Drummer Bill

When we returned to the AWAG production facility Wednesdeay afternoon the women were eager to show us all they had done during our absence. Wow! they completely finished nine quilts .. piecing, quilting and binding. About six of them were certainly saleable as first class goods. Madina had even found a way to quilt the Chinense Coin quilt with sine-wave stitching. We took photos of all the quilts. Everyone, including us was pleased. Soon everyone began changing into their finest saris and kurties in preparation for our farewell party. The women made arrangements for Marie to have Mehndi (henna) applied to her hands. I must say, I love Indian women's fashion. Raven hair, supple limbs, and flowing silks in so many colors with sequins, mirrors, embroidery to add sparkle to it all. Everyone was in a ... read more

Tuesday morning Shiva hailed a taxi and we headed to the Swayambhu Temple. By now the smog had Marie wheezing by the effort of simply getting out of bed. When we arrived at the temple there were a few monkeys playing around, some beggars, souvenier vendors, snack wagons, etc. and wide stairs that went straight up seemingly to heaven, (it turns out that there were 367 steep steps to the top). Marie saw the steps and said "I think I stay down here and watch the monkeys and locals." Shiva and I began our trek up to the temple. We stopped every so often to catch our breath ... even Shiva whose village was high in the Himalays had to take breathers. After 200 steps or so we could finally see the main stupah at the ... read more

Like most of the world these days India takes pains to protect itself from terrorists, especially after the terrorist bombings and shootings in Mumbai about two years ago. Airport scanning and security checks are much like they are in the US and pretty much all airports world-wide. But, when we made plans to visit Nepal little did we know that process of getting permission to enter Nepal and then to re-enter India would take almost as much time as we would spend in Nepal. To wit: Before leaving India we had to go to the Ahmedabad Central Police Station in the Shaibagh District. It took about twenty-five minutes to get there by car. Fortunately, Ilaben is highly regarded in India so we were able to see the assistant commissioner without much delay. His office was piled ... read more

We woke up at Ilaben's about 9:00 to the smell of fresh chai and a hot Gujarati breakfast. We had slept nearly 15 hours. I guess the flights and jet lag had taken their toll on us. After a good night's sleep and wonderful breakfast we were ready for the day. About 10:00 AM Sara, AWAG's managing director, arrived to take us to the textile production facility where we would train ten women how to make quilts. Sara's driver was a quiet middle aged man with a warm smile. He was an excellent driver. Thank Goodness! I had forgotten how insane driving in India is, and Ahmedabad's traffic now included many more drivers than 1994. Ahmedabad Traffic http://youtu.be/sS7XNeGK_D8 The traffic is heavy with everything from pedestrians, camels, scooters, cows, cars, donkeys, bicycles... read more

The Dubai airport is a large world-class facility with perhaps 150 gates. It is abuzz with tourists from all over the world. It has many high-end boutiques and shops, but the most prominent store is the huge duty free area. It has everything from chocolates to liquors, electronics, perfumes, etc., plus an entire small shop dedicated to Cuban cigars. Although Gujarat is a dry state we know that a few of our Indian friends like to have a small stash of Johnny Walker hidden for special visitors and special occasions. So, we now had a purpose to shop. We picked up two half-liters of Johnny, plus a half of gin for one friend who especially likes Brittish traditions. Even though we were flying Emirates Airlines we could tell that the boarding crew was following standard Indian ... read more