I loved the open markets of India. Have been meaning to draw from a photo I took. Fantastic colors!!
Sari Vendor: Jodhpur
Travel
India: on to Manali and the Pavarti Valley
Manali is a starting point to the Indian Himalayas in the state of Himachal Pradesh. We had heard that the best way to get there was to take an overnight bus from Delhi. We investigatedt other options but none of them much reduced the number of hours of travel. So, we flew from Jodhpur to Delhi and situated ourselves on the overnight bus.
The seats on the bus reclined and elevated our legs but there was no bathroom aboard. I dubbed the ride “the Kishkaville Express” because the last half of the trip, on rocky, unpaved mountain roads, bumped and jumped in the early morning. After 13+ hours, we arrived in Manali.
On the bus, we met Alaka and Dev, a friendly couple from Delhi, who told us about a local festival that was happening that day, the Manu Festival.
You can tell that Manali was probably a sleepy hamlet twenty years ago. Its beauty and location an all to familiar blessing and curse as it’s become a tourist haven of the north and jumping off point for mountaineering. Most of the visitors are Indian, coming for adventures and ganga, which is smoked pretty freely in the old section, despite being illegal. There are a myriad of outdoor outfitters lining the main road and over a hundred guest houses and hotels. During high season (late May and June) the traffic can be complete gridlock.
We stayed a few days in Manali and then took a car to Tosh in the Pavarti Valley.
I was awestruck by the views from Tosh. The stunning snow capped mountains in the distance and homes tucked into the steep hillsides reminded me of the picturesque villages of Nepal.
Although we had been told that it was “the best place to stay in Tosh” our guest house was a dirty dump. The transformer had gone out and we had no electricity while we stayed there (not the fault of the guest house).
The latch on our door needed oil. It squeaked loudly whenever we struggled to pulled it over to lock or unlock it, the bedding was soiled and the combination squat/sit toilet seat was loose. I don’t want to talk about the rest of the bathroom.
That said, our balcony had a wonderful view of the mountains and gave us a great vantage point for watching the comings and goings of the village.
From Tosh, we walked along the valley to the Waterfall Café, where the tables sit in the gushing flow.
Further on was Kulka, a tiny mountain “village” consisting of two guest houses, a small store, a babbling brook, grazing horses and a lovely high meadow with an awesome view. We would have loved to stay in Kulka.
The next day, we took a car, which dropped us off near Pulga, another village nearby. The road is still being built there so we backpacked in. On the way, we met some travelers who recommended we stay at the #capitalcafe, a new guest house with bamboo cottages (and electricity)! The place was SWEET as was the young owner, Chetan, who spent time with us and told us his story. It was a highlight for me to share my greeting cards with Chetan and his crew, who are all Nepalese. His cook recognized one of the places I’d drawn.
We took a hike in the dense forest there, passing a waterfall and a herd of cattle (right there on the path). To our surprise, we happened upon this shrine in the woods. 
We wanted to stay another night there but had already made reservations at an Airbnb which was in Gargi
India
I returned from a month long trip to India two weeks ago. It will take me a few postings to get it all down but here’s a start…
I remember that a light would appear in the eyes of my hippie friends when they spoke of their travels to India. I was 22 years old and my imagination was sparked forever. Although I visited Nepal, Burma and Thailand, I was fearful of India, my chief concerns being health and crime.
So…when Spring Studio’s office closed in April, and I was out of a job, I saw an opportunity to follow that old dream. And luckily, my childhood friend Liz, with whom I had traveled many years before, was game to join me on the adventure.
First day we stayed in Old Delhi and visited Red Fort, Humayun’s Tomb, the National Crafts Museum, and went shopping for Indian clothes (I bought kurtis and balloony pants). We ate lunch at a little, packed hole-in-the-wall and sat with some young teachers who were visiting from Goa.
Auto Rickshaws are everywhere in India. The way they get through traffic is by driving really fast and honking their horns for everyone to get out of the way. Actually, everyone drives this way. The streets are a cacophony.
Next we went to Jaipur in the state of Rajastan
Took a sweet old train (pukey greenish color) with plenty of legroom and surrounded by women! We also treated ourselves to a room at a converted palace, which was pretty amazing.
Took an Uber to Albert Hall Museum, which had wonderful art from all over the country.
