Singh is King
And so the formula goes: every Sikh is a Singh, but not every Singh is a Sikh. Dharamasala is behind us as we gun it down to the plains of […]
NOTEBOOK
Canter past Patagonian icefields. Sail the tranquil waters of Lake Como in Italy. Sip coffee in a Palestinian village. Listen to the ancient voices of Australia’s Arnhem Land. Climb the mountain paths of northern Albania. Let’s go!
Of yak butter, tantric meditation and why I’m not a supermodel…
Walking through the streets of Dharamsala is like walking through a Benetton ad: you can see the broad Central Asian faces of Tibetan exiles, narrow, dark faces from southern India, […]
A cautionary tale of lentils and the Jammu Mail train
I’m having a flashback to Russia – the a second-class train sleeper (with air-con!) is an open affair of double-decker bunks that double as seats in the daytime. Before we […]
All that glitters…gold and the gate
I don’t know what I was expecting, but I didn’t expect there to be so…many…saris. Here, women glitter – literally, with richly decorated saris. In the afternoon sun, the gold […]
Bollywood movies and butter chicken
The fabulous Hong Kong has come and gone in a flash. Now, on an Air India flight, I’m having a few qualms. Not least because the toilet doors don’t lock […]
The price is (not) right in Hong Kong
The hottest story in Hong Kong right now – after the discussion about the unseasonal smog on the city this month – is about its property prices. Yesterday, the real […]
Feeling low but seeing Hong Kong on high
Ohhhhhhh the comedown. I am in a hotel in Hong Kong, and all in front of me I can see the harbour and my lovely ship – which is sailing […]
Snoozing and cruising on the Seabourn Oddity
Today is the last day before we reach Hong Kong, where something like two-thirds of the ship gets off. There are about 130 world cruisers – those travelling from go […]
Brunei and the logistics of eating
Well, here they are: the gold domes of Brunei’s Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddin mosque with its gold domes, in the country’s capital, Bandar Seri Begawan (BSB for short). With its […]
Cruising in the South China sea
The longer you stay on a cruise ship, the harder it is to get off. Champagne and corned beef hash at breakfast? Why not? Not me, but I’ve also seen […]