Brambles Art Retreat
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Review about our second trip to India - October 2010.
We are not hosting a course in 2011, we will be
running a trip in India October 2012 - read on...
Read an article about our 2008 trip, featured in the Artist and Illustrators magazine, April 2010 issue.

We toured several cities in India, painted at a retreat in the foothills of
the Himalayas and finished the trip at a stunning Fort Palace in Rajisthan.
We offered an amazing opportunity to experience the beauty of India, to sample just a taste of what such a huge
country has to offer. Visiting major cities and in contrast a remote homestead. A visual feast with opportunities to sketch
and paint in beautiful locations with two tutors.
It was a 18 day trip, starting with 3 days in New Delhi, including a trip to Agra to see the Taj Mahal.
We then flew across India to West Bengal to stay at 7500ft in Darjeeling, with its dramatic mountain views of
Everest and Kachenchunga, surrounded by beautiful tea gardens. Away from the hustle and bustle of cities and towns,
we spent six days painting at Karmi Farm Retreat, hidden away in the foothills of the Himalayas.
On our return journey we travelled through Kalimpong, staying at the renown Himalayan Hotel.
We flew back to New Delhi and finished our trip with 4 days in Rajisthan at the magical Neemrana Fort Palace.

. Part 1 New Delhi

We flew overnight to Delhi and arrived late morning the following day. Our hotel provided mini buses to collect us
and take us through the busy traffic. The hotel was very well prepared for our large group. After settling in everyone
was up for taking a Tuk Tuk to a local market to aclimatize and get their first taste of India, New Delhi. We headed off
to Kaan market.
After a small detour to a large shopping complex (curtesy of our drivers) we finally arrived at Kaan market. Having just
enough time to visit a few shops, purchasing Indian clothes and soft furnishing. Very tired and really ready for bed,
managed a light meal at "The Big Chill" we headed back to the hotel for an early night.
In the morning we began a full day sightseeing around New Delhi, two air conditioned mini buses ferried us to Gandis
memorial, the Lotus temple, India Gate and the Museum of Modern Art, not to mention the great restaurant that provided
an excellent lunch. We finished off the evening with dinner at a restaurant in Lodi gardens.
We had a particularly early start the following morning as we where driving to Agra to visit the Taj Mahal and the
Red Fort. We would usually have taken the train, however the train was booked solid as the commonwealth games has not
long finished and seats were a premium.
It took longer than expected and our driver was desperate to take us on more shopping detours. Undettered from our
objective we arrived in Agra at 12.30pm and headed straight for the Taj. Well worth the hassle, it is so very beautiful.
We spent three hours there. Making the most of our journey we went on to the Red Fort, a guide joined us and made our short
visit to the Fort very well informed. After a vegetarian supper we headed back to New Delhi.


Part 2 Darjeeling
After checking out of the New Delhi hotel we took a flight to Bagdora arriving early afternoon.We were collected by Jeeps and
driven to Darjeeling. The distance wasn't very far but the roads are rough and bumpy. The speed of the traffic rarely goes
above 20 miles per hour. Culture shock is an understatement - Siliguri is a feast of colour a hustle and bustle of thousands
of people getting on with their lives. Cows walking down the middle of the road, bicycles,tuk tuks, cars, army vehicles,
buses and huge tinsel encrusted trucks all vying for the same space on the road. Covered with a grey dust, stalls, tin huts,
tents, houses, line the route which eventually pan out to open fields of tea, rice and spacious homesteads.
A few mile outside of Siliguri we head up the mountain path, through rich vegetation, with dramatic views of the purple mountains.

We stopped for tea and a snack at a popular resort, Kerseong, it was a refreshing break after a bumpy ride.
We arrived in Darjeeling early afternoon and were met by our host Andrew Pulger Frame. He took us to his family hotel the Bellvue.
Set in a most prominent location at the top of Darjeeling, it has spectacular views. The hotel is basic, clean and functional,
with spacious rooms and good staff that are very attentive. There is a rooftop garden that gives a 360 degree view of Darjeeling
the Katchenjunga mountain range and an arial view of hundreds of people milling around the main square.
Days are short and the evening draws in about 5.30pm. After an early supper we all welcomed a good nights rest.




