It was Valentines Day and I was in Lucknow, ‘on assignment.’ I had a choice, I could stay in and ordered room service or I could venture out and have dinner on my own, in public, on what is purportedly the most romantic day of the year. Neither was appealing, but I chose the latter,…
Chicken Tikka Masala? There’s no such thing…
This week we mourn the sad passing of Ali Ahmed Aslam of Glasgow’s inimitable Shish Mahal, and founder of Britains National Dish, chicken tikka masala, so I thought it an opportune moment to share this article originally written in 2020. Two things have happened in the last couple of days to prompt this article. The…
India: Knowing a Little Bit About a Lot Goes a Long Way
Face book today reminded me of this post below. It made me think. I started specialising in India as a destination in 1998. We had a policy; if you hadn’t seen it, you couldn’t sell it. I would travel to India, Sri Lanka, Bhutan and Nepal 2-3 times a year to ‘learn’ the destination in…
The Mistress That Is India
India can’t be instantly appreciated, nor can she be rushed. She will reveal herself in her own time, she will move at her own pace. You can’t demand from her nor hurry her along. India is magical, baffling, confusing and unfathomable and frustrating. She is captivating and beguiling, fascinating, awe inspiring but most of…
India’s Top 13 Street Foods As Voted By Its Most Intrepid Travellers
It all started with a plain dosa: one of those giant crisp pancakes made with fermented rice and lentil batter. It was 1998 and I was on my very first trip to India; there weren’t many places to stop and refuel on long, gruelling drives, but our driver knew the best places for a great…
The Mistress that is India
India can’t be instantly appreciated, nor can she be rushed. She will reveal herself in her own time, she will move at her own pace. You can’t demand from her nor hurry her along. India is magical, baffling, confusing and unfathomable and frustrating. She is captivating and beguiling, fascinating, awe inspiring but most of all,…
Horn Please! Indian roads, journeys from heaven and journeys from hell.
I am not a nervous passenger by any stretch of the imagination. I can quite happily be chauffeured around on the worst of Indian roads, barely blinking at what most travellers to the country find, … Source: Horn Please! Indian roads, journeys from heaven and journeys from hell.
Memsahib’s Dad Visits India, aged 80 – Part 5.
It’s never too late! Travels around India with my octogenarian dad. Dungarpur was meant to be all for dad, the car collection here was the ‘must’ and the bar is truly any petrol head’s delight. But, from cars to kachories to a museum curation, quirks and the karma sutra, it turned out to be a…
Delhi Diaries: She welcomes me home…..
Step off the plane and the aroma of Delhi hits you. A stroll along the now famously hideous airport carpet, luggage out in record time, skip through duty free, a taxi ride in a cab that should have… Source: Delhi Diaries: She welcomes me home…..
Delhi Diaries: Rules of the road – Delhi style
Well it’s taken six months after being reunited to finally get her back into road worthy condition but we made it! The Babe and I taking Delhi by storm. Of course my driving technique needs t… Source: Delhi Diaries: Rules of the road – Delhi style
Snapshots – Shopping in Delhi
Forget Trump, forget Brexit, forget the fact that Delhi govt purchased a snow plough, forget racism against cows – I went into a well known store in Khan Market looking for a present for my fairy godmother who likes all things “fabulous.” Spotted a fancy silver and white mug and thought it would be a…
Delhi Diaries, Encounters with Locals, part 2
It seems that it is impossible to walk down the street in India, or get through a single day without having some sort of wonderful if unexpected encounter. Here are some more random, sometimes funny, sometimes poignant encounters from my daily wanderings. Seriously, the Kohinoor Diamond? I was quite happily walking to work the other…
Delhi Diaries: Valentines Day, Indian Style
Not sure Lucknow or maybe India fully gets Valentines day. Here I am in a restaurant in the newest ”in” place in town. The decor is classic Indian style, tacky overkill with thousands of heart shaped balloons taped to walls, strapped to chairs and dangling from ceiling lights. Mind you, with those descriptions and what…
Delhi Diaries: The changing face of India, women drivers & pilots!
The longer I spend in Delhi, the more I realise just how quickly India is changing. Being in travel and therefore usually immersed in heritage and culture I spend most of my time here surrounded by the traditional but, five years away and a return to Delhi has assisted in emphasising the huge changes which…
Travels in India, dress sense, east vs west
There really is nothing quite so elegant as an Indian lady in a sari. I don’t think any other national dress can even begin to compete and what is wonderful is that they are still widely worn throughout the country. The colours are so vibrant, reds, oranges, turquoise to name hardly any (there is no…
Delhi Diaries: The Value of a Perfectly Round Roti
This week, I went out discovering Delhi, as I do. One of my visits was to the Bangla Sahib Gurudwara, perhaps the most famous Gurudwara in India, outside of Amritsar. Here they also feed thousands of people every single day, and so after doing the usual rounds, I ventured into the kitchen which is run…