As I sit here with a belly full of delicious pizza after having watched the sunset over the Ganga in Freedom cafe, surrounded by gaggles of Israelis getting stoned, I muse about how different the turns that life take are from what we expect. And thank God. Am starting to realize that my journey is going to be so different from what I anticipated, as is the nature of my learning ... Being ill with a cough and cold as soon as I got to Rishikesh meant I had time to look around and find the right ashram, as opposed to [View Full Entry]

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It feels like the past month has been a kind of introduction to my real trip, which starts now with my arrival in Rishikesh. Yesterday I said my goodbyes to Adam after a month of travelling together and got on a 20 hour train to Haridwar, then a one hour bus to Rishikesh. To be honest, I have not really enjoyed the past month so much... although it has had it's moments, travelling for travellings sake turned out to be something I actually haven't been drawn to at this point in time and so feel so relieved to finally be able [View Full Entry]

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Spent a few days in Auroville, an International, intentional community founded in 1968. "Auroville wants to be a universal town where men and women of all countries are able to live in peace and progressive harmony, above all creeds, all politics and all nationalities. The purpose of Auroville is to realize human unity" runs the first public message of the founder of Auroville, Mirra Alfassa or 'the Mother' To be honest it didn't eave that much of an impression on me because you can't really get to know a place like that in a few days - especially Auroville - it [View Full Entry]

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Pondicherry, which used to be owned by the French is really rather agreeable. There is a long promenade along the beach with palm trees and the odd cafe, all the streets are named (highly unusual) and are all in French and are full of beautiful greenery and trees and although there are the odd noisy parts it is generally quite peaceful. You can even have a croissant for breakfast. And find good coffee. Definitely most agreeable. Also contributing to a sense of peace here is the fact that we are staying in the guest house of an ashram - quite a [View Full Entry]

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On a whim after Adam seeing something mentioned on an Indian cooking programme whilst staying in Bombay we ventured to the Mavalli Tiffin rooms last night for dinner, unsure what to expect except that it was very cheap but extremely popular, often frequented by MPs and other well to dos as the food is so good. The restaurant is over 70 years old and encompasses a network of rooms and a waiting room which feels a bit like a train station waiting room and servestraditional South Indian food. The idea is that they only serve for short periods of time (6-7:30 [View Full Entry]

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Sometimes I can't quite believe that I'm actually here...I think about how many years I've been wanting to leave London (4), about how me being here is why Josh and I broke up and me being here indirectly then caused that whole heart breaking chain of events post break up and how here I am and it better all be worth while . And so to get away from the polluted noisy ugliness of Bangalore and spend some time by myself and leave the boys to their cricket I decide to take myself to another polluted noisy shithole: Mysore...genius. Except this [View Full Entry]

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It was the smell that hit me first when I got off the plane in Mumbai. I had had vague memories of scenes, incidents that had happened on my first trip here 11 years ago but I had forgotten the smell and suddenly it all came back. Walking the streets of Bombay you are constantly smelling something... a constant stream of insence, sewage, spices, smoke, gas, rotting waste...unlike anywhere I have ever been. Everything has been so surreal what with booking my ticket less than 2 weeks ago and not having any logical reason to go to India other than following [View Full Entry]

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