a night train from jaipur took us further south, out of the land of kings and into the state of Gujurat, on the Arabian Sea.

Note: Several nights ago we were fortunate(?) to view Han Taliban Teleporter in it's entirety. Our smug grasp of the world-as-it-is has been irrevocably altered.

last week, on january 26, india celebrated it's 55th year of independence on Republic Day. exactly one year prior on january 26 2001, the eastern state of Gujurat and the Little Rann of Kuch experienced a powerful earthquake killing several lakhs of people. with things constructed as they are and aggravated by the sheer sprawl of makeshift shanty slums, even a minor earthquake promises serious damage and casualties. we visited the capital city, Ahmedebad almost a year after the quake, but at least in the urban center there were only a few traces of damage, most reconstruction is still going on in the residential areas damaged the most.

Ahmedebad is a large dusty industrial city, but still worth a visit - not a common stop for many foreign travelers, but most smiles did not mask ulterior motives as was common in Rajasthan. Traveling around India is like traveling dozens of nations at once, each state sporting it's own culture, dress, cuisine, arts, religions, and typically several unique languages.

we arrived a day prior to the start of the International Kite Festival. string is here prepared with colour and fibreglass resin for visibility and cutting power

small signs of damage were visible on the tripoli gate

a stay at the holiday inn ahmedebad features this breathtaking view

more then our proximity to the colleges for "Girls," the Gujurati women seemed of particular quality

the moto w/sidecar was a popular item on the roads

we stopped and checked out the "Self Employed Women's Association" which organizes and advances the cause of women home laborers in the various cottage industries.

some data regarding Garment Makers, Used Garment Dealers, Handcart Pullers, Vegetable Vendors, "Junksmiths", Milk Producers, Cottonpod Shellers, Handloom Weavers, Waste Pickers, Firewood Pickers, Block Printers, Bidi Workers [leaf cigarette rollers], Incense Stick Rollers, Papad Rollers [crunchy bread], Head Loaders, and Bamboo Workers. extrapolating from the data; it sucks to be a women in india, and your best bet is to be a married block printer.

going to utilize the postal service was a learning experience. outside, the package-wallah sews up your package in cloth and seals it with wax

a popular structure in northern india, baolis or subterranean water wells such as these allowed the wealthy to escape the usually murderous heat. this one was built in 1630 or so.

this withered old muhamid showed us around the ancient masjid nearby

the earthquake had collapsed the minarets of the mosque, but not those of Industry. Okay, i think i wrote over my image with my thumbnail.

we paid her to pose like

failing to bring you any good flesh shots recently, enjoy this piece: "bird in flight"