Almost Time to Return Home

Well you haven't heard from me lately for two reasons. One: I was sick again last week. It started on Tuesday and lasted until Thursday. But I know what caused this one. Tuesday is the day that I take my malaria medicine. It says on the label to take with food. I've taken this medicine for three trips now to Ghana and once to India and have never gotten sick. I guess that I did not eat enough breakfast to coat my stomach before taking it. But was I ever sick. Spent most of the day Tuesday and Wednesday in bed. Bummer! The other reason that I've not written before now is that Adams and I have been to the Internet cafes several times but lights out! Same old "dam problem" with the electricity! LOL!

I did make it to the US Embassy last week though. No good news however. I had a meeting with a gentleman in the consulars office. He told me that there was nothing that I nor US Congressman McIntyre could do to make the visa happen. It has to be done by Adams. He did tell me four areas in which Adams is lacking and he will start trying to correct those as soon as possible. So maybe after a few months these things can be taken care of.

Saturday Adams and I went to Kasoa to attend the graduating ceremony of Amibs School of Art and Design. There were eight graduates. It was held outdoors at a local restaurant under tents and the trees. It was really nice, though quite different from graduation ceremonies here in the U.S. One main difference, we don't take up offerings during the ceremony. They passed the plate two or three times! Amibs even had me taking part in the event. The eight students, he and I were in cap and gowns. I have pictures that I"m going to try to send if I can possibly upload them. If not, it will have to wait. I met another member of Parliament who also attended the graduation. He was very nice, in fact, every one was and I was treated like royalty. I was even presented a small award for my assisting his school in the past with scholarships and money for completion of his new addition to his school. TV cameras and newspaper men were present too.

On Sunday at Amibs house and school a party was held in my honor. There were approximately 75-80 people present. We had a huge buffet lunch with such things as banku, rice balls, goat kabobs, washee, beans, all kinds of soups, salads and Ghanaian biscuits. It was wonderful. I had to be very careful about what I ate though. Didn't want to get sick again.

Well yesterday Adams and I were all about Accra going here and there, just having a wonderful time being together. It's amazing how two people who are so different in every way can get along so well together. Today we are planning to go to a nearby town or village where they make traditional glass beads the way they have for centuries. Hope to find so really nice beads for a really good price. If anyone can barter, it's Adams. He'll be able to get me the very best price I'm sure.

Well I'd better be going for now. Take care everyone. Reality is beginning to set in as far as my vacation coming to an end. I'm beginning to get depressed about having to go back to the rat race back home, but all things must end I suppose. Catch you later.

Larry in Ghana

P.S. The first picture is one of me being presented a present by Amibs in the middle and one of his student's parents on the right. The second picture is me wearing the gift. It is a shirt of the northern region of Ghana called a fugu. It was worn by chiefs. The third pictue is three really nice Ghanaian ladies at my party on Sunday and the last is a picture of me giving one of the students his diploma. Notice the Ghanaian cap and gown.

Another Cool Day in Accra

Hello everyone! I'm just cooling it here in Accra. It is so pleasant with the most wonderful breeze. Wish I could take it back with me next Monday. Hope everyone is doing well. How is the weather there? I'm going to try to send the pics that I wanted to send last time but couldn't. I've already heard from one person that the last email I sent with pics included did not allow her to view them. So hope they work this time. But first, Adams and I went to Kasoa yesterday after church to see some land that he is thinking about buying. It was far away. Oh I'll have to tell you all about church service later. We went to his mom's church. It was a Pentecostal International Worship Center and was it ever different from a Baptist church!!!!!!!!! But very uplifting and enjoyable. I was accepted and greeted by so many wonderful people. Today we have just stayed around the house doing laundry and ironing. Tomorrow is the big day. I go to the US embassy to see if I can convince them to allow Adams to get his visa. Please say a special prayer that I might say the words that are needed to be said. We both would appreciate it.

Thank goodness I was able to upload the pics today. Let me tell you what they are. The first one is a pic of three students at Dubane Elementaray School sitting on one of the bags of rice that we bought for them. The second pic is part of the orphans who received rice at the first school, Gorm Elementary. These children were orphaned because of AIDS. The third pic is a little boy who is trying on his new school uniform that Adams bought for him. He bought almost fifty uniforms for the children. He loves them as much as I do. The next pic is of Emmanuel's mom and no she is not wearing a bra!!!!!!!! She is sitting on the floor which is dirt and I asked her if I could take her picture. The last one is the same lady wearing a I Love NY tshirt that I bought for her during my last visit. Got to run. Almost out of my thirty minutes at the internet cafe. Bye for now.

