‘’Can this this really be India?’’ I wonder as I sit on the terrace of the most charming stone and timber built cottage, gazing out over immaculate and spacious gardens all overlooked by deodar-clad, forested hillsides? The only sounds are of the River Beas churning and gurgling by, the birds flitting between the branches of…
Delhi Diaries: Dealing with house staff part 2 (Flips flops at 50 paces)
My first mistake regarding my maid, who was found for me by my helpful landlady, was to translate INR into GBP. Yes I know she only came for 1.5 hours each morning but surely the salary I was paying her was, even by Delhi maid standards, a pittance. So, I upped it, not by much,…
TWO QUAINT COTTAGES NEAR NAINTIAL LET YOU SAVOUR THE FEELING OF DOING NOTHING
FOR ALL THINGS GOOD, India has been my second home. Yet, since 1997 for some inexplicable reason, other than a brief visit to Corbett National Park, I had never visited Uttarakhand until this past May. Now, I simply can’t fathom why. Every time is a good time to visit the mountains. The thought of sitting outside a…
Delhi Diaries: Dealing with house staff – part 1
Having never had staff in the UK I couldn’t see why I would need them just because I had moved to Delhi, ‘Oh, you must find staff’ everyone said, ‘a reliable maid and a good driver at least, they can make or break your life here’, and I was soon to realise just how true…
In India, We Speak Like This Only
Another day another train. The Dehradun Shatabdi this time and an a/c chair car for INR580.00 or £5.80 for a comfortable 5 hour journey. Not only is this journey comfortable, you are provided , within the price of your ticket, with a bottle of water, newspaper, tea, breakfast (veg or non-veg) and more tea. Not…