With a tight rug-buying schedule, any sightseeing is done from the back seat of a speeding car as we travel from one village to the next. Visiting the rug-making region of India is like stepping back in time. People live very much like they did centuries ago. In the villages, fast food for our buying team consists of fruit and vegetable from makeshift stands along the roadside.
December is a popular month for weddings in India. As we drove back to the hotel in the evenings, we were able to catch glimpses of the wedding revelry–bright lights, fireworks, music, and dancing.
India is a country of great contrasts. One day while driving down a garbage-strewn street, we came alongside a villager proudly riding an elephant adorned with intricate painted designs and bright silks. Just when we reached the point where we couldn’t stand to see anymore poverty and filth, something truly beautiful would come along.
