Saree (or Sari) Shopping

Nathan Road is one of Hong Kong's well known shopping areas, and many of the stores are run by the Indian community, which have many tailor shops for suits etc.  Also in this area are the Indian shops selling cloth for Sari's. Vivian offered to take me shopping for a sari, so we met in front of the Chungking Mansions.  This is a somewhat dilapidated 17 story cheap hotel or guesthouse, where a lot of backpackers and people looking for a cheap place to sleep stay.  It doesn't have the greatest of reputations, but
is supposed to have a good Indian restaurant in it, so l asked Vivian about going there for lunch, 
but she said she wouldn't' go there without a man along!

The  shop girl was showing us how some of the saris are made now with the pleats already
sewn in.  Traditionally they are only a long 5m strip of cloth that you wrap around your
waist and hand pleat it on one side and tuck into the waist band and then drape the rest
 over your shoulder!!  A slip is worn underneath and the blouse on top is a lined
 cropped top.  Actually one end of the sari cloth is for the top to be made from.

She said lots of the young people don't know how to do the pleating anymore so that the whole
thing doesn't fall off!  Vivian said on her wedding day she used lots of pins to make sure
everything stayed where it should be!

On the wall where it looks like spools of thread, it's actually bangles, and you buy them buy the dozen!!

The tops and shirts are very fancy with lots of bead work.

Beautiful tunics! 

This was a cotton fabric with a embroidery design.  Vivian and her husband are from Bombay,
which is now called Mumbai and work at our school. She is an accountant but has been
taking her teaching degree and for the past two years had been practice teaching
with Blaine.

This sari had rich gold embroidery on it.

This one had lots of sparkle and beading.  The colors and cloth is rich and beautiful.

This is a top l had made (don't know if l'll ever wear it but was fun)  The top is called a kameez and the loose fitting pants are called shalwar.  The dupatta or scarf is always worn with this 
type of outfit.

The lady on the right is the owner of the shop, and stopped in for a visit, I think mostly to see
about this westerner who was interested in their clothes!!

This piece of cloth l had made into two different tops.  Thank goodness for Vivian because no on speaks
English here!  My Punjabi is as nonexistent as my Cantonese!

She let me take a picture of her earrings, and took them off to show me how they work! The long gold
chain hooks over the top of the ear and then attaches to the back studs of the earring!!  I hadn't
seen those before.  I'ts been so much fun to learn a little about other peoples cultures.

When we were leaving we stopped at a little store so Vivian could pick up some Tamarind.  She simmers it in water, strains it and uses it to make a sauce with.  It has both a sour and sweet taste 

apparently, depending on what you do with it.  In the west it is used in the making

of  Worcestershire sauce and HP sauce.  Not something l've knowingly used but used extensively

 here in the east and in Indian cooking.  So many things l've missed living in my little western world!!!