GalBeanVie Leaves Home

Screeching to a halt in Brighton

2008-05-03T10:10:00.003+01:00

I’ve been back 5 days and India already feels months away! I had my flight back to the UK on 28 April… straight back to Brighton. As I had no sudden realisations about ‘what I’d like to do next’ over the last few months, the plan is to stay in Brighton with my family. Oliver is staying in Glasgow with his dad and I have rented a house here while I continue to let my Glasgow flat. I have noooo idea what these feet are going to do next, they haven't been confined for months!

Indian Trains

2008-04-27T17:18:00.004+01:00

Well I did say I'd do a bit on trains!
Train journeys in India are notoriously difficult. First of all dispite the size of the population and country there are not many tracks laid so they are always booked up for weeks in advance and secondly, unlike everything else in India and probably because it was provided by the British the system is totally rules based. Fair to say the original information tree (timetable and booking system) has transformed into a twisted bramble patch.
Most tourists travel in air conditioned sleeper class ‘B’ which is a carriage containing folding beds - stacked 3 high against facing walls, during the day the beds are folded leaving 3 to a seat on the bottom bunk.
I was on sleepers a few times for night travel and didn't get a wink of sleep from the snoring and very loud farting and coughing and morning hacking up of gobs ( bet you think I‘m joking?).
Then there are the toilets, usually one Indian and one western which are a horror to visit after the first say, hour.

When visiting the train station to make a booking, you first have to find the correct queue - the pic above shows that cancer patients and freedom fighters are allocated the same queue as tourists.
When the train stops, the major train stations have porters who will carry your bags - but the same applies here as with rickshaw drivers, you have to haggle and agree the price before you start out.
Oh and Indians tend to walk over the tracks to leave the station or train if it is quicker. I haven't found there are too many beggars on the train platforms either, but generally, there is one with a lack of limbs on a skateboard chasing around after you.

India 17 - Agra, Taj Mahal

2008-04-27T06:15:00.029+01:00

I was in Agra 3 days instead of two - reason being the journey was so horrendous - it took 15hrs instead of the badly estimated 9hrs and I was exhausted from the heat! I have stayed at the Hilton which is a nice little oasis, but another culture shock for me after the laid back ashram life. Anyway I got out to the evening Taj and took some pics from the gardens behind and from the bank.

I think I could have got some better pics but the prime spot was already occupied by a dead dog being eaten by a live dog and winged friends. Next door to the Taj is the crematorium (very busy) where the ashes are swept from the steps into the river -

the river is apparently miles better in the monsoon but at this time of year is a bit of a parched sandbank.

So I was at the Taj gates 6am, ready for the morning pics. The queue was quite small really and I have to tell you that I accidentally stepped out of women’s line into the men’s which caused me to be scolded by a shockingly half-naked European for ‘pushing in’ who then went on to tell me in a loud voice that I might be in India but didn’t have to behave like one!!! (er, given the choice…)
But oh, it is true, the Taj Mahal is absolutely stunning, if it wasn’t so hot I would have spent the entire day just sitting and looking at it. The colours of the inlay, beauty of the marble and fabulous workmanship really do have to be seen and touched to be appreciated. No photos allowed on the inside tombs by the way.

This amazing building just works for me, there just seems to be a unique fusion between subject and object that has to be experienced - it is beeeeeeautiful, really lifted me up! Apparently as the day gets white hot the Taj just about disappears in the shimmering whiteness.

I didn’t sit in the Princess Di seat - although tempted, a nice Aussie took a snap of me though.

And by the way, despite the stories of Shah Jahan building this marvel for his wife and dying of a broken heart, my guide book says in fact he died after days of indulgence in a sex and drugs orgy (with his daughter by his side of course). Hurruh, I love India!

Leaving the Ashrams

2008-04-25T09:29:00.012+01:00

I have a flight out of India on 28 April and most of us were leaving Phool Chatti a couple of days after the course, so we had a goodbye lunch party in Laxman Jhoola which consisted of drinking frozen mint slush Limonata, eating pizza and an excellent dessert called 'hello to the queeen' which was basically ice cream, chocolate, fruit, chocolate bars and biscuit.

