Comments on the style saloniste: MY PASSAGE TO INDIA: Part One

Whenever you or guest come again in India, Delhi d...

2013-11-25T20:55:17.740-08:00

Whenever you or guest come again in India, Delhi don't forget to visit The Leela Palace. It is 5 star hotel in Delhi, Its architecture is inspired by Lutyens, art and its levels of refinement and generosity of space mirror the great palaces of the world.

Such a wonderful and deep descriptions and images ...

2013-11-25T20:42:21.766-08:00

Such a wonderful and deep descriptions and images you've provided. With pleasant interiors and elegant decor, Sarovar Portico, one of the best hotels in Jaipur promises utmost luxury and comfort.

Dear Diane, I am an Indian artist who lives and wo...

2010-07-05T22:04:45.163-07:00

Dear Diane,
I am an Indian artist who lives and works in Los Angeles, I grew up in India and came here twenty years ago whith my husband. I miss home and Rajasthan was were I went for holidays. A lot of my friends were from families in Rajasthan and I have such amazing memories of the time I spent there. My best friend in school was from the royal family of Bikaner and maharani Gaytri Devi of Jaipur visited us in school often. I have these great memories and you took me right back.You have a gift with words and write about my country with such love . The beauty that exists in daily life back home you captured that and with such reverance thankyou, you make me proud.

ruchi- You made my day. Thank you so much for y...

2010-03-21T23:40:50.893-07:00

ruchi-

You made my day.

Thank you so much for your kind message. I love it.

I will be writing more about Jaipur. Watch or a new story about GEM PALACE next week...March 2010...and more later.

I do love INDIA, and I adore jaipur. very best, DIANE

I live in jaipur.. You have described the city so ...

2010-03-20T05:25:50.022-07:00

I live in jaipur.. You have described the city so beautifully... I am so proud.

Thank you Diane for this exotic journey! I wish t...

2009-12-28T10:30:56.820-08:00

Thank you Diane for this exotic journey! I wish this was the India I saw twenty years ago while I was working in the gritty diamond bourse in Bombay as a gemologist! However, as an interior designer India never ceases to inspire - rich in history and so exotic - and those colors!
Nancy

BLEULAVANDE--MERCI! Thank you for your kind commen...

2009-12-16T12:36:13.669-08:00

BLEULAVANDE--MERCI!
Thank you for your kind comments.
BOXWOOD TERRACE: wonderful to hear from you, from such a distance.

ALBAROSA; I must say that Indian hotel prices at the truly comfortable level are Western prices but you get wonderful rooms and lots of service and assistance for that fee. Off-season can be quite gentle prices. Check on the internet.
You will note that the Narain Niwas hotel in Jaipur is somewhere in the range of $200, and it is an utterly authentic and charming hotel.
I suggest cruising around the internet--and looking at the Samode Haveli in Jaipur, and the Samode Palace in Samode..I mentioned them.
Delhi --there is the Manor, and other small hotels.
The internet can be useful--but it's important to balance price and location and comfort. Note that for the fee, the Aman hotels and the Rambagh Palace also offer transfers from airports (around $100 otherwise, or more) and you are surrounded by beautiful gardens, great service, concierges, and lots of comfort. Breakfast is included.
I have friends who stay in small hotels in Jaipur, and who like them very much, and like the authenticity and charm. They pay perhaps $150 or less, with breakfast. But fewer services--though a lovely experience. What you save could be used to buy jewelry. But you won't get room service or lunch, though you may meet an international group of great travelers.
I will do more research and report back. It's a very good question.
all very best, DIANE

What a fascinating detailed article, transporting ...

2009-12-16T11:44:18.340-08:00

What a fascinating detailed article, transporting me to magic places. A journey to India is on my mind for a long time, but holding me back is the "money" issue, since I would prefer to stay in nice Hotels and move around in comfort. It looks like you travel in style (of course...) would you think it is possible to be comfortable with a smaller budget?
Any suggestions?

Such a wonderful and vivid descriptions you've...

2009-12-13T07:19:03.192-08:00

Such a wonderful and vivid descriptions you've provided. I would love to visit India one day!

Wooowww, simply amazing!!! Tank so much for sharin...

2009-12-12T01:10:02.609-08:00

Wooowww, simply amazing!!! Tank so much for sharing this wonderful pictures and informations. I enjoyed to visit India with you!!!
Have a great time!!!

Michael and Cathy- You are very dear for sending ...

