Wednesday, April 9, 2014

Happy Holi!

March 17th, 2014

Ah...my favourite Hindu festival, the festival of colours...Holi!  I have blogged a few times about Holi in past years so I’m not going to write too much and let the pictures do the talking.  This year Holi really kicked off in Arambol, especially at a street party where Kelly, Vicky, Dominique (another Brit) and I got fully into the crazy action.  Someone had set up some speakers and so everyone was dancing in the street while hurling coloured powder at each other and yelling “Happy Holi!”.  Those driving down the street had to run a gauntlet and few bike riders made it through unscathed while cars tended to keep their windows rolled up even in the oppressive 37 C heat.  Let’s just say...it got a bit messy...

This was actually the day before...Holi is celebrated over 7-9 days, depending on who you ask, and where I live on cliffside, it went off the day before the main event in Arambol:

Okay, now it's the main day...and I ran into these Swedish Superwomen en route to the Olive Garden:


Starting to get coloured up with Ram:

The Olive Garden kitchen is getting in the mood:

So is the manager...Manu:

Well then there's Vicky from England:

With my British Babes:

Smiles all around:

Let the party start:

Street dancing:

He looks passed out..but really he's just checking his colour supply:

Bring on the yellow:

Running the gauntlet:

Which Hindu goddesses are these?
Lovely smile Kell:


Maybe even better?

The dancing continues:

Dominique, were you in Avatar?  As the sad one?

Very happy Vicky:

We're gettin' down...or something...not sure:

A rainbow of radiance:

Super Selfie:

Happy Holi!!!

The Arambol Carnival

February 24th, 2014

Okay, my bad for not posting a blog entry in a long time but the paragliding season here is filled with “Groundhog Days”...same same, not different, so not too much to report.  However once in a while there’s a blip in the daily routine and in this case it was the annual Arambol Carnival.

I haven’t joined in the previous years’ festivities but was convinced by my trio of British friends, Ren, Vicky and Kelly.  Each year the carnival has a theme that people dress up as (it’s like Hallowe’en...but on the beach in the sun) and this time it was “Cartoons & Comic Characters”.  The girls suggested I go as Spiderman and that sounded easy enough to do...red t-shirt, black shorts, a couple of cardboard cutout spiders taped to my shirt and to bring the whole thing together, some expert face painting by the talented Miss Vicky.


So in the early afternoon I headed to the Olive Garden and then back to Vicky’s porch of her hut which was now a full on make-up studio.  I was one of the first to be painted but by the end she must have painted close to 15 faces (thanks Vicky!) while Kelly took on the oh so important responsibility of keeping the vodka daiquiris flowing for all to enjoy.

Victim #1:

A beautiful butterfly:

The beautiful butterfly...and a big one...beautiful as well:

"This is my blue steel look."

Cute girls:

Just recently hatched:

A Ren in the works:

Kelly Konstruction:

Super serious:

US Dave starting out looking like a couple of flowers...but wait...
 "The Dave of the Dead":

Another little butterfly:

Hugs from Ren:

By the time all the makeup was applied and costumes fabricated the main procession of carnival revelers had already passed by the Olive Garden but it wasn’t difficult to catch up.  At the centre of it all, pounding drums drove the decorated dancers encircled by onlookers snapping pics with their cameras and phones.  Everyone was happy and smiling in the bright sunshine and I was no exception although I think it was slightly fueled by the earlier vodka drinks (I’m usually just a beer drinker).  The party continued on past sunset and spilled into a Jamaican themed restaurant bar with a DJ spinning tunes that had most people dancing, yours truly included.

Spiderman, Bam-bam, a mermaid, a butterfly and Dave of the Dead ready to go:

Kelly met a few strange ones before we got out of the Olive Garden:

Dancers in some kind of dome:

Ren with Laxmi, the lovely "FLOWERS YOU BUY" lady (that's what her sale's pitch sounds like..,

Okay, maybe getting a bit messy out:

A "Buttermaid" combination:

A good time was had by all...at the carnival...