Our first excursion was to take a leisurely walk to Darjeeling Zoo and the Everest Museum. About 30 minutes on foot
with stunning view along the way. The zoo was very busy, lots of crowds. Its large and spacious with a gentle climb
to the newly rennovated Everest Museum. Full of interesting photos information and artifacts about Everest and its climbers.
>
We then where free to roam around the zoo, we saw tigers a snow leopard, monk jacks, brown bears and red pandas.



In the afternoon there was an excursion to visit a local Thangkas painter that lives and works in Darjeeling.


The Thangkas painter - Dawala very kindly invited us to his home to see his paintings and his tiny studio.
Dawala has been painting Thangkas for 35 years he was taught by his father. He uses the paints handed down by
his father, secretly brought from Tibet. They are made from grinding down precious stones that are said to have
medicinal qualities.
It can take up to 3 months to grind down a stone to get enough paint to work with. Dawala said he only has enough
paint to paint another 15 paintings. As it can take up to 9 months to complete a large painting Dawala probably has
enough to see him through to retirement. Dawala prides himself on the accuracy of his work, he said if a senior
religious Lama looked at any of his work they would see it was perfectly painted just as Thangkas have always been painted.
Dawalas work is commissioned by people all over the world. It was also a privilege to visit the home of Dawala,
his beautiful flat although very small and modern was an insight in to the life of a working artist in Darjeeling.


We had a very early start the next morning everyone was woken at 4.30am to go by jeep to the top of Tiger Hill
to see the sunrise and light up the top of Mount Everest. Hundreds of people get up to do this trip every day.
It was well worth the effort, the view was exceptional and the atmosphere exciting. Several photos later we headed to Ghoom
to visit a very old monastery.


Later that morning we all went to visit a tea garden. Perched on the side of Darjeeling, Happy Valley tea
garden had recently been rebuilt with funding from major customers such as Harrods. It has been rebuilt in a traditional
manner with all the original British machinery reinstalled. It was great to see how the famous Darjeeling Tea was processed.
The building was still being finished, however work was still in progress. The tea was being harvested and dried ready to be
exported all over the world. The guide in the workroom gave us a tour. Well worth a visit.

The Tibetan Refugee Centre in Darjeeling.



On our last morning, in Darjeeling, we went to the Tibetan refugee centre. This centre was set up to help and employ
refugees that fled from Tibet,many on foot. It is a very interesting place full of people working very hard making a
living preparing wool for carpets, knotting carpets, triming and finishing. These carpets are so much in demand they have
an order book full for the next six to twelve months. There are also ladies knitting hats,socks and mittens for their shop.
You can also buy beautiful woven wraps and scarves, woven bags and cushions, carpets and more.




Part 3 - Karmi Farm Retreat


We set off at noon for Karmi Farm, another bumpy ride through the countryside, passing by and through many
of the Tea Gardens. The small tea plants growing as bushes, they make a beautiful pattern across the steep sided landscape.



We arrived in the early evening at Karmi Farm after a dusty three hour road trip over a bumpy track called a "road."
The farm perched on the hillside at 4500ft is very beautiful, homely and tranquil. A perfect place to relax and paint.
We where welcomed by Andrews mother Deki, armed with a pot of fresh Darjeeling tea and her delicious cake.
The view all around of the mountains are dramatic and stunning.



Karmi Farm is the family home of the Pulger-Frame family, Our host Andrew Pulger-Frame, maternal great grandson of RajaTenduk Pulger of the
ancient Sikkimese Lepcha tribe, and son of a Scottish Tea Planter, spent much of his childhood in and around the area. The combination of his fluent
English and Nepalese, his local current and historic knowledge plus his experience as a trekking guide to Everest Base Camp ensures we can make the
most of this stunning area.



We spent a full seven days painting in and around the retreat. The weather was beautiful, not too hot, t-shirts and shorts, very comfortable in the shade.
Guests painted in Watercolour or Acrylic, lots of drawing in pencil or pen. We also spent a whole day drawing portraits of all the staff and children.