I'll miss the suspension bridge with the daily monkey and cow surprises!

I also bumped into a few friends from Yoga Nikitan including a lovely Japanese girl I fell in love with (and should have got a photo of!) called Chisako who is less than 5ft tall, bounces up and down squeaking whenever she sees me and dresses like a beanie baby.

I am truly sad to leave the Ashram life, our sunset temple rutuals ending in us chanting sanskrit songs to Shiva, all the great friends I've had the good fortune to spend time with, the closeness to nature and amazing life of the Ganga and have now headed back to Agra to see the Taj before returning to my friends at Orchid Retreat for the last couple of days.

Indian Outfitters

2008-04-22T06:20:00.009+01:00

Ok - it's taken literally months but here are some of my outfits, the excuse is it's been really hard to snap them in between washes! Each of the Punjabi dresses gets matched up with baggy cotton salwar trousers.
The drainpipe trousers which I used in cold weather:

A selection from early on when it was colder:

Progressing to catalogue shots - some outfits for the hotter weather:

India 16 - Utteranchal, Rishikesh, Phool Chatti Ashram

2008-04-20T11:58:00.015+01:00

I just completed a 7 day course at the Ashram. It's just as well there were so many lovely things to do, nature walks on the Ganga,

the daily swim,

lovely food... because wouldn't say I felt totally relaxed...

First of all, there was the case of Ricardo and his girlfriend, Sophie who had just completed the previous course. Ricardo got 'blissed out' and had mad, staring eyes for 4 days before he left. Picture me at breakfast, Ricardo telling everyone in all seriousness that his name used to be Ricardo and from now on will only be known as "OM" and his girlfriend sitting there sobbing her heart out.

Then there was Margie, who seemed to be the self appointed Spiritual Director (named Noodles Mandela by Ted - I knew there was something familiar about her) who lectured us for 3 days on the Yogic principles of a) being blissed out by meeting Sai Baba and having to got into psychiatric treatment b) how the world will end in 2012 unless we follow a different spiritual path and (case of point = Mayan Calendar) and c) that we should just refer to her as "Mother" as she only has love to give, in fact she lies in bed at night only sending loving thoughts... no thanks, body swerve.

Finally, just when I thought things would be fun with the arrival of one Richard (who looked as spoke like Lenny Henry) from Wolverhampton and his partner Sadie. However Richard had a run in with Om and Margie when he advised Om's partner to be careful of his mad state of mind, best thing he could do was take him back to Portugal for psychiatric treatment. Next thing, furious Noodles pulls Richard out of a meeting to have a go about interfering with her counselling which culminates in him calling her a silly cow who doesn't know what she is talking about and deciding to leave. Upon being questioned by the group, Noodles, now giving a good cult impression, tells everyone that at the end of the day, Richard was a bad influence and the universe got rid of him. Hrmph!!! I didn't feel the luuuuurve in that!
So actually, the course was pretty boring so I concentrated on my Yoga and daily swims, I have to say, the Ashram itself is really special.

We had a fire ceremony at the end where we chanted a prayer to Shiva 108 times and burned a note containing thoughts and behaviours we wanted to turn to ashes.

Actually, Ted ended the course for me when someone asked if Lalita the Yoga teacher (in pink standing next to Noodles below) was going to become the next Swami of the Ashram she said "yes", so Ted asked "does that mean you'll be growing a beard?"...

India 15 - Utteranchal, Rishikesh

2008-04-12T10:52:00.003+01:00

Just a quick post to show you Phool Chatti Ashram, the white building, down the road, far, far away.

The other pic is of rafting camps - there are a few ont he way to the ashram, look really very nice!

The course starts on Monday and there are 30 of us doing it. I have been pretty quiet this week, relaxing and reading books and getting on with the cold water bucket. Mind you, the first night I was there I didn't sleep a wink as I found a cockroach in my bed THREE times!!! (What's that tickling my arm... Aaaarrggghhhhh!!!) Either it was the same one being very persistent or an infestation. Anyway, I have scrubbed out the whole room, washed all the bedding, doused the place in different essential oils and haven't seen any creepy crawlies since.