Larry in Africa

Wednesday in Ada and Today in Osu

Wednesday Adams and I went to Ada to visit the two elementary schools that my church and I have adopted. We also went to see little Emmanuel and his mom. We stopped at her house first. It was raining but she was inside sitting on the floor. Oh if you don't know already, their house is made of leaves and the floor is dirt. I only noticed one leak in the thatched roof luckily. The mother was very sweet but didn't speak very much English if any at all. We gave her the fifty dollars from my church. The first thing that she did was ask an older lady visiting her to touch it and bless it. She then gave some of it to the other lady. Adams is hoping that we can collect enough money to either build her a small wooden structure for them to live in or at least to cover the floor so they will be off the dirt. I hope we can make his wish come true!

From there we went to the first of the elementary schools, Gorm. I think Emmanuel was the first one to see us. He was jumping up and down in his wheelchair like a monkey, especially when he saw Adams. They are very good buddies. I got a big hug from him as well. Last year Adams and I took school supplies to the schools. This year we carried about 150-200 pounds of rice. We gave each orphan student about two cups full in a plastic bag. We also gave out some new uniforms and shoes to the most needy. Before leaving we really surprised the teachers with approximately $240 to divide among themselves. They could not believe it. Last year we helped the students, this year the teachers.

Then on the the smallest of the two schools, Dubane. It had poured the night before and the road that we usually take into the school was was away so we had to take another route. As soon as the kids saw the taxi they started screaming, yelling and running toward us. There were about 75 students there that day and only one teacher to take care of them all. Bless his heart. He called three more and asked them to come because we were there. They arrived before we arrived.

The children were so excited to received some new uniforms and two cups of rice. This school was small enough that all of them were able to get some. We were told that lots of the kids were out that day because of the rain. But the news got out somehow about us giving away rice the the kids who were absent came to school to get their share. Why even some mothers came out to see what was going on. Before we left the children had to sing songs of praises to us for our generosity. It really made both of us feel so good inside to know that so many children were going to get a good supper for that night.

On our way out of town we stopped once more at Emmanuel's house to give some rice to his mom. Adams gave her about a gallon. Before we had even left the driveway she had called a neighbor so that she could share the rice with her. It almost brought tears to my eyes to know that someone in such need had the desire to share her good fortune.

Today we went to an art gallery to see one of the best sculptors that I've ever had the pleasure of meeting. He allowed me to stay and watch him complete and small piece of an old African man walking with a stick. It was beautiful. He is represented by Pictorilist Studios in Osu. I just know that his work would be a huge success if he were in the U.S. His name is Henry Modilim and he is from Nigeria. I hoping to help spread his name in the U.S.

Oh we just go t back from visiting Adams' grandmother. I think I took her by shock. She was inside lying down and she came outside to sit with me and Adams. I shook her hand and hugged her neck. She was speaking in Housa and told Adams that she had never spoken with a white man before and she was afraid and wanted to go back inside to lie down. Guess I made a really good impression huh? LOL.

Well I guess I'd better go for now. Take care everybody. Is it hot there? I'm guessing it's been only in the 80s here with a nice breeze blowing all the time. Gotta run.

Larry

Cooling It Here in Ghana!

It is so comfortable here in Ghana I cana't believe it. It is usually cloudy up until sometime in the afternoon and there is usually always a good breeze blowing. I haven't been hot at all. Yesterday Adams and I went to Akosombo. This is up in the mountains and it was beautiful. It rained while we were there for a while. This is also the location of the dam that produces all the electricity for the whole country. We ate an $8.00 cheeseburger with French fries. Well the cheeseburger did have a fried egg on it. Maybe that's why it costs so much! But it was good though.

I got bad news yesterday morning. Adams had to leave to go to his apartment to get some things and discovered that it had been broken into. They took his TV, dvd player, stereo and chairs. I feel somewhat responsible since it may not have happened had he been there. But he took it with Ghanaian style and said if he had been there he may have been injured or even killed. He said that these things were only material things and can and will be replaced with time. Wow! I think we Americans are way too much attached to our material possessions!