2009-12-11T22:46:40.887-08:00

Michael and Cathy-

You are very dear for sending such kind comments.
My Indian Odyssey was truly a voyage of discovery--even though I have traveled to India many times, and have enjoyed Jaipur over many years.
India takes you by surprise. Shock, too.
You don't know what will happen next. what you'll see, what fragrance will waft into your nostrils, whom you'll meet, who will suddenly appear, how wonderful Indian vegetarian food can be when it is prepared with devotion.
Cathy-Jaipur is exciting, and everyone you meet, as you know, is fascinating and kind. I wish you a wonderful trip. Please send a trip report.
Michael-I hope you will go there soon--perhaps this coming spring, which is such a lovely season in Jaipur.
all very best for the holidays, DIANE

Diane, Glad to know you also love India. I am pre...

2009-12-11T20:36:35.611-08:00

Diane,

Glad to know you also love India.
I am preparing for my 13th visit in January. Reading your post is getting me even more excited than I was...if such a thing is possible!
My husband is in the jewelry business so we know Jaipur well.
Waiting for your next installment...

Good Morning Diane, Reading your blog, especially ...

2009-12-11T11:54:26.400-08:00

Good Morning Diane,
Reading your blog, especially about "My Passage To India: Part One" is like next to being there...!
Wonderful words and beautiful pictures!
Best,
Michael Bello

Dear Lisa, Lisa, Lisa! We have walked in the same...

2009-12-10T19:27:36.460-08:00

Dear Lisa, Lisa, Lisa!

We have walked in the same footsteps and trod a similar path.
Who knew, when I went to the aarti ceremony at the temple, you had stood there watching the priests and venerating the gods just months before.
Gem Palace is my favorite (I never shop at other jewelry stores) and the best part if seeing the traditional styles, the rose cuts, the incredible Mughal-style pieces. Lucky you to have the snake ring. Powerful.
What no-one knows in US--is that many Indians now are seriously or mildy or incredibly wealthy, a result of everything such as high-tech and banking, to manufacturing for top luxury French and Italian fashion firms, to textiles, construction (exploding), and making top quality as well as everyday things to ship to America.So there are many chic women carrying Birkins and wearing Louboutins, in Delhi and Bombay. They buy couture. Every time I visit, a few months later I see more motorcycles, newer cars, more shops. But, family and spiritual life remain important to Indians. Daily visits to temples, daily puja, and spending time with the family tribe are all essential to happiness.
India is wonderfully contrary. The caste system is a relic that guided social movement, jobs, and living. Poverty continues in remote villages.
But...India and Indians have a great sense of humor and ease, and they are fun, vivid, and stylish. I am looking forward to a speedy return. I wish this for you, as well. Can't wait to hear about your trip to Morocco. You must con-Fez all.
happy days, DIANE

Diane, Diane, Diane... What an magical odyssey you...

2009-12-10T13:13:04.215-08:00

Diane, Diane, Diane...
What an magical odyssey you have taken us on! Your finely honed powers of description bring back the glorious tumult and kaleidoscopic color of India in a rush of blood to my head....

I have stayed at the Amanbagh as well. Memories linger...the nightly aarti ceremony at the little village a short golf cart away from the hotel...the peacocks roaming freely...the silence and the splendor...thank you for so evocatively making it alive again.

And Gem Palace...as I type this, I wear my snake ring that I purchased there and never take off. When I stayed at the Rambagh Palace last year, there was an international polo tournament and the hotel was filled with the most glamorous Indian luminaries I've ever set eyes on. How lucky you are to have spent so much time there with your dear friend the Maharani of Jaipur!

Your post has awakened familiar seeds of passion in me to return there at once. With acknowledgements (and apologies) to Samuel Johnson, "When a woman is tired of India, she is tired of life!"

Most eagerly awaiting Part Two,

xxx

Dear Gaj, Super Dilettante, JMW, Katie, Laura and ...

2009-12-09T22:36:04.613-08:00

Dear Gaj, Super Dilettante, JMW, Katie, Laura and Notting!

Thank you so much.
Readers and friends are divided as you are between those who have always wanted to go to India--and those who say it was not on their list and now they're heard what I have to say, my view, they want to go. India is now the top of the list. I am happy.
India is superbly stimulating. There's excitement in the air.There's glamor. It's growing and energetic and thrilling.
Yes, there is the little girl performing cartwheels in the middle of a busy road. But mostly there is great beauty, women with baskets of marigolds and roses outside a temple, a sunny terrace with peacocks strutting nearby, a woman in a saffron sari, happy children at a village school, and a centuries-old culture that is older than Europe. I am endlessly fascinated.
Cheers and happy travels to you, DIANE

So complex and captivating, I thoroughly enjoyed d...

2009-12-09T19:17:42.119-08:00

So complex and captivating, I thoroughly enjoyed drinking in all your descriptions. Your comment about the gypsy girl resonated with me - it may be why I've been timid about entertaining the idea of visiting India someday. Although, reading your account makes me consider all that a journey there would have to offer. Looking forward to the second post!

This is all just so wonderfully, perfectly evocati...