India 14 - Utteranchal, Rishikesh, Yoga Niketan Ashram

2008-04-09T10:11:00.016+01:00

So here I am - still experiencing Ashram life... With the departure of the Scandinavians, a newbie, Ted arrived. Ted is a professional entertainer and singer and the most irreverent Englishman I know. Twice a week the Yoga Teachers and Kitchen Staff get together and sing Bhajan (Hindu devotional) songs and ask us if we'd like to sing a song from our respective countries. One of Ted had the words "Swami says this, Swami says that, if I ever get enlightened I'll eat my Yoga mat." I have been hanging out with Wiebka from Germany and Adrienne from Ireland. Wiebka and I seem to share the same silly sense of humour and have been giggling our way through yoga.

The yoga is really difficult actually, we are supposed to be doing Hatha yoga. One teacher in particular is very hard on us and digs his knee in your back or stretches a bent limb and says "stretch!!" or if we are doing really badly says "go wall side" which means we are about to do something like headstands against the wall and have to make our feet crawl down to our heads in a crab. All three have the habit of forming a difficult asana and then saying "do it!!". Wiebka thinks this picture just about sums it up...

We don't seem to be very good at learning each others' names and refer to the Ashram Swami as Swami Christmas due to his big white beard. He is 84 years old and sometimes falls asleep in meditation or forgets what he is saying halfway through his 'evening discourse' prior to our meds. The other person of some influence is referred to as Library Guru as that's where he hangs out in his white swathes of cloth. He is a bit scary actually, makes out he can mind read and has asked questions like "why didn't you meditate on the object like I instructed you?" or worse still "so, who am I? eh??" Speaking of who am I, this guy sits in the same way, perched on a table for 12h per day at a restaurant called Chowtiwalla. He is the image of their logo.

What else? Oh it rained for 3 days and was so cold! Massive thunderstorm, heavy rain and then no sun. Everyone was miserable, the cows weren't themselves either.

The monkeys are still very naughty, here are two on a motorbike and a pic of one outside the 'cage of the women's rooms. We sit in the cage and the monkey watches from outside.

So then, yesterday morning I was told my room had to be vacated for the Ashram 40yr celebrations this weekend so I have had to move!

I am now 7km outside Laxmanjhula along the Ganga at Phool Chatti Ashram. I start an intensive week of yoga next week and it is a reealllly austere living conditions... cold water to wash out of bucket type thing. Oh well, I've done rough camping, I can survive this! The setting is lovel, on the river at rapids and is right in the middle of nowhere (no one can hear you scream) but more about that in a few days with pics...

India 13 - Utteranchal, Rishikesh, Yoga Niketan Ashram

2008-03-27T07:55:00.020Z

I am at Om-central. Everyone greets you with either Namaste or Harri-Om. the sacred symbol of Om is stamped absolutely everywhere, everyone wears the Om shirts.

It’s been nearly two weeks since I booked into Yoga Niketan Ashram in Rishikesh, I looooove this place! This is where the Beatles came in 1968 to meet the Maharishi, apparently Ringo thought it was “just like Butlins” but I really don’t know why.

Yoga Nikitan is slightly up the hill looking down on the Ganges which flows turquoise through the centre of the ashrams and ghats and is literally full of the most huge trout which gather under the two suspension bridges waiting to be fed - some must be at least 4ft long.

It is really beautiful, the start of the Himalayas means there are steep hills, dense with trees, waterfalls and lovely walks along the white sands. I’ve been hanging out with Kitty & Kristian from Iceland and Karol from Sweden. So far I am the only person from the UK, 90% of the visitors seem to be from Japan and Korea.

Our ashram is excellent, has gardens and the rooms are spacious and clean with en-suite bathrooms. Just as well as the daily time table is:
4.30am wake up bell
5am 1h in the meditation hall
6.30am 1h yoga
8am breakfast
12 noon lunch
3.15pm lecture
4pm tea
5pm 1h yoga
6.30pm 1h in meditation hall
8pm dinner = and you have to be back on the ashram at 10pm if you go out

The monkey troops in Rishikesh are frightful, they hang out on the bridges watching for anyone with a plastic bag and swoop down to grab raid. I was in the ashram with a plastic bag with 4 small fruit juice cartons in it and was chatting to Kitty when I heard a sound, and looked just in time to see a hand came up and swiped the bag off the seat next to me and run off to the waiting troop. When they aren’t doing that they are just hanging around, raiding bins, eating the flowers or switching water taps on.