Today we went to the gallery where the Nigerian, Henry is going to teach me a new process and technique in sculpture. I have scheduled to be with him most of the day on Friday. I can't wait! Then we went to Labone Secondary School where we visited Tony, the art teacher that I stayed with during my first visit to Ghana. He and his wife Gifty now have a beautiful 7 month old daughter. She was precious.

We also went to the U.S. Embassy today to see about getting Adams' visa. I hopefully have arranged an appointment with the U.S. Consular in charge of visas. I am hoping that I will be able to plead my case to her and get her to understand the importance of his being able to come to the states. Keep your fingers crossed or say a little prayer for us. I should know if I get the appointment by Thursday.

Well guess I'd better be going for now. Take care and please try to stay cool. Wish you all were here in this pleasant weather.

Larry in Ghana

A Good Day in Kasoa

Today Adams and I left early for Kasoa. We arrived and attended a PTA meeting at Amibs' school. Also while there I was asked to choose a winning piece of artwork. So they put all the work before me and I had to judge it in front of God and everybody. No pressure at all! I narrowed it down to two pieces so I decided to go with both of them. And what's so great about these two pieces? The students who painted them will receive a full year's scholarship for next year to this school complements of West Columbus High School Visual Arts Department. They also surprised me with announcing the forming of the Larry Hewett Art Club. Wow! Everyone was really nice and I thoroughly enjoyed the day including my groundnut soup for lunch. Afterwards I had the pleasure of teaching some of the students how to create tessellations. They had never done one before. I loved it very much. Well guess I'd better go for now. Got to go get supper from somewhere. Take care everyone.

Larry in Ghana

One Day I"m Not Sick in Ghana

Hello everyone. Here I am on my third day in Ghana and guess what? I'm not sick today. Well I woke up sick about four this morning but went back to sleep. I've even ridden in several taxis and not sick yet. And you haven't lived until you've ridden in a Ghanaian taxi!!!!!!!!!!!!! Adams and I just came from the barber shop. I was going to get my first Ghanainan haircut but lights off! Maybe tomorrow, but then he and I are going to Kasua to meet the parents of the students at Amibs' school. I've been promised Gruondnut soup with rice balls. Yum yum, my favorite.

The electricity problems all seem to stem from the problems with the dam where they get their energy. So in other words, these power shortages is nothing but a "Dam Problem!" LOL.

Well better go for now. Take care. Having a wonderful time here with Adams, Hawa, Nisha, Bubbleloo, Amibs, and the rest of the gang. Let me hear from you soon.

Larry, the Ghanaian

Arrived Safely in Ghana

Hello everyone from Accra, Ghana. Yep I finally made it safely across the Atlantic for the third time this summer. It was a long flight. I left Myrtle Beach, and flew to Charlotte, then to Boston, Mass, then to Milan, Italy where I had an 8 hour layover. Yep 8 hours! Then I flew to Lagos, Nigeria and finally on in to Accra. I arrived here about 9:30 p.m. on Tuesday. I have been to so many continents and countries, I don't really know where I am but I'm having a ball. I've been through so many time changes I don't have the slightest idea what time it is but who cares right?

Adams and I are staying at the house of a Ghanaian who is presently staying in the U.S. We have his whole house which is huge and beautiful by American standards! We even have hot water and air conditioning! YEA!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Oh let me tell you about Ghana's new national plan on conserving electricity. Last night all the power went off at 6:00 p.m. all over the country. It came back on at 6:00 a.m. this morning. Now tomorrow morning it will go off till 6 in the afternoon. And that cycle will repeat every two or three days. I can't believe we would ever agree to such a plan in the U.S. But everyone seems to be coping very well. Thank God our house has its own generator and all I have to do is buy the gas and we have lights and air. It' s not where nearly as hot here as it was in India. It's really pleasant. Well guess I"d better be going for now. Take care. Adams and I are going various places throughout Accra today. Next week we will be going to Ada to visit the schools that my church adopted and little Emmanuel.

Amibs came by to see me yesterday. He lives in Kasua which is about 30 minutes away from here. My art students have adopted his artschool and have helped him add classrooms to his school. We have also arranged for scholarships for two of his students so far and are getting ready for a third. His graduation is on the 29th and I have been asked to speak. Wow!

Well Adams is ready to go so I'll say good bye for now. Take care and I hope to hear from you soon.

