Blogs from Shillong, Meghalaya, India, Asia

Neighbourhood Watch Of course, a home is what you make it, the neighbourhood notwithstanding. My own family home is in a suburban neighbourhood not considered very hip or posh but it is home and we’ve lived here over twenty years. But for those to whom it matters, here’s a round-up of the popular neighbourhoods in the city. To find some of the oldest families and their homes, Mawkhar and Jaiaw are the places to look. The families are mostly Khasis who have been around for generations, some of the ancestors having rubbed shoulders (and even married) with the British who ruled here for many years. Quite a few are joint families with great-grandparents, grandparents and numerous descendants under the same roof. Some of these ancestors have held high posts in the Government as well as academic ... read more

O Polynesian Paradise! (Hawaii) (Visited 2003) Warning – if you can’t do without spicy fare, skip Japan Airlines (which I had thought was the best deal, making as it did only one transit halt compared to the gallivanting one was expected to do if one was travelling by other airlines.) There are two choices on the menu – bland and more bland. Warning number two. Make sure your travel agent procures for you to and fro hotel vouchers from the airlines for transit halts atTokyo. I had to shell out $57 for a hotel room since I had a voucher only for the return trip. Also, take a crash course in Japanese. I went through a bewildering time with my passport being tossed around and nobody able to direct me to a hotel. No English speaking ... read more

Day 1 - Waking on the train was delightful as we passed through secluded villages, green fields and lakes stretching beyond the horizon. Arriving at Guwahati train station the four of us headed out towards the rickshaw stand, only to find that the prices we were quoted were too high for the short journey to the hotel area so instead we decided to walk. Heading inside multiple hotels to enquire about prices we were told no rooms were available despite several keys hanging on the wall. Knowing we weren't very welcome in this town we decided to skip staying over and take a shared sumo (jeep) straight to Shillong. Crammed into the backseat of a jeep for 4 hours, we finally arrived at Shillong welcomed by the sight of green valleys and expanding lakes. Emerging from ... read more

Thanks to all for your comments and for reading. Enjoying mental health issues at the moment, so staying in my head more, and not putting it out there. Probably not the best thing for me, I realize. Have fun at xmas if that means something to you. I'll be back in Benares so that may help. Might write then. I saw an official road sign saying" Don't gossip, let him drive" What a strange place.... read more

Von Kaziranga gings mit einem Taxi weiter morgens um 7:00. Quer durch Assam zwischen Teeplantagen und teilweise schlechten Strassen. Wo wir genau landen werden, war uns allen nicht so ganz klar, denn Raj hat immer noch seine Haende ueber uns. Er organisiert von seinem Buero aus irgendwo in Siliguri fuer uns die Unterkuenfte und Destinationen. Auch hier in dem Bundesstaat Megalaya hat er ein Project, dass wir uns anschauen sollten. Die Uebernachtung sollte in einem privaten Wochenenddomizil eines Freunes/Geschaeftspartners sein. Ueber Handy wurde der Taxifahrer gelotst. Die Appartment lagen im Wald an einem See. Seeeehr ruhig. Es gab hier gar nix. Abendessen gab es in einem Superluxusresort um die Ecke. Fiel fuer mich aus, da ich mich nicht gut fuehlte und das Gefuehl hatte nur noch schlafen zu wollen. So blieb ich zu Hause und schlief ... read more

Amazingly I have spent almost a week in Delhi without either: - Killing half the population - Finding cheaper accomodation - Bitten my arm off in a fit of boredom - Tried desperately to leave I have, in fact, quite enjoyed my time here. After traveling for more than 2 months its nice to just camp down somewhere and have the same pillow for a few nights in a row. Also there have been important football games and other reasons to stay indoors and just watch tv in the evenings. Hanging out with Paroma and Raj has also been great fun. I am seeing them again tonight. Tomorrow I finally DO leave Delhi. I decided to splurge on return flights to Guwahati in Assam over in the small teardrop of India that sits between Bangladesh and ... read more

Look at my photos from Providence at face value and you will see only bright smiles and happiness. Laughing children playing and learning in a mismatch of clothing and various states of dishevel (but they all seem to have shoes). A school facility that offers shelter, running water and even electricity. The classrooms have colourful tables and chairs, murals, blackboards, pencils, chalk. Food served at lunchtime, children playing marbles. But scratch the surface and discover some shocking truths - a smile can be deceiving. My volunteer experience in India is without question the best experience I’ve ever had in my life. Life-changing you might say. This blog is of epic proportion because I never want to forget the experience. The blog lag is because I wanted to ensure my words did the experience justice. Admittance to ... read more