It was really crazy HOT. When they say it’s going to be hot in California’s Central Valley, they mean 94. That’s a full twenty degrees cooler than it was in Rajastan.
The city is known for a walled section known as Pink City. I was really into the open air markets. The scene was alive with color as women went in to do their shopping, buying saris, groceries, herbs, clothing.
And we went to the Anoki Museum of hand printing, where we saw some impressive traditional craft techniques.
Then on to Jodhpur, also in Rajastan
Meharangarh Fort hovers over the city of Jodhpur. There are converted mansions in India, which are called Havelis. We stayed at one that was a hotel, on which, the roof restaurant afforded a great view of the fort and of a girls’ school.
It was kind of enchanting. I drew the courtyard, seen below. They had displays of artifacts there as well.
Jodhpur has wonderful, colorful open air markets. I loved seeing the women sit with shop keepers to order their saris.
The markets are where it’s at.
We went to the Meharangarh Fort on the last day. It was an incredible fort and palace. We had a guide named Sanjay.
But the heat was still an issue…it was oppressive. We decided to make our way North to the cooler climate…
to Manali…
Treasures rediscovered!
Today, I found a scrapbook that I started in third grade. It has drawings, illustrations I cut from magazines (mostly from ads), photos from trips (including a memorable stay in California with my older sister, Tobie, and our grampa). The book also serves as portfolio for some pieces I did when I first arrived in Hawaii, a zillion years ago.
But the diamond I discovered was a painting I’d done when I traveled to SE Asia in the 80’s. Below is the piece I did of the Annapurnas in Nepal; the painting says Gangapurna. I remember creating it from a magical village called Manang. It looked more majestic than this, I assure you—those peaks are over 24,000 feet tall.
Kaua’i works
I had never been to Hawaii before I moved there. I flew over about a month after I graduated college in Rhode Island. The colors of the flora and fauna enchanted me.
My friend Bill caught this fish and told me that live ones don’t keep their mouths gaping. I thought it was beautiful but he said it just looked dead.
I took a photo of beloved Anahola Mountain and made a kick ass t-shirt out of it. I’m thinking of doing that again. What do you think?
The photo is all scuffed up because I developed it at the Kaua’i Times darkroom, where I had a crappy part time job.
Of all the Kaua’i work I found today, I like this one the best. It’s the Kaua’i General Store in Kilauea. The signs say: Wildroot, Antiques • Art, Unusual Gifts, Shave Ice, Hot Dogs. I can’t quite make out the sign on the second floor. Does it say Obako? It looks like I included a shout out to my friend Robin too.
These pieces bring back a lot of memories!
Travel to PA/NJ/NY in December
I can get really bored on a 5 hour plane ride. Especially when we have an extra 1.5 hours to stop to refuel (in beautiful Salt Lake City). Started these pen and inks at the Museum of Natural History in NY and at the Metropolitan. Painted them on the plane. I got a little carried away but it was fun.
Yosemite!
I took a wonderful, inspiring workshop at the Yosemite Art Center in September with Janet Takahashi. It was a whole week but I was only able to go to the morning of the first day. But I got really jazzed with her techniques and her beautiful work. I’d really like to go for the full week next year.
I met another watercolor artist at this spot. He gave me a bunch of tips for painting and promoting my work. I haven’t done many landscapes and am learning new techniques from an old book that belonged to Uncle Miki (Z”l). It’s taken me a couple of months but I finally finished this piece. 
Cuba 2016
Paintings from our trip to Cuba in February and March.
La Ciudad de Mexico!
Frida’s Studio
Casa Azul, Frida’s house in CDMX is so beautiful. I loved her studio especially. Wouldn’t I love to have one like that!
Sketches of Spain
Actually, most of these are of Barcelona. We went with my folks back in April. We came across this violinist playing Vivaldi’s Four Seasons in a courtyard by the cathedral. He was great!
We took one of those tourist buses around Barcelona and got off here. There was a beautiful view from that hill.
Holy water bucket at La Sagrada Familia. I love that it was a giant clamshell (faisua).
Porter’s Pavillion at Park Güell 
This rooftop was pretty irresistible.
We LOVED Casa Battló!
…then Mitch and I went to Granada
This was while we waited for our ticket time at the Alhambra
Suzine II 