Toulouse theatrics

Crossing the Garonne on the Pont St Pierre in downtown Toulouse ...



we were chatting about the intricacies of immigration and Helen started telling about getting her French drivers license and



Voila Zee-Woolies were born

Pour entrer

France is ...


Pastoral ... we are ensconced in the little town of Labège just outside of Toulouse ... in beautiful countryside on right beside the Midi Canal ... Napoleon’s Atlantic to Mediterranean waterway.




Automated ... public toilettes where for a small fee you can enjoy a heated seat which you can be assured is absolumente clean.









Historic and innovative ... we had a wonderful first weekend highlighted by a trip to the natural history museum and its wonderful Jardin Botanique which houses diverse collection of plants and plastic sculptures.

Au Revoir Inde

thanks to so many folks for a great winter sabattical en Inde ... including ...









The top twirler















The young semstress















Dave ... relaxing between shots ...









Margaret ... who helped make me - and the Hampi kings - shine ...















And of course the folks that make the cowpies.

Off to France ...

and thanks to Dave for the flattering photo ...

Eaten or just Tongued

Tourists love cultural shows – a quick convenient peak at what life might have been like – and ideally how its memory is being preserved and re-interpreted. Last nite we saw a good one at the Bangli Haveli – the intown office of the West Zone Cultural Centre which also runs the vibrant Shilpgram Arts and Craft Centre. Like the Mamallapuram dance festival shows great energy, in your face vantage, and remarkable interplay between the musicians and dancers.



The firehat ladies like to get down.




The two headed devil ate – well actually just tongued – burning embers.

Devoted

Udaipur is the first real town we have explored on this trip. Every day is inspired by encounters with busy Hindus – devotion takes many forms.



This icon - like every other back alley spiritual representation – has its own unique blend of colour, decor and askance heads.



The puja machine is a new one on me – we caught this one in action a few nites back and went back to put in a quarter during daylight hours but all locked up.



Woman on the steps of the very steep Jidash temple express their thanks for our coins.

Lakeside

Udaipur's jewel is the lake ... we wound our way thru the maze to a rumoured ghat -



late afternoon means laundry is done and the public space is again basically man's domain



always reverent ... always respectful ...





gods and mortals ... all on the same plane ...

then ...

from the footbridge ...

looking back on the ghat and above its right side our hotel ...

where we live ...

Royal View

Here we are. Udaipur. Jewel in the crown as I remember it from the late 90s.



First 24 hours look good - one should always wait for a sunset to deliver a first impression. Udaipur is pink.



The banana washing question remains unresolved but I was at least able to document the banana leaf collection boy during my last night in Mamalabama.

Nice shirt.

Big leaf.