Holi madness!

Holi madness!, originally uploaded by goingglobal.

When I was last living in Nepal I remember vividly the Hindu festival of Holi. Essentially for two days, or more, Hindu's throw paint and dyes at each other throughout the Indian subcontinent. I have never quite figured out exactly why they do this but I know they sure as hell enjoying doing it!

Anyway where ever you are outside you are a 'victim' and legitimate target for them to target!

Unfortunately this is also a time when Hindu's are allowed to drink a lot of alcohol, often with some bad side-effects. Last time I was in India many women I knew got gropped and touched by men who used the occasion as a way to get closer to women than they normally do.

So although I was keen to see Holi first hand I knew that I would get my cloths destroyed and probably get annoyed by the way the women were handled. So instead I opted to spend the 14th and 15th in the desert where Holi wouldn't be quite as mad!

This photo was taken on the 13th March in Jaisalmer. The kids were really getting into the festival painting the back streets of the city pink.

Whilst we were on the camel trek many of the villages we went through were celebrating the occasion. At one particular village we had to run through with our camels as the kids chased us through the desert hurling paints and dyes at us!