The Hills Are AliveNeeding a break from the humidity, pollution, crowds, crazy driving etc etc, I ran to the hills last weekend and spent 3 days in the shadow of the Himalayas. Arriving at a rather non-descript train station just north of central Delhi my two travel partners and I had time to mill about and check out the local nightlife, such that it was. By the time our train arrived the local vendors were closing up shop for the night. One Wallah stuffed half o...

Jasmine It's been 3 years since we lost Jasmine, and I've had the notion for a while that I would go to a temple to do something in her memory. Abi suggested a Krishna temple would be the most appropriate, so my mate Anuj and I headed to the ISKCON temple. I bought some offerings and we headed barefoot to the main temple at the top of the massive complex, which seems to comprise everything from an exhibition centre some sort of robotics display (I'm going to hav...

Working for DA Man Two months of working in an Indian office environment has provided me with a few insights. Time to share.I work in a dusty part of town, on the SW fringes of Delhi. My commute takes about 20 minutes in a tuk tuk from where I'm living. Haggling with the drivers is a morning ritual and, on average, I expect to go through 5 tuk tuks before I get one willing to take me to work at the right price (about 80p). To get to the current Development Alter...

Ganga Management Four weeks and 5 days had passed since I last experienced the bliss of a full weekend, and now I was to have one again I needed to do something. Preferably not in Delhi. After a hurried attempt to organise some rafting, climbing and camping went belly up due to lack of numbers I managed to find two willing European volunteers to accompany me to Rishikesh, a town on the River Ganga 180km to the NE of Delhi. With no hope of getting a train as the...

T'Taj"3am. What am I doing up at 3am? Oh yeah, I'm going to the Taj with some friends. Why, again? To see the Taj at sunset, now get up. Fine. Just wipe the drool from your slack-jaw and scrape yourself off the sheets."Not my exact thoughts on Sunday, but pretty damn close. Six hours sleep over the previous 2 nights will send you a bit strange: I'd only just left a party at 3am the previous night. Still, I'd prise myself out no matter what - the Taj awa...