Benders to Beeches

A particularly magical part of the world this country Victoria. A whole generation of cashed up hippie musicians and artists from Melbourne and flotillas of gorgeous and immaculate gay guys from the hospitality sector in Sydney have met half way (so to speak) and created a joyous outburst of fine dining and sweet living. God […]

Some sensible and practical advice (based on sound reasoning, close observation and awful rhyming.)

The Ubudese live a life of ease you rarely see their Bali knees Soloans sweet as honey bees but ditto with their Java Knees Folks are playful, kind and squeezy, (Particularly those in Sulawesi). Frank Sumatrans do it their way Orangutans have awful hair days. But my fellow pale faced friends If fearful that your […]

Central Market KL

Who said Asians talk with their hands #2. Rono holds forth.

Lovely Indian Images

Some wonderful images sent to us from our cousin Rono in Kolkata.

Kolkata International Photography Festival

We’re very excited to be heading to the Kolkata International Photography Festival. En route, on Rash Bihari we meet this elegant lady and amicable priest. Bengalis love a great demo. But also stop to smell the flowers. A quick coffee. Then we plunge into the Museum, one of several campuses (or should it be campi […]

Varanasi Alleys & Ghats

We have revisited Varanasi and come to the beginning of the end for this trip. For our retirement it’s just the end of the beginning and there could be no more magical place to contemplate these conundrums of time and space than Varanasi. This Holy City is the Hindu’s Jerusalem, Rome or Mecca. To a […]

Sravanabalagola

A giant Jain Saint stands meditating on top of a holy hill, 2 hours from Mysore, concrete tendrils winding around his calves as he stands in blissful serenity gazing at the hazy plain below. We took a cab through miles of sugar cane and bananas. Some ladies were letting the traffic thresh their harvest. […]

Graphic Art of India

In Ye olde days (the 1980s) India had fabulous graphic art everywhere. Hand painted and drawn signs, advertisements and giant movie posters abounded. They were glorious, and always just a tiny bit strange, out of proportion, really quite large stars making eyes at each other or gazing dreamily into the middle distance, looking as if […]

Mysore Palace

Mysore has the Palace from central casting. Overwhelmingly beautiful, a melange of styles and colours that come together incredibly well. It’s a pastel wedding cake that perfectly captures the essence of India – a hodgepodge, a mishmash, a series of stratified layers and rings more numerous than any tree or rock, an avalanche of appropriations […]