Shimla sunset.

There are dogs in the street eveywhere, just sleeping in the shade. Sometimes they even sleep in the middle of the street and everyone either walks or drives around them. The dogs never even flinch - secure in their right to be there.

Material for all kind of clothing (sari, salwar kameez, etc.) is sold in shops like this. You pick out your material and have it sewn by a local tailor. You can have a whole outfit made for less than fifteen dollars.

to the right:
Louise and Anita Khrishnakumar picking out fabric. First you sit down and sometimes they will offer you tea. Then you point to something you like and salesmen take it down and spread it before you. Then they will pull down two more pieces that are similar. Within minutes there are hundreds of fabrics in front of you. It's hard not to buy something after all their work and you know they will have to fold it all and put it back on the shelves when you are gone.

These are the bears and bunnies we brought for the girls at the girl's ashram (more explaination and pictures later) but we sprung the little guys and lined them up for a picture. I wish they wouldn't make so much noise cavorting at night.

Rindi having her hands painted with henna (a dye sometimes used in hair coloring). Many Indian brides have their hands and feet painted before their wedding. It's called Mendhi.

After the paste dries, a mixture of lemon juice and sugar is dabbed on the design to help it adhere to the skin. When it is removed hours later the skin is dyed a subtle orange color. Very pretty.

Each design is different. Raj's is more circular. I had one done on my foot. It's fairly faint now - it lasts about a week. They call it "mendhi."

Rashmi's hands. I thought it looked like fun to do. What do you think - a henna studio in my home town of Huntington, NY? It could be the next big thing.
** There is one in Huntington! Who knew? **

They also do something called "threading" which is sort of like getting your eyebrows plucked with string. Tony was a good egg and tried it out for those of us that were less brave. Go Tony!