Indian Train Travel Tales- The Old Lady Stole My Bed

When I travel AC2 on Indian trains I like to reserve very early and obtain the lower end seat which folds down into a bed at night and has a privacy curtain. There is a bunk above it and four bunks beside it, only separated from the hallway by one set of privacy curtains, not individual ones. So on this trip from Ahmedabad to Jodhpur I entered the coach only to find a little old Indian lady already making herself comfy in my bed. I showed her my ticket and she explained that she was old and needed that spot. I showed her my age which is printed on one's ticket but she was having none of it. She...had a four point quad cane and shoo...d me away. End of my nice bunk. So....... I had to settle for a bunk along the wall.

Kathmandu Royal Palace-Now the Royal Museum

On Sunday I visited the former Kathmandu Royal Palace, now a Museum. The official name is the Narayanhiti Palace Museum. Hiti means springs...and there are a number on the grounds. I was surprised to find that the Palace was built in 1969 as the decor was straight out of the 30's...and the whole place looked as if no one had dared touch a thing since it was built. Nepal was closed to the outside world until the 1950's but some of the Rana's visited Europe in the 1800 's and 1900's and were impressed with the architecture which they incorporated in the scores of Rana Palaces which now dot the Valley. Someone should have sent a deligation to Saudi Arabia in the 60's. Now...they know how to put a palace together.

You enter up the steep steps flanked by eight statues of various animals and ascend into a huge foyer with double curved staircases. These are flanked by two huge stuffed tigers poised to attack. The walls are lined with floor to ceiling portraits of former kings. There are small sitting rooms where visiting dignitaries would wait to be received by the King. And there was a lovely "Royal Suite" for visiting heads of state with two large bedrooms, a private dining and living room. It looked like the most comfortable part of the whole palace. The Throne Room was in a large room upstairs and the huge silver and gold throne was flanked by around 50 or so straight chairs in stiff rows. Downstairs off the entrance foyer was a small office for the King and next door the King and Queen's bedroom. I don't think it measured as much as 15' by 20'. It was really small. Down in what I would call the basement were floor to ceiling portraits of former Queens in what was called the "medals" room where medals were given out and displayed.

The grounds and gardens were getting a bit dilapidated, no surprise since they are huge. The building where the massacre occurred has been torn down and there is a sign on the spot where the Crown Prince was found afterward. It wasn't a very large building.

In Praise of Old Airports

Although I may comprise a group of one, I miss some of the old airports. A few days ago I landed in a new section of the Indira Ghandi International Airport in New Delhi India. Acres of marble floors and hundreds of baggage carts greeted me. Gone are the days of sitting on the conveyer belt waiting for hours for your bags to finally arrive because there was nowhere else to sit. And what about the cat who stole my donut from the seat next to me a few years ago? Will they keep her on? I doubt it.

Then there is the new huge glass and steel monstrosity in Bejing, China, full of duty free shops. In the old days you entered through corridors with flaking institutional green paint and peeling linoleum floors...reminiscent of an old state psychiatric hospital. At immigration armed guards stood in the back glaring at you...just daring you to enter their country. All the letters and numbers on the flight announcment board in the front of the airport were made of metal, and the whole thing made wonderful clicking sounds when they changed. After check in you were herded down to a gate in the round area with a small blackboard in the middle. Departing fights(by bus...there were no new flangled loading ramps) were chalked on the board in faintly passable English. Without good interpreting skills you could literally miss the bus.

And what about Hong Kong? You used to descend among the towering skyscrapers hoping your plane wouldn't hit clotheslines on nearby balconies. But the view of the harbor was stunning. Now they have built an admittedly beautiful airport miles away...connected by a very efficient train. Its just not the same.

Hanoi, Vietnam had an airport with pink peeling paint that any American city of 40,ooo would have been proud of. There were two departure sign in areas and a small gift shop which gave the place a cozy atmosphere. Not much for a city of a million plus. So it was replaced with a big shiny gitzy affair with no character.

And then there is Bangkok. I loved the old airport with two international and a domestic terminal all connected by a long scary tunnel. There were plenty of chairs tucked in corners all over the place where I could sleep safely on my overnight stays. And a 7-11 where I could get cheap sodas. So they built a huge new one on the other side of town in a place called "cobra swamp" As soon as it opened some of the runways cracked so they had to partly close it down and reopen the old one for some domestic traffic. It figures.

1956 Singer Featherweight for Sale - $235

SOLD I have a Singer 1956 Featherweight for sale. The machine is in excellent running condition. The box is less "pristine". As you can see, one lock is missing. I have new replacement locks for it (included) which I don't feel mechanically clever enough to install. I'm not handy with a screwdriver.

One side of the box is sort of "cracked" which doesn't affect its use. If I were to keep it I would just add a strip of black electrical tape. I like so show "warts and all" when I sell anything.

The inside of the box was never designed for a separate tray. It holds the attachments and bobbins.

And the top is designed to hold the presser foot.

It has all the attachments and instruction book.

There is some wear to the decal in front.