Larry and Adams

Larry

P.S. Hey I just met this great artist from Nigeria who does beautiful sculpture out of concerete. He invited me to come by his studio one day soon so he can show me how he does his pieces. He's even going to let me video him as he works. Here's a sample of his work.

Old Delhi

At the end of our visit we had the chance to go to Old Delhi which was very interesting and completely different from New Delhi. The first picture shows a large mosque which can hold as many as 15,000 - 20,000 Muslims. When the number of worshipers get this large or larger the people spill out into the streets and sidewalks. The last picture is of the area surrounding the mosque. Notice the electrical wires. What technology! Believe it or not, to date there has never been a fire in this area.

Larry

Indian School

While in India we had the pleasure of visiting three schools. One had not opened for the new year, the second one was opening the day that we were there and finally this one was opened so we could actually talk with the students themselves. The first photo shows a classroom in which we and the students had a nice question and answer session. Notice their school uniforms! The students don't mind uniforms at all; however, they do wish they were a little bit more fashionable! It was extremely hot while we were there and there was no air conditioning but still they wear the ties! Don't feel to sorry for them though. As the last picture shows the particular school has its own swimming pool!

The Mighty Ganges River

The Ganges River is very sacred to the Hindus of India. The first photo shows the river early in the evening before nightly activities begin on its riverbank. The second photo shows Hindu priests taking part in the same ceremony that they perform nightly. By this time in the evening there are thousands and thousands of Hindus present. The next morning we got up about 4:00 a.m. to make sure we could see the sun rise on the Ganges; however, the sun rise was not all that we saw. The morning sun brings out hundreds of Hindus to the river who bath in the early morning light. The fourth picture is a crematorium where we could still see the smoke from burning bodies the night before. Finally, here I am in our boat with the ghats of the Ganges in the background. Ghats are the steps leading down to the river. By the way the Hindus believe that once a person dies they have to be cremated and the ashes put in the Ganges or one of its tributaries within a 10 or 12 day period.

Rickshaw Ride in Varanasi

While in Varanasi we were scheduled to go down to the Ganges River in the evening. Little did I know that we were to take a rickshaw. This is the rickshaw that I was about to ride down to the river. The second picture shows my rickshaw driver. He was the leader of all the other drivers or should I say peddlers? The last picture shows my view while riding in the rickshaw.

Temples at Khajuraho

While in Khajuraho we had the pleasure of visiting several temples. I could not believe the intricate details of the stone carving on the facade of the buildings. These are just a few of the temples that Hindus use in order to worship a few of their 333,000,000 gods and goddesses. And yes I mean 333 million! Being the Baptist that I am, I asked our guide, who was Hindu, how they knew if a man's actions were pleasing to one god while the same action might be displeasing to another. Surely there would be some overlapping somewhere with so many gods and goddesses. He thought for a minute and said well no one actually knows all of the 333 million but they are recorded in books. End of story!