2009-12-09T13:55:17.400-08:00

This is all just so wonderfully, perfectly evocative! I always had a bit of a lukewarm response to the idea of going to India...other places were certainly higher on my list...but now it is positioned square in the number one slot. I am dreaming of that jewelry mecca you speak of...

I am so glad you are back so we can read about you...

2009-12-09T10:40:07.436-08:00

I am so glad you are back so we can read about your amazing adventures! India has been one place I long to go, along with Morroco. It is wonderful to have a sense of where to go and what to see from someone who has your broad experience. Thanks Diane!!

What an incredible place - thank you so much for s...

2009-12-09T10:25:52.124-08:00

What an incredible place - thank you so much for sharing! The colors are what amaze me. Everything seem so much more vivid there.

Reading this post is like going on tour with Rudya...

2009-12-09T08:58:47.157-08:00

Reading this post is like going on tour with Rudyard Kipling. I love it. I want to stay in one of these palaces!!

Exquisite and captivating, sensual and invigoratin...

2009-12-08T13:45:51.198-08:00

Exquisite and captivating, sensual and invigorating. An exceptional account. Will there be a book?
Many thanks.

Dear Karena, Jennifer, Vicki and Home Before Dark-...

2009-12-08T11:26:11.495-08:00

Dear Karena, Jennifer, Vicki and Home Before Dark-

Thank you so much for your kind messages.
i call it 'Planet India' as you are in another world.
It's a shock to the nervous system--and all senses are on alert.
I focus on architecture, design, (gems, I must admit) and textiles, the culture and history. And I have friends who's been to India simply to study textiles--or historic gardens. Others go into the desert to visit tribal people. What's thrilling: especially in remote areas there is total authenticity. You will never see a woman in a sari with a T-shirt. One afternoon, I had seen village women ploughing fields, following an ox, and dressed in the most splendid yellow and orange and pink sequined saris. Later, i saw women out herding goats in the scrubby desert wearig mirrored skits and embroidered saris. Glorious but seemingly impractical. I comment to a highly educated Indian friend 'Hm, the saris look so delicate and fragile. Would it be easier to wear jeans or pants." and my friend was shocked. 'No, it would bring shame on the family and the village," she said. I got it. Tradition and family honor and social and religious ties are important--and so women wear the most beautiful saris when they are out cutting firewood or carrying piles of hay on their head. It's thrilling. I hope it never changes. Women in villages usually cover their faces with their saris when out in public.
While kids in Delhi or Bombay can be quite universally modern, those in Jaipur or Jodhpur, for example, are very proper in shirt and pants, no t-shirts.
It's this 'non western' approach (the Indian govt limits imports as well) that keeps India very authentic. It's an astonishing country. Go there as soon as you can. cheers, DIANE

Dear Nancy- Thank you for your message. You sound...

2009-12-08T11:10:56.705-08:00

Dear Nancy-

Thank you for your message. You sound like a generous, warm, compassionate, diligent and thoughtful person--and I am very sorry to hear that you are combatting cancer. I am confident that you will succeed--as many of my dear friends have. My blessings and thoughts are with you. Please keep me posted.
Regarding my writing and books:
I was very fortunate to have warm and consistent encouragement from my dear parents and grandparents and teachers from very early in my life.
Writing (and its accompaniment, reading) have always been my focus and passion, along with travel and design.
I have been incredibly fortunate. I am most grateful to editors and publishers and all the talented people I've worked with.
It's you who must be the focus of your actions now, and your thoughts.
First: I have a great idea for you: There is a book I think you would find inspiring, 'If You Want to Write' by Brenda Ueland. Your local library most likely has it-or could certainly get it. It's a classic. Get started reading books about writing.Read one after another. Stay focused on this goal. Do it every day.
Second: Enrol in a local creative writing workshop or class. Dive into this world. It will take away the mystery of it--and get you immediately involved. You will meet inspiring people, other writers. And you will be so captivated and rewarded and fulfilled by writing, that will in turn inspire you. You will be impressed my your own accomplishments.
I think the key here is to be actively involved in your dream to write. This will take away some of the feelings that are present when we are faced with an illness.
Signing up for--even looking into--writing courses or a writing group--will make you feel you are taking charge, and taking a step toward fulfilling your dreams. This will free you and let loose your creative spirit. I am confident.
Great good luck with everything. Follow my steps diligently.
Write them down--and stick to this list.
I know you will do it.
kindest thoughts and my blessings to you, DIANE

Diane, India has long been on my list of places to...

2009-12-08T09:07:53.657-08:00

Diane, India has long been on my list of places to visit, but after reading your absolutely captivating post on your recent journey, I believe India has moved to the TOP of my list. Hands down, I think this might be one of your best posts ever! Dazzling!