The Leather Expo

I feel like I have a lot of catching up to do since it has been a couple of weeks since the last post, but the truth is, things have gotten almost routine here. For a week I watched structures being built between here and the stadium and when the signs went up realized that it was a Leather Expo - called 'Lexpo'. Kind of surprised us here since we thought cows were sacred and all that. It opened the first weekend of March and a group of us walked over on Sunday afternoon. It was good getting out of the compound of the hotel grounds on our feet. Not pleasant smells along the way, but we were there in 15 minutes. It cost rs5 for the entrance fee. It was almost like a swap meet with different companies and vendors selling their leather goods of bags, purses, belts, wallets of all kinds, and shoes. Of course the prices are pretty rock bottom for the goods so we all bought some things. It was funny that Llarelyn who didn't bring her wallet was the first to purchase something with borrowed rupees (after borrowing the entrance fee). Each time we approached a doorway there was a kid or someone inviting us in to the small temporary shop. Inside the clerks would try to point out a purse they thought you would like - usually for me it was some pink or blue thing for some reason. There was a lot of burnt orange leather bags that I found attractive and ended up buying a purse for myself. I also bought a couple of other things, but don't want to give that away. There must be at least 30 little shops and a couple of bigger commercial type shops, complete with windows. We went back with a couple of other people who had not been with us the first time on the second Sunday and will likely go back again the last day of the Lexpo - may need to buy a suitcase for all the goodies I have purchased! The funniest thing that struck us funny was watching cows from our room close to the Lexpo - if they only knew! I got a snap of them outside of the walls.