Land of Happy Sleepy » geography

Happy Sleepy embroidered patch

Magda — Fri, 25 Dec 2009 05:11:44 +0000

Happy Sleepy Tumble and Surf patch based on a drawing by Marc Ngui.

Marc had this patch made in Arambol, Goa, India, back in January 2009. It’s about 6 inches wide, and it is machine embroidered. I sewed it onto one of our bags while we were travelling, to repair where it was torn.

The workmanship on this patch is really rough and completely omits some of the details that were in the drawing. I’ve been spending quite a bit of time getting my hand embroidery skills off the ground, and I look forward to remaking this patch by hand.

Toronto is home these days

Magda — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 00:49:34 +0000

Up the porch and through the length of the house and out the kitchen door to this small garden retreat. I spend a lot of time here these days.

The benches are a favourite sleeping place of the cats, and great for breakfast because this

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Bit of greenery turns crumbling to picturesque, Calcutta, India

Magda — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 02:39:06 +0000

View from the hotel where I stayed in April 2008.

Travel Map of India

Marc — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 07:37:25 +0000

View India in a full scale Google maps window.

Trekking north of Kathmandu Valley, Nepal

Magda — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 19:04:32 +0000

The Everest Range in pre-dawn silhouette

Herding goats down the mountain

Corn seedlings grow in terraced mountain fields.

More photos from trekkin in Nepal in the Flickr set.

Mother’s Day saris in Nepal

Magda — Mon, 25 May 2009 16:56:48 +0000

Red and pink saris worn by married women on Mother's Day in Nepal, 2009.

On Mother’s Day in Nepal, married daughters wear read (or other bright colour close to red) and buy fruit and sweets in the market as well as other presents and go to visit their mothers.

Only mothers with married daughters celebrate Mother’s Day in Nepal!

Although the birth of a son is cause for much more celegration than the birth of a daughter, mothers who have only sons do not
celebrate Mother’s Day, same as mothers of unwed daughters.

More photos from Kathmandu Valley in the Flickr photo set.

Trees trimmed for firewood rather than cut outright, Nepal

Magda — Fri, 15 May 2009 09:40:56 +0000

All the lower branches on all the trees in these photos have been cut down for firewood and to feed cows and goats. Retaining the top part of the foliage preserves the tree which helps to prevent mud slides. Clearly not an ideal situation but better than clear cutting altogether.

These photos are from just north of Kathmandu Valley, on the drive from the lookout at Nakargot back to Kathmandu.

Goats in Calcutta, India

Magda — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 15:42:56 +0000

There are a lot of goats in Calcutta. You see them picking their way in around traffic, eating garbage and paper, and even being herded through the narrow back streets. Imagine coming up on a herd of 50 goats in the streets of YOUR city! In the surrounding restaurants, the goat meat is listed as mutton.

Chained to a post, resting on the sidewalk, a hairy goat that Marc says was "much creepier" in person.

You see these goatskins being carried around in the streets of Calcutta. Water does not reach many buildings so there is a lot of water being carried around. These goatskins hold quite a bit of water and carry more comfortably than a rigid jug of similar capacity.

Calico goat. Goats, goats, everywhere.

Pink lotus dying gracefully, Auroville

Magda — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 11:35:34 +0000

How lovely death can be, and how much more interesting than birth.

Best pistachio and cardamom kulfi in India

Magda — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 18:49:22 +0000

Served frozen in individual little pots in Auroville. Yum yum yum.