The faceplate. If interested, contact me at pkibbee@aol.com

"All my bags are packed, I'm ready to go"

Its all in there with room to spare. My travel pillow and blanket (disposable if necessary) a small travel umbrella- disposable (its monsoon season) pajamas, one pair of slacks, two tee shirts, underwear, toiletries, a pile of books which will be discarded along the way, a guide book for India, two dresses, shoes and toys for the little girl in Nepal named after me, a few snacks for the Indian trains, locks, a flashlight (there are lots of power outages in Nepal) and disposable flip flops for the train. And two folded up boxes in case I find anything fragile. A hat, sunglasses and sunscreen. And , of course, another suitcase folded up inside for the trip home. I will arrive in New Delhi after a direct flight from Chicago around 8:30 pm and ready for a good nights sleep at this delightful bed and breakfast near the airport. After breakfast her driver will take me back for my flight to Nepal. A bit pricier than I would like but pleasant and safe.

Then its on to the crowded streets of Thamel, the backpacker neighborhood in Kathmandu.

Cars, motorcycles and rickshaws and the occasional cow (its a Hindu country) share the streets with pedestrians. You walk along sort of looking behind you.

And there will be trips across the river to Patan, which used to be its own Kingdom.

And of course Bouda on the outskirts where I used to spend so much time.

To be continued.

Village of Painters: Narrative Scrolls from West Bengal by Frank Korom

The Patuas of West Bengal are a traditional artisan cast specializing in the production of painted narrative scrolls and the performance of songs to accompany their unrolling. These artisans have been plying their trade in this region of India at least since the thirteenth century and possibly earlier.

Traditionally the scroll painters wander from village to village, seeking patronage by singing their compositions while unraveling painted scrolls on sacred and secular themes.

A wandering scroll maker entering a town where he will hope to find customers for his songs.

Unfortunately the market is dwindling, and the scroll makers must find other outlets, such as the craft market in Kolkata where people just buy the scrolls and not the songs.

Story Cloths of Bali by Joseph Fischer

This is a beautiful book by Joseph Fischer who describes his 200 story cloth collection from Bali. According to the author, the embroideries are crafted by women of the Jembrana and Buleleng districts of western and northern Bali to be used as offerings in "rituals and celebrations connected to Hindu religious beliefs and practices." Sadly, as in many cultures, these cloths are not being made anymore.

The stories they told were usually of morality, humor and the triumph over adversity. Many of the tales involved the classical story of Ramayana.

Or even clowns.

I purchased my copy from the Folk Art Museum in Santa Fe.

Traditional Embroideries of India - by Shailaja Naik

I have been acquiring a large number of books on textiles lately and this was today's addition. It was published in New Delhi in 1996 and while I had been expecting the usual color photos, it doesn't have any which was a surprise. No matter, I have lots of books full of photos. This book has numerous pages full of line drawings depicting the typical embroidery of several regions of India. Much more useful for me at this point in my textile book collection. The areas of India included are: Bengal, Gujarat, Bihar, Himachal, Karnataka, Manipur, Orissa, Punjab, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh. There is also a section on the use of Metal Embroidery and illustrations of some basic embroidery stitches used in the work. If you are interested in it you can purchase it for about $18 and up on Amazon.com

I'm Leaving on a Jet Plane

Its time to get the suitcases out and begin organizing an upcoming trip to India and Nepal. My old standby basic suitcase is the blue roll bag in the middle with a zippered compartment in the bottom. Its very lightweight. I will fold up a large size duffle bag from LL Bean and put it in the bottom of this bag for my purchases on the trip home. I have a super new travel pillow. You would not believe the hard, flat pillows you find in even nice hotels. I now also take a fold up fleece lap type blanket for the chilly flight over and air conditioned rooms. I have only done this the last year or so and am amazed at how often I am delighted that I have brought it along. I also take a carryon suitcase and a fairly large backpack. Then there are the essentials, such as books, toothpaste, antibiotic cream and bandaids for your poor toes after walking a few miles.

SOLD----- 1936 Singer Featherweight for Sale...$325

SOLD AUGUST 14--I am still trying to downsize a bit and am going to sell these two Singer Featherweights. The second one will be shown tomorrow. This beauty is from 1936 and is in excellent condition. The case is in great shape except for a couple of things. The leather handle has been replaced with a new one. And the bottom of the case is a little rough. And it has the tray on top. The machine also includes all the attachments, the manual, and even the little oil can which I have never found with a machine before.

The new leather handle.

The bottom of the box with the "rough" patch.

I love the design on the faceplate on these era machines.

There is a spot on the front a little bigger than the head of a quilters pin where the paint is off. Otherwise the decals are in excellent shape.

SOLD

Don't Camp in the Rain and High Winds

I went camping this weekend with some family members and it poured rain every afternoon and evening and high winds on Sunday blew the awning off the RV. It bent the rod right in the middle.

My daughters two small dogs have a fit if they aren't where the adults are.

The annex.

The lake is usually beautiful with several small islands but not so much on a rainy afternoon

Thursday's RAFA Meeting

Our August RAFA meeting always has an excellent Show and Tell as many members attend Quilting by the Lake and have interesting pieces to show. Linda Bachman made this great piece from some small molas which I purchased recently in Panama.
Pat Berardi has been making small purses using cute fabric to say the least.

Caris Burtons quilt for her scientist son in progress.

And a quilt from QBL.

Caren Betlinski's piece from Marilyn Bedford's class.

Nancy Hicks almost completed this one in Rosalie Daces class.

I think this was Marcia Eygabroat's parents.