July 30 - India: Jaipur, Rajasthan - "The Pink City"
We left the hotel at 6:30 to drive to Jaipur.
At 8:15, we woke up when Vinod stopped along a strip of shacks and small buildings for what we thought was breakfast. Vinod got out of the car and we followed a few minutes later. Of course, we locked all the car doors because our luggage was in the car. Then Vinod came back and said, "Sorry - I just need to pay the tax to cross into Rajasthan! We can go now". But we had locked the car. And his keys were in it.
Stupid Americans.
He was very nice about it all, and the people on the roadside were quite amused and tried to help. But there was no breaking into this car. We felt AWFUL about it! After about 10 minutes of trying and trying, Vinod disappeared but the crowd of Indian men remained, looking at the car and at us. Jon and I sat and waited. 10 minutes after that, a jeep drove up and out climbed a guy with a metal coat-hanger. He left the jeep running, which we viewed as a good sign of his confidence. One minute later Vinod came pedaling up on a bicycle he had borrowed to go to a garage up the road. Five minutes later, the man went to turn off the Jeep's ignition because things were taking a bit longer than he thought. By this time, a crowd of over 40 Indian men and boys crowded around the car to observe. I would have taken a picture, but it really wasn't appropriate seeing how it was all our miserable fault anyway. Finally, 1/2 hour after the entire trauma began, the man got the door open. We were thrilled, and Vinod refused to hear our apologies or to let us pay for it. He said it was his fault for leaving the keys the car. So we were off and we all laughed about it for a while. We stopped for breakfast a short time later, and continued on for a few more hours.
Textile Shop
We arrived in the outskirts of Jaipur around 11:15AM. Yesterday, we were asking Vinod about his family and got on the topic of saris and what his wife wears. He said that he does his shopping in a textile store outside Jaipur and - thinking of Mom's quilt - we asked if he would take us there. So the three of us agreed that today would be our "shopping day" and tomorrow would be our "sight-seeing day".
The textile shop was very cool! The first thing we saw when we walked up to the building was a group of people making a printed tablecloth. Because the store is also the factory, we got to see the process of making printed textiles. A man named Romy showed us around and demonstrated on a small piece of fabric. Click here to see the pictures of the process and to read about it. So being much more educated on the process, we went inside.
The shop was a large, clean place with stacks and stacks and stacks of beautiful fabrics, tablecloths, saris, and pashminas. Romy pulled out many different kinds of wall hangings and tablecloths to show us the difference in the prints depending on how many stamps they use. It was incredible. Then he took us into a separate room where they stored the saris, which are not usually printed but woven. They had some of the most beautiful silk patterns I've ever seen. They put one on me so we could see how it's done. Quite ingenious actually. Each sari is 6 meters long. They start at the "unadorned" end of the sari and tuck that into a petticoat and wrap it around your waist. Then they gather up excess sari in pleats and tuck that in just at your bellybutton. The last meter - the "adorned" end with all the weavings - goes over your shoulder or head (if you're married). I completely forgot to get a picture of me in the sari, but it was beautiful.
The textile shop (this is only 1/4 of it!) - laid out are the tablecloths we looked at
So we began to look at material for Mom's quilt and were immediately overwhelmed by the selection. But Romy was a great help and we finally narrowed it down to 3 pieces that are double-sided so Mom can choose what she'd like to use. After that, Jon helped me choose material for a long sarong they'll make for me. It's a lovely blue with white flowers. Then, we hit the pashmina section. The selections were stunning and the embroidered ones were unbelievably beautiful. They also had ones that were pure cashmere and so soft. I chose one (or two) and then we moved onto the tablecloths. We bargained for each item, by the way, so with each item we select there's a separate bargaining process. The funny thing about tablecloths is that our "kitchen table" is actually our computer desk. I can't remember the last time we actually ate on the table. But Jon really wanted something that we could use someday, for some table that doesn't even exist yet. We looked at at least 30 different tablecloths, each a different style. Some had embroidery, some appliqué, some beaded, and all were different colors. There was no way I could decide because I loved them all. So Jon chose a combination of styles that he liked and asked Romy if it could be made. In the end, our tablecloth will be light blue organdy with embroidered lotus flowers and matching napkins. (Organdy is a stiff, sheer material). We also bought Jon a black cashmere scarf, which I wanted to get him last year for Christmas but it's WAY too expensive in the US!
