The necklace girl and the paan man

Janpath market is an explosion in colours and people....vendors "on your back" or "in your face".... trying to sell you everything.....

tree cobras,bags,necklaces,scarves,tablecloths,clothes,shoes,umbrellas etc.....

you name it they've got it, almost....

it can be really tiring because it's so "on" the whole time.....

the other day I, we noticed this girl selling bead necklaces for 10 rupees....

well, it's kind of hard not to notice when they follow you around...

even though I didn't need a necklace I did buy one from her and I think my friend Kathy bought a couple...

a little up ahead I saw a leaf man...

he was preparing paan... betel leaves filled areca nut and/or with cured tobacco

he's adding chunnam, "slaked lime" paste to bind the leaves....

I forgot to ask how much a leaf cos ? curious since this is how he makes his living.....

I'm still not curious to try this stimulating and psychoactive prepared leaf though....

I'll stick to my daiquiris....

as usual I'm off to the pool for my morning workout....

it is such a good way to start the day...

what kind of workout are you doing today dear reader ?

strawberry or mango daiquiri versus strawberry or mango margaritas...

some days it feels like I'm on a constant holiday.....

our weather is just perfect for a daiquiri or margarita on the balcony in the late afternoon...

 I know I make good strawberry daiquiris !!....and with my mother visiting of course I've made some...

questions is which one is the best ?....which one is my favourite ?

difficult one...

do you know which one is your favourite ?

these drinks are really easy to make...you just need strawberries....preferably fresh ones but frozen strawberries are just fine....lime juice, rom and crushed ice....

that's it

you do need a good mixer though....here I have my handmixer and I so long for my 

kitchen aid mixer...

if you want to make a margarita instead you need tequila and also some triple sec....

yummy....and so easy to make virgin....

mango season is here so we can get many different kinds of mangos....

it's just prefect since the drink is just so good...well,if you like mangos that is...

easy peasy to make these ones also.... you need mangos, some lime juice, rom and crushed ice for the daiquiri....

mangos,tequila,triple sec and crushed ice for the margarita...

mix mix 

enjoy

so which one is your favourite ?

best way to find out is to try them out...

little tip though...don't try them all in one afternoon....

a daiquiri a day keeps the doctor away !

let me know which one you prefer

Kids

 I haven't taken a lot of pictures of kids...hmmm...wonder why ?

well, I have taken some at school ....otherwise it has been scarce...

my friend Kathy and I did meet some the other day when we where out in the rural areas

 they where so adorable...

some scared of our white faces....some really curious.....

look at her ankle bracelets....

so cute....

curious of the strange white faces that show up and take pictures....

so shy...

this guy seemed to be a popular vendor....he had  a cart filled with inexpensive toys and jewellery...

a mother with her kids joined....

the smallest one got so scared of us....

 a proud mother.....

it was just one of those days with memorable encounters in incredible India....

Indira Gandhi museum

yesterday we felt like doing something cultural so we decided to go to Indira Gandhi museum....

before going shopping....

Indira was the Prime minister of India between 1966 and 1977 and again 1980 until her assassination in 1984....

did you know that she was shot to death by two of her own guards !

the spot where she became a martyr is marked by this glass plate....

the sari she wore when shot on display...

the museum is the house she lived in from 1964 up until her death in 1984....

lots of pictures and articles....  you also get a look inside some of the rooms....

I found the park, garden surrounding the house so beautiful and BIG..

then we where off to shopping and bargaining.....but that's another post....

until then...enjoy the sunshine or the rain or the thunder or the snow or the beach...all depending on where you are in the world...

Cow dung....renewable energy

Every day I see women taking care of cow dung ( or buffalo dung )....

their work can be seen drying in the sun all over....meaning anywhere they have a spot to let it dry....

and it's not only out in the rural areas....

the cow dung is used for manure, fuel, it can be collected to produce biogas to generate electricity, mud bricks or lining in the houses where it gets cold.....

I did read an article way back about how it would benefit India if used in a better way and that it would take pressure of Indias forests and soil...
 India has the largest domesticated bovine population in the world meaning a lot of energy could be produced....

gather and mix and make it into patties.....and they make the most wonderful patterns on each and every one......

all out to dry....they also make small dung huts where they keep all the patties when they are dried....

they even decorate the dung huts with patterns....

and they know how to stack them beautifully...

it's hard work and all done by hand.....

or head.....

seen along the roads....dung huts....

at this house they put the hut on the roof instead....innovative touch....

enjoy the rest of your day dear reader

A snake charmer outside the walls of Fatephur Sikri

walking back to the car through the " tourist trap " area I saw this snake charmer....

("tourist trap" area is a small village of small shop with over prized touristy things)...

he had a boa also....interesting...

but the poor thing had it's jaw wrapped up like a package...I guess he didn't want it to "eat" anything while performing....

I did pet it....strange feeling...warm but kind of nice....

I didn't pet the cobra even though I think they have removed their fangs....

they do look cool when shooting up of the baskets

they banned owning a snake in India in 1972 ! therefor making it really hard being a snake charmer....

I guess that's why you don't see that many around...

I could get my picture taken with the boa around my neck....I just didn't want to be that touristy ....

 he did show me all the pictures taken of tourists...I just gave him some money anyhow...

poor thing...looks like it has been bit by something in the side...

we left and he put the lids back on the baskets and put the boa in a sack.....waiting for some other tourists...a chance to earn some rupees .....

I was happy that I got some nice pictures of a dying trade....

monday again...

but I guess in some parts of the world it's a holiday today so for the ones of you that do get an extra day off from work...

enjoy....

I'm starting my day in the pool

see ya..

This is what an easter chicken looks like in India !

it has been kind of hard to find any decorations for easter.....but when my friend Kathy and I was at

the arts and craft museum Kathy found these ones for me.....aren't they adorable ?

fell in love with the feet on the big one....

even better when I found out that they opened up....perfect for easter candy....

so I told the sales person that I wanted two chickens in different sizes...he looked at me and said " No mam, not chickens....owls !! "

noop I told him....they are for sure chickens...just look at their feet....

he didn't argue with me....just gave me a smile....I could see what he was thinking....

"all these strange tourists"

happy easter everyone...