The Taj Mahal

The Taj Mahal has to be the most beautiful architectural structure that I've ever had the pleasure of visiting. Following are just a few of the facts pertaining to it, its builder and the romantic story about it that will live forever.
*The Taj was built over a period of 22 years from 1632 as a tribute to a beautiful woman, Empress Mumtaz Mahal, and as a monument for enduring love by Emperor Shah Jahan.
*She was his last wife who died at age 39 during the birth of her fourteenth child within their 20 years of marriage.
*Shah Jahan purchased a plot of land on the banks of the Yamuna River for building the Taj.
*The marble came from quarries in Makarana.
*A 2 1/2 mile road ramp was built to haul huge pieces of marble to the site of the construction.
*The scaffolding of the Taj was made not of wood or bamboo, but with bricks.
*The main structure is square and has beveled corners.
*Each side is 185.69 ft. long.
*There is a dome on the inside of the Taj and another one built on top of it - the one seen from the outside. The space between them is hollow because the weight of solid marble would crash down onto the structure.
*The entrance to the tomb leads to the central hall, which houses the false tombs and has four small octagonal halls grouped around it.
*The original graves are located in a crypt, which is directly below the central hall.
*It is said that as many as 35 different types of precious and semi-precious stones were used in the inlay work done on the Taj. Some of these are turquoise, jade, agate, coral, onyx, bloodstone, jasper, garnet and mother of pearl.
*These gems were imported from all over the world.
*The money, labour and devotion involved in building the Taj can not be calculated.
*The only asymmetrical object in the Taj is the casket of the emperor which was built beside the queen's, as an afterthought.
*Two identical mosques built of red sandstone are on the sides of the Taj. One is empty and only serves as a symmetrical balance to the Taj.
*Before her death the empress asked her husband to build a monument that would show the world the love and devotion for one another, thus the Taj.
*Behind the Taj across the river one can see the foundation for an identical Taj Mahal. This was to be the Shah's resting place but it was to be made of black marble. The two Tajs were to be joined by a bridge over the river. The Shah said that their two souls would meet on the bridge at night in the moonlight. Unfortunately after his son overthrew him it was decided that India did not need another Taj so it was never completed.
*When the Shah was 65 one of his sons imprisoned him in the Red Fort in Agra until his death in 1666.
*From the grill work of the prison window he could still see his Taj in the distance.
*It is said that he wept so much that he began to loose his eyesight. He no longer could see his Taj. Then one of his daughters brought a large diamond and placed it in the window. It served as a magnifying glass of sorts and allowed the grieving Shah to gaze upon his Taj until his dying day.
*These are the actual words of the Shah concerning the Taj:
".....The sight of this mansion creates sorrowing sighs, and makes sun and moon shed tears from their eyes. In this world this edifice has been made, to display thereby the Creator's glory."
The first photo is the front view of the Taj as you enter through the huge gate. The second one is a closer view of the front of the Taj. The third is a close up of the inlay work of the precious stones within the marble. The fourth is one of the rooms in which the Shah was imprisoned. The fifth is the view he had from his prison cell. And finally, the last photo is the most photographed view of the Taj Mahal. By the way, Indians pronounce it as if it were spelled "Taj Mail."

Riding the Elephants

Well the most exciting thing that I did while India had to be riding an elephant. While in Jaipur we were going to tour the fort way up on top a mountain. And how did you get there? You either walked or rode an elephant. We opted to ride in style!!!!!!! The first photo is of course me and my riding partner Lynnette. As you can see we had to ride side saddle. This had to be the bumpiest ride I've ever had but the most fun! The second photo is one that I took on my elephant of the two guys behind us. They were Gerard and Paul. The ride was very slow but the scenery was beautiful and the laughs were heard all the way down the mountain I'm sure. Their elephant driver was really a ham. He wanted me to take more and more photos of him. He didn't care about the elephant or his passengers! The last photo is a close up to show just how ornately the elephants were decorated. I don't know what they used to do this but it looked as if it might have been pastel or chalk. Whatever it was it sure gave the elephants a festive look don't you think? By the way there is a man who raises these elephants there in Jaipur just for this purpose. If you want to ride you have to be there early during this time of year. We had to be there by 7:00 a.m. Since the weather was so hot the elephants were allowed to make the journey up and down the mountain again only twice. Lucky for us we got there first!

Larry

On the Streets of Jaipur

Here are two photos of things that we happened to come up on while walking the streets of Jaipur. The first is of course two cows with my friend Lynnette. They are just roaming the city during the day. They do belong to someone who milks them. But the rest of the time they are allowed to go wherever they want whether it's in the streets or on the sidewalks. And yes cows are sacred in India. I asked one of our guides why and he told me it's because the cow's milk is the next best thing to a mother's milk. When a mother can not produce milk for her children they have to turn to the cow to help raise the children of India. It's a lot more involved than that but that's the gist of it! Cows can literally stop traffic in India too! We were in a traffic jam for several minutes because of cows crossing the street. I asked if any cows were ever killed on the streets as a result of a traffic accident. I was told that that never happens, but if it did there would be no penalty for the person who killed the cow. However, if a person were to intentionally kill a cow they could be imprisoned for as much as 12 years. While on our trip we had beef twice. After eating it we were told that it was either the male bull or water buffalo. Whatever it was, it was good! The second photo is a small little temple that we happened upon while visiting a ceramicist in Jaipur. And when I say little I mean little. You would have to actually bend down in order to get through the door. It was about here that a group of little Indian children saw our group walking down the street in front of their houses. We were the first white people that some of them had ever seen. One little boy asked our guide, an Indian herself, which village these light complected Indians had come from!