Last weekend was Easter, but here it was just ‘Holy Day’… Saturday was the Colour Festival which meant if you went out you got smeared with coloured paint, and wished ’Happy Holy’. I got off lightly compared to some, although I still have some pink streaks in my hair from the red dye.

India 12 - Uttaranchal, Haridwar

2008-03-14T08:13:00.008Z

I decided it would be best to fly up north to Haridwar for a couple of nights avoiding my Pondicherry plans due to the increasing temperatures during the day.

Haridwar means the Gates of God and the Ghat here marks the exact spot where the river Ganges leaves the mountains, so it is a really busy pilgrimage site.

At night thousands of people turn out to watch the evening prayers when the priests perform with gongs, music and torches.

I was very happy to be back in the north with all the fun and bustle! The hotel I stayed at had a troop of monkeys marching around the roof and the woman in the room next to mine was feeding them bananas and oranges which I thought was great. But next morning my room was raided! Did I scream the place down or what???

India 11 - Kerala, Varkala

2008-03-14T07:46:00.017Z

Costa Del Kerala, 09.00hrs…

A few hours down the coast from Kochi, I have been staying in Varkala for a week.
The guide book made it sound laid back, not so touristy, a couple of yoga schools, a couple of Ayurvedic schools, nice little spot on a cliff set back from the town with thousands of years of Hindu history, but when I arrived I felt a bit culture shocked! What’s this? People walking around in bikinis and overweight men in speedos!!

This place is very pretty, but 100% tourist destination. I stayed at a small apartment with balcony looking out onto a square where I could say hello to the locals and do a bit of people watching. Varkala Cliff has a promenade which is full of Tibetan shops and seafood restaurants and from there you can access the beach from steep steps carved into the rock face.

Don’t mention the Ayurvedic theme park...

I think the most interesting thing for me was the endless fishing - the boats were constantly out and when it was calm, there were literally hundreds of boats out on the ocean at night, it was lit up like the sky above. The nets get hauled in by large groups on the beach around 9am with lots of chanting. I tried to hear what they were saying but it just sounded like bor-ring, bor-ring. Maybe that was what they were saying?

Every single restaurant has the daily catch out front , by the end of seven days I felt really quite sad seeing those beautiful great marlin on show at every turn. I thought I’d try calamari the second night and had two bites and but it tasted like poison and was immediately followed by my first ‘delhi-belly’ experience that lasted days followed by a rash from my wrist to elbow so I spent the last few days on the balcony reading Paulo Cohelo books.
I don’t think Kerala’s my thing. I am off back up north to Uttaranchal where men hunt cauliflower and I can search out tigers, elephants and a bit of yoga school.

India 10 - Lakshadweep, Kadmat Island

2008-03-03T03:56:00.026Z

These islands are about 450 miles off the coast of Kerala, are 100% Muslim and of all the islands, only 2 are available foreigners. The island I was on is called Kadmat is only accessible by boat for 20 hours which on the journey there was pretty hellish as the sea was rough and made everyone puke - I wasn‘t eating or drinking to avoid the vile mess of the toilets. When I got to the island I found there were 15 other tourists visiting for the week I was there; 2 French (sweet couple from Cassis who were like twins and held hands even when they were snorkelling), 2 German (the man is a retired doctor who spends a month every year helping out at an Indian hospital - I noticed their beach towels were positioned on the best sunbeds before breakfast), 1 Italian man and 10 Indians.

The island is a narrow strip of about 6km long with one single road running through the middle, covered in coconut trees and surrounded by the reef, heavenly! The ship stopped just outside the reef and then we had to climb down a rope ladder and get onto a small wooden boat for a 20 minute trip to reach the island.

As there is nothing here but fish and coconuts it comes as no surprise to learn that there is a tiny desiccated coconