Since I had an apartment with a kitchen and fridge, I went out shopping for food. I bought some nuts, fruit, muesli, and soya milk at a small supermarket. At the apartment block, in the lift, I got talking to an Indian man who was travelling with his family. I told him about my experience … Continue reading / view photos Bangalore Palace and Champaca Bookstore
Category: Culture
Market madness and a fall
Not unusually, I didn’t know much about my new location, Bangalore. To get me started, I asked ChatGPT to recommend ten things to do in Bangalore. Local markets are always a good way to see a thriving place in India. I picked KR Market. For Bangalore, I’d booked an apartment. This was nice. However, it … Continue reading / view photos Market madness and a fall
Table-thumping, relaxing, and flying
Cath had an early flight to catch. We said goodbye to her at 5.45am. I managed to fall back asleep despite the church music and sermons. This time they didn’t stop after 90 minutes and were still going strong when Helene and I left. We took a tuk tuk into town. I was going to … Continue reading / view photos Table-thumping, relaxing, and flying
Chilling out in Kollam
Whilst Cath and Helene went kayaking on Munroe Island, I hung back at the villa. There was an option to do a tour of the island with the taxi driver who took them there. He’d be just waiting whilst they were on the river. I was tempted to go. However, I’m learning to pace myself. … Continue reading / view photos Chilling out in Kollam
Ashtamudi Lake: fireworks but no elephants
From Kollan station, we took a tuk tuk to Ashtamudi Villas, where we were staying. The grounds had mango and jackfruit trees. We had a delicious freshly made lunch. We sat outside with a beautiful view of the lake. After relaxing on the hammocks by the lake, we went on a sunset boat ride organised … Continue reading / view photos Ashtamudi Lake: fireworks but no elephants
Prakash’s extraordinary story
Sometimes you do somthing and there’s a serendipitous outcome. You’re glad you didn’t take the alternative, possibly easier option. This happened today. Cath, Helene, and I had a 9.30am train to catch to Kollam. A taxi took us to the station from our homestay. The train was delayed 45 minutes. If you book a ticket, … Continue reading Prakash’s extraordinary story
Lazy day in Thiruvananthapuram
I can now spell Thiruvananthapuram without looking it up! For breakfast, the owners made a delicious idli, sambar and coconut chutney dish. After some dawdling, Cath, Helene and I headed out. First we visited Helene’s apartment. Next, we went to find Tiger Balm. I use it for mosquito bites and the itching disappears very quickly. … Continue reading / view photos Lazy day in Thiruvananthapuram
Beach villa
I left my hotel and went to a homestay near the beach. Cath and I would be staying there for a few days and Helene would join us after work. After checking in, the owner, Edwin, introduced me to his wife, Ashley. Cath came later. She’d finished her yoga retreat. I’d ordered an Uber for … Continue reading / view photos Beach villa
From rupees to QR codes: how India went cashless
Sometimes when you’re in a country, some things can be so common that you get used to them. You forget that the thing might be unique to that country. In Japan, for example, the prevalence of a particular type of convenience store every 100m is quite common in Japan. It’s not in other countries. In … Continue reading / view photos From rupees to QR codes: how India went cashless
Books and the Legislative Assembly
I mentioned that I had some 2,000 Rs notes from my last trip to India. These, I was told, were worthless now. I had about a hundred pounds’ worth! On asking more people I got contradictory answers. A bank I tried wouldn’t change them, but I was none the wiser whether it was possible another bank … Continue reading / view photos Books and the Legislative Assembly