Crouching Person; Squatting Toilet As I metioned yesterday, I'm in residence at the Dip-Tse Chok Ling Monastery close to McLeod Ganj. It's a beautiful and tranquil setting with great views and friendly people (and animals), but I do have two (relatively) minor quibbles.The first is the path between the monastery and town is designed to bring you just one step closer to Nirvana. I've slipped and fallen on my backside twice so far, and I don't know what I was thin...

Mcleod, Ganj. No relation to Conor Sitting in a hotel restaurant overlooking the valley beneath McLeod Ganj - home in exile to the Dalai Lama and centre of the Tibetan diaspora - I've just finished a hearty breakfast of Thanthuk, traditional Tibetan broth filled with hearty Ho-fun like noodles. Well, I say I'm looking out on to the valley. Being monsoon season the cloud has quickly gathered itself, covering everything in a shroud of mist, which is billowing in t...

The Cuttin' Room I always knew I'd have to undergo one more haircut before leaving India. It had gotten to the length it had been when I first arrived and I was stifling in the heat. More than that, it was essential I let my hair grow long enough so that I look like my passport photo for the people at immigration in September. Finally, after a week of deliberation I got off my arris and went back to the barber's shop I had visited for my first snip. Sat in the ...

Bound and Gagged Just a quickie. One of the new volunteers staying at my guesthouse rushed in to my office, panicking, "Dr Puri [our landlord - his PhD is in Hospitality Management] rang to just said you'd been kidnapped." Turns out someone has phoned him about 6 times in the past few hours, and whoever it is sounds like they've been gagged. Could've sworn I told him I lost my phone on Friday night. I feel like ringing these people up to tell them to ...

Gold as StandardI've just had the best cinematic experience of my life.No comparison.For the past two months I'd been salivating over the chance to enjoy the luxury of PVR Gold Class, vaunted as the premier cinema screen in the whole of Delhi. I didn't spend two years on the Bigger Boat Film Quiz circuit to be denied the opportunity, and I took my chance with what promised to be the Blockbuster of the year, The Dark Knight.I chose an afternoon to maximize my chan...