Happy Sleepy embroidered patch

Marc had this patch made in Arambol, Goa, India, back in January 2009. It’s about 6 inches wide, and it is machine embroidered. I sewed it onto one of our bags while we were travelling, to repair where it was torn. The workmanship on this patch is really rough and completely omits some of the details that were in the drawing. I’ve been spending quite a bit of time getting my hand embroidery skills off … >> read more

Travel Map of India

View India in a full scale Google maps window.

Goats in Calcutta, India

There are a lot of goats in Calcutta. You see them picking their way in around traffic, eating garbage and paper, and even being herded through the narrow back streets. Imagine coming up on a herd of 50 goats in the streets of YOUR city! In the surrounding restaurants, the goat meat is listed as mutton.

Hairy goat in Calcutta, India
Chained to a post, resting on the sidewalk, a hairy goat that Marc says was "much creepier" in person.

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Village butcher wears a lungi

Customers wearing lungi in front of the village butcher in the early morning light, Auroville, India.

A lungi is sort of a dohti, which is the men’s version of the sari and widely worn in the south of India.

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Red is the earth

The natural colours in south India were just fantastic. This red earth in Auroville was used directly to stucco walls, resulting in buildings that perfectly matched their surroundings.

Red earth road under construction.
Red earth road under construction. Auroville, India.

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Tasty snacks in Kanyakumari

Thali, or set meal. It is usually all you can eat, usually eaten by hand, and usually spicy. What made this one special is the addition of extra cups of ingredients.
South Indian thali, or set meal. It is usually all you can eat, usually eaten by hand, and usually spicy. This meal at a local, non Lonely Planet restaurant cost 55 rupees. About US$1, and included everything except the rectangular dish of cucumber raita on the upper right.

The tastiest snacks sometimes come from the most questionable food joints. In Kanyakumari Marc and I ate dinner in a place that didn’t even have running water.

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Marc blends in on the beach in Palolem, Goa, India.

While I was taking pictures of cows sleeping on the beach, Marc was drawing. This friendly group surrounded him and started asking questions excitedly. They plied us insistently with cigarettes, wanting to offer hospitality. They claimed that even they did not smoke, only once a month on vacation – at MOST once a week! They stood very close to us, one guy actually leaning on Marc the whole conversation. They wanted a description of Toronto, … >> read more