In the end, we were there for so long that they bought us a little picnic of bananas, biscuits, and drinks. They also brought in my newly-made sarong which is just perfect!
Jon enjoying our picnic
We had such a terrific time, and the people in the shop were SO nice. They have a large export business, so there was no pressure to buy anything at all. If anyone cares, here's their information:
Satguru's
The Textile Showroom
"Manufacturers and Exporters of: Textiles, Garments, Hand Block Printing, and Embroidery"
Email: satguru@pinkline.net
Email: satguru36@hotmail.com
If you're interested, tell Romy we sent you. (Hello girls - PASHMINAS!)
Rug Shop
After the textile shop, Vinod took us to a Rug Shop. Now we did some pretty serious rug-shopping when we were in Turkey last summer, but we didn't have much luck. The rugs were beautiful, and they were a fraction of the price they sell for in the US. But we just couldn't drop that much money for a rug to grace our little apartment, and we've always been disappointed that we didn't get one. Imagine our surprise when Romy and Vinod told us that carpets are even cheaper here. So we were ready to look!
Again, Vinod took us directly to a manufacturer, where the prices are even lower. And again we got to see the process that's used in making a carpet. Click here to see and read about it. A very pleasant man named Amel showed us around and showed us the different types of carpets and qualities and styles. Around the showroom, he had large bundles of carpets that were addressed to the "Bank of America" - so funny! But Amel says that most of his business comes from exporting, and he mentioned one of his connections in Turkey. "Turkey!?!?" we exclaimed! But all the carpet places we went to in Turkey made such a deal out of telling us where in Turkey each carpet was made. Amel laughed and said, "Yes, but most of them are made here in India! Look!" He brought out a very-Turkish-looking carpet he was going to send to his Turkish distributor, and showed us the "Made In Turkey" sign. What a riot! So it turns out that it's not just technology jobs that are being farmed through India. Labor is SO cheap that even the carpet makers are contracting out their work!
Well, we are SO EXCITED because we found a rug we liked and the price was more than right. In fact, this rug is the same price as the boring tan one that's in our apartment now. The price automatically included shipping via DHL. Our new baby is lambs wool, and is red and blue with a little beige.
Our pride and joy! The spot on the upper left is a flash problem, not a flaw in the rug! :)
Amel does accept orders via email, so if you're interested:
Rajputana Carpets
"Manufacturers and Exporters of Hand Knotted Silk and Woolen Carpets and all Kinds of Textiles"
Email: rajcarpe@datainfosys.net
Jewelry Shop
So of course we're not done yet. Jaipur is also a major producer of jewelry. Entire families devote their time to cutting, shaping, and setting both precious stones and semi-precious stones. This next shop had some of the boys (all one family) cutting and shaping the stones:
A man named Mahendra showed us around and took us into the showroom. Similar to the textile shop and the carpet shop, almost all of Mahendra's business is from exports. He told us that if there was something we wanted but didn't see then he would have someone make it for us. Of course we've spent quite a bit of money already so we had to turn away from the gorgeous sapphires, emeralds, diamonds, and other beautiful stones. But we did want to look at charms for my charm bracelet. They didn't have anything we liked in our (miniscule) price range, so we decided to have one made. We finally settled on a paisley-ish design with an itty-bitty emerald in it. (the key thing being itty-bitty). Mahendra said it would be ready tomorrow and we can come pick it up.
Shahpura House
So it's been a busy day and we're exhausted. We just wanted to go check into our hotel and rest before dinner. The Shahpura House is a LOVELY little hotel on the outskirts of Jaipur, and our room is very nice with a large bed and a bathroom hidden among the closet doors. We rested for a while and then went to dinner.
Shahpura House
Handi Restaurant
Dinner was delicious! Jon had a mutton thing and I had Butter Chicken. It was SO GOOD and incredibly inexpensive, which is good because we've exceeded our budget for the next year in one day. Just outside the restaurant we watched them make Naan which was very interesting. We also stopped at a bakery for some yummy sweets. And then we crashed.