Karan's Birthday Bash!

Note: our trip to Jaipur, Rajasthan was amazing! We took the train in that left Delhi at 6AM and met up with my best gal from way back when, Kasey, who is living in Jaipur. It was bing, bam, boom sort of trip but the taste we got of the city has lingered and Lucy, Mike, and I can't wait to return. Kase, is a very well connected woman and she got us into a bead/gem showroom where we pawed through every known rock imaginable (we were buying for my beading Aunt) for hours and I pretended for that moment that I actually WAS a well connected buyer and it felt really really suiting...hmmmmm.

We all needed shoes for the various wedding festivities and she got us all outfitted with some seriously mean haggling. She has picked up Hindi and she knows her thang and it is fantastic to watch. Later when Nate was with one of the salesman alone talking about pashminas he said, 'do not bring your friend, she knows everything!' She knows what's what so lucky for us and you can see her on the floor in the previous post picture, sorting through the shoes and getting them each priced accordingly and to her standards. That night she took us up to this fort (the city of forts) that looms above the city and we watched fireworks randomly crack across the evening skyscape. It was brilliant to see Kasey again after years apart.

Then she wisked us off to this wonderfully atmospheric garden restaurant that was booked out but again she managed to work us in somehow and we ate a selection of tandoori delights and some absolutely amazing garlic naan bread. Music in the background and spinning spangly dancers. Perfection.

She was able to accomodate all 5 of us in her apartment and in the morning we awoke to a never ending supply of pancakes and real Vermont Maple Syrup! She knows how to host and then we were off to do some shopping (Jaipur is known for their colours, textiles, and prints) and the afternoon was then consumed trying to find a bus/train/anything back to Delhi so we could make it back for the showing of Om Shanti Om ( new Bollywood show) and we made it back but I will write more on the Tata Truck Death Slalom later.

Since then we have explored Old Delhi, attended a Mehendi ceremony (where the women party and get their hands painted with henna pre-wedding), visited Karan's good friends textile factory and showroom and were pretty much in HEAVEN as they design and sell to H&M and it was just incredible. Dipa (the coolest chic around) actually gave us some clothes (note the sequin outfits),rocked out at Karan's private birthday party, and attended a Punjabi wedding cocktail party. We are party people! Sorry for the lack of detail but that will come later. Tomorrow is the actual ceremony and then the next day is the reception and then we will all part ways. It will be a very very sad day.