Larry

Papermaking in Jaipur

While in Jaipur we had the pleasure to visit a paper making factory. This was one of my favorite tours of all. Lots of the people in our group did not really like this one but for an artist and art teacher, it was heaven! The factory was in a very poor section of town. The owner had made a deal with a clothing manufacturer. He obtained their scrap cotton cloth of all colors. The colors were sorted and then cut and beat into a pulp. This was made into paper of the same color as the cloth. It is 100% rag, acid free paper. Wow! It was exciting to see the same process that I had taught my elementary students to make paper but on a much larger scale. The first photo is just a small portion of the stacks upon stacks of completed sheets of paper. My tongue was almost hanging out seeing such a beautiful sight! The second photo was taken in the showroom where we were allowed to purchase sheets of paper as well as all kinds of paper products such as books, bags, cards, lamp shades, etc. And yes I did buy a few paper products. Go to the following website to see more of this wonderful factory:
www.handmadepaper.com

Larry

City Palace in Jaipur

We visited the City Palace in Jaipur. It was amazing to see the elaborate decorations on the walls and the courtyard. The first picture was one of the doorways that we went through at the palace. Beautiful isn't it? The second picture is one of the courtyard. This was a covered area where public meetings were held. And finally the third picture was one of my little buddies that I met while in India. He grabbed onto my finger and loved my Lifesavers that I was carrying in my pocket. Children all over the world are the same!

Larry

Jaipur, India

Once we left New Delhi, we traveled to Jaipur which was one of my favorite cities. I mentioned earlier in my blog that Jaipur is considered by some to be the most beautiful city in India. Well beauty is in the eyes of the beholder! This is the very old part of the city. It was once completely surrounded by a wall that had nine gates. Some of the gates are still standing and the traffic drives through them. The city is known for its color. It is referred to as "the pink city"; however, the color is really terra cotta. But once the reddish brown color begins to fade it does have a pinkish tint to it. The first photo is a picture of the old downtown. Here again, the traffic is very light. Notice the pink color of the buildings. The second photo is one of two snake charmers. Yes, the actually do exist! They play their musical instruments and open up the baskets and out come the cobras. These were on the sidewalk when our bus drove up. We all got out as quickly as possible to take photos. One of our ladies, Rita, actually let one of the charmers put a real live cobra around her neck. She said it took the rest of the day to get her heart rate back to normal! The last photo is a scene so common in Jaipur. Everywhere you look you see camels and elephants pulling carts or carrying all kinds of things on their backs. We saw so many of them that finally we stopped taking photos!

Larry

Driving in India

This is a very typical scene in New Delhi, the capital of India, except the traffic is very light. Notice the little three wheel golf carts with yellow tops. Those are taxis. The newest part of New Delhi is very modern. There are four lanes of traffic going in one direction on this particular highway unlike the one lane roads in the more remote parts of India. They drive on the left side of the road which takes some getting used to. The gentleman with the turban is Mr. Singh, our bus driver. We all felt completely at ease when he was under the wheel. The reason he wears a turban is because he is a Seik. They have to cover their heads and can not cut their hair nor beards. He showed me how long his beard was, then wrapped it around his fingers and poked it up inside his beard. The young man's name is KuKu. He is Mr. Singh's assistant. His job is to take care of the passengers' needs such as selling us water, helping us on and off the bus, etc. He took very good care of me when I was sick the last day. When I threw up, there was KuKu to help me out. He is also an apprentice of sorts. He will work with Mr. Singh for approximately four years and then he will begin driving some himself. Oh by the way, there are no driving exams before getting ones license in India. Once you reach the age of 16 you go pay for your license and that's it. Must be nice! They last a lifetime.

Larry

Carpets in New Delhi

It was great when we took a break from the extreme heat and visited a gentleman who sells carpets, but not just any old carpets. He sells handmade 100% silk carpets from Cashmere. They were beautiful. The first photo is a picture of the man demonstrating how the villagers weave these carpets on fairly primitive looms. Families make them at night time after coming in from the fields. The second photo is a carpet that was hanging on his wall. It would be very easy to mistaken it for a painting. Beautiful isn't it? The last of the pictures is a close up of one of the carpets. He encouraged us to walk on them with or without our shoes. You can not imagine how comfortable and soft they are. According to him these carpets will not fade in sunlight, will not leave a depression if heavy furniture is placed on it, nor will animals toenails pick them. I'll have to see this before I believe it. But anyway they were fantastic. The prices ranged from a few hundred dollars to $15,000. No I didn't buy one of those! By the way, visitors returning from India to the US are allowed two pieces of luggage and one carpet!

Larry