - washing clothes in the river

Ahmedabad slum encampment

Sabarmati (Gandhi) Ashram

Words from an incredible life

I spent a day in Ahmedabad, one of the most polluted cities in the world. It's quite a place, and it's a world away from Udaipur. I walked through the old city, (with a hankerchief held over my nose and mouth) drank chai on the side of the road at 4:30am, napped on the floor of the train station, (yet another long story involving the wonderful ethos that is indian bureaucracy) walked through a slum encampment, (oy....) and visited the ashram where Mahatma Gandhi lived before he began his famous march to Dandi in 1930.
Ahmedabad

I took the night train from Ahmedabad to Mumbai, where I am now. This afternoon I move on to Igatpuri where I will be taking a 10 day Vipassana meditation course starting on the 3rd. It's going to be pretty intense. I won't be allowed to speak or touch anyone and I will have to stay within the grounds for the duration of the course . Here is a link to Vipassana's website for those of you who are interested.
Happy new year!