Sunrise from Tiger Hill

Sunday morning we woke very, very early and drove up, up, up to the top of Tiger Hill in Darjeeling to see the sunrise over Kangchenjunga in the Himalayan range. It is the third highest mountain in the world. I guess that makes up for the 400 am wake up call. As much as I don't like early mornings, it was 100% worth it! The three previous days had been somewhat overcast. Sunday morning was clear with a beautiful full moon.

The girls wrapped up and waited inside the observation tower until the sun started to peek over the range.

Rachel and her friend blended right in with their Nepali hats and cookies for breakfast.

The sun comes up opposite from Kangchenjunga and lights up the area.

As the sun rises, the color of Kangchenjunga changes ever so slowly from blue.....

....to pink....

....then, the sun pops up opposite the range and.....

....the snow white of the mountain shines.....

Pottery Village Tour

Recently, some friends and I had the amazing opportunity to tour a pottery village just outside of Delhi thanks to Indomania Tours. The village is comprised of potter families originally from Rajasthan who have relocated and reside permanently on the outskirts of Delhi. There are over 700 families in the village all with a potter's wheel and kiln in their home. There are multiple generations making pots for local use and export, from daily water jugs to decorative pieces. The village tour is run through South Asia Foundation, a non-profit with emphasis on the craft sector.

The people of the village were so warm and welcoming. Many came out to meet us as the van pulled up. Most loved having their photos taken and being able to see the photo after. I was really wishing for one of the old Polaroid Instamatic cameras. It would have been so great to give the people prints right on the spot. We were as much of an interest to the children as they were to us. Many of them followed us off and on throughout the the three hours we were in the village. Most of the pictures speak for themselves....

Even pots drying on the floor of the home.

Preparing the clay for the wheel.

This kiln had been fired the night before and was still very warm. This is from the second floor looking down into the kiln to give an idea of size.

These women were whistling from a neighboring rooftop and making the motions of taking a picture.

The family water jug.

Extra pots used for insulation and walls of the home.

Breaking up the clay into pieces fine enough for pots.

This kiln is being loaded for firing later in the afternoon.