To the Pink City
Fri Sep 08 2023 22:49:00 GMT+0800 (Malaysia Time)
Greetings from Goa, India
So yes in Goa.. arrived here with Mr Chatterjee (our man in India) after a few days in the Pink City, known as Jaipur. Last week I was in Delhi and telling you why there was so much wet paint.. If you missed it you can catch up here.
From Delhi we took an evening flight from Delhi to Jaipur.. the flight time was short and the plane was small and cramp with propellers..all very old school.. we arrived at Jaipur airport which was surprisingly nice and very organised. Then a short taxi to the Marriott hotel. A huge and it turned out extremely busy hotel. There was a conference of brain surgeons going on.. so some of smartest people in India were there.
Boarding the evening plane to the pink city.
I have been to Jaipur before, many years ago. In those days its was mostly a tourist hub, famous for the ancient buildings and pink city. Now it has developed into a 3.5 million people busy city with lots of industry of all types. Tonk Road dissects the city and is where many textile factories have showrooms.. there are so many handicraft producers here but sadly we actually have only two suppliers so and it was about time to make a visit.
If you have seen the movie: The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, then you will have an idea about the place, if you have been as a tourist then probably didn't see the new developed part of Jaipur and that's where our suppliers are. A totally different vibe to Delhi, more laid back and the streets are relatively clean and organised. It just feels a bit more cared for to me and the locals seem genuinely helpful and friendly.
The leather books have become a very popular item.. and we expanded the range quite a bit over the last couple of years.. I wanted to get our range to the next level and that is one aim of our trip.
The factory in sleepy backstreet was surprisingly peaceful place with about thirty staff beavering away doing the various processes that go into making those journals. It's a family business and the boss and his brother gave us a guided tour explaining how it all works.. very nice thoughtful people. Good to work with. I made video..
I feel that there is so much more to discover in Jaipur and it's probably as good a creative hub as Delhi so we are definitely coming back.
But we have a tight schedule, so after only four days (some new contacts made) it was time to catch the early morning flight down to Goa.. actually we landed at the brand new airport in North Goa. Impressive and very jolly. Our regular taxi guy Rosario picked us up and took us down south to where we have a bit of a base. AW has an apartment there that is currently under restoration.. so need to check on it.. plus have some personal stuff to attend to.
It's off season, actually the monsoon season in Goa, so nothing is open and its very quiet. But surprisingly (or maybe not) the weather is quite nice with plenty of sunshine.
Back in the UK - it's all happening all at once...
There is so much new stuff arriving, including Enchantment Lights.. strings of raw crystals that light up.. I'm so excited to see. Going to be a brilliant xmas and beyond gift.
Lots of incense products rolling in.. so much.
Anyway I hope you have a wonderful weekend.
Take care and Namaste.
David
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