Thursday 11 February 2016

Tea Time

In between a wedding, several family banquets and the usual shuttling from home to home, relative to relative, for chai, coffee, thanda (cold drinks) and the likes, our days have been a blur of rikshaws, temples, bazaars and street-side snacks. You soon come to realise that no matter how much you have eaten for lunch, there is always room for "chai-nasta" (tea and snacks), be it 10am, 4pm or 9pm. The hospitality here knows no bounds, but can be as relentless as it is generous. It feels kinder, and easier to walk away with heartburn than to refuse a cup of tea.

It's been absolutely brilliant to stay put in a city for more than a few days, with time to explore and acclimatise. More tomorrow. 











SL xx

Friday 5 February 2016

Never Ending

Not enough can be said about the resilience and goodwill that meets you here in India. Over the years, each documentary made on the Indian Subcontinent, every traveller, both seasoned and first-timers will, without fail, comment on the spirit and sporting nature of Indian people. About how happy and grateful they are, positive and hopeful, and so, so generous, despite having very little in the way of material possessions. I am acutely aware that it's a huge cliché and not exactly groundbreaking news, but no matter how many times I visit, it never gets old. It's touching, refreshing, endearing and all the more so as the sentiment is never-ending. 

Sure, timekeeping here is close to non-existent here and sometimes the simplest of things can seem very long winded. It's dusty and the heat is exhausting. But people are relentlessly ingenious, innovative against the odds and determined to overcome difficulties, no matter what.








I'm off to a massive wedding tonight. I'm told it's a multi-cuisine buffet. I've also bought myself a new outfit so I'm super excited. More tomorrow. 

SL x

Tuesday 2 February 2016

Home, Sweet Home

It's day 6 here in India, and  I have literally done little more than eat, shop and gallivant. The day arrives in two shifts, split in the middle by the afternoon siesta, so 1 day feels more like 2. I feel like I have been here forever, and packed so much "India" into 5 short days but in the back of my mind, I know that the time is creeping by and it will soon be time to leave. 

I landed in my mum's home town yesterday. As noisy, dusty & busy as ever, it's a home away from home, and I'm excited to explore both familiar and new parts of the city. 

More tomorrow. 






SL

xx

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