One thing is constant in Bombay – noise. Whether it is the buzzing of rickshaws, the honking of four-wheel drives or the loud rumbling of trucks, traffic is the white noise of the city. On top of that are the constant shouts of the street sellers flogging everything from tomatoes, to performing monkeys to mattress […]
April 2, 2009
Ayurveda is an ancient Indian tradition that roughly translates as “basting in oil”. At least it does when it comes to massage. My first experience of an ayurvedic massage came on a recent trip to Kerala, where they take their massage seriously. I’d been booked in by my wife – who is knowledgeable in the […]
March 16, 2009
India isn’t the best place in the world for the dedicated oenophile. While I certainly didn’t come here looking for the vineyards of Burgundy or the Barossa Valley, I do like my wine and getting a decent drop here is proving to be one of life’s bigger challenges. Countless column inches have been written on […]
March 12, 2009
An eerie calm has descended on our compound here in Bandra. Gone are the youths armed with bombs, rifles and pistols. The fires have died down and the only remnants of the chaos that reigned yesterday are the odd patches of red – and blue and yellow and green. Yesterday was Holi – a national […]
March 6, 2009
Wandering the streets and getting lost is probably my favourite way to explore a new city. However, this method of discovery cannot be recommended when it’s (a) late at night and (b) you’re on an urgent dash to the supermarket. I found this out the hard way while heading to the shops recently. Wandering along […]
March 5, 2009
One of the key reasons for moving abroad is to experience a culture alien to your own. To think, eat, act and speak differently to the way you do at home. Despite that, there are times when the differences get to you and you just want to go where everybody knows your name – or […]
February 28, 2009
When I first arrived here there were numerous phrases, gestures and practices that caused me no end of confusion, but after living and – barely – breathing here, I’ve slowly come to understand a number of them. So, for any new arrivals I offer my very random, very unscientific novice’s guide to Indian language, gestures […]
February 26, 2009
Attitude and gyms go hand in hand. Whether it’s over-muscled steroid junkies or princesses in pink, gyms across the globe seem to attract the aggressive “look-at-me” types. My new gym in Bombay is no different in that respect, but having lived in parts of Sydney and Melbourne that are too far up their own backsides […]
February 22, 2009
I like food, and I love Indian food. So from a culinary point of view this Indian lark is very much a match made in heaven. The Indian diaspora means that everyone from Brick Lane to Bondi is now familiar with traditional foods such as butter chicken, naan and Kingfisher. One food that has – […]
February 17, 2009
Shopping for clothes is not my strong point. It’s not that I don’t like clothes, I just can’t be bothered with crowds, sales assistants, changing rooms and queues. My solution is to circle what I need in a store catalogue, then buy the lot in bulk purchases twice a year. If I could have them […]
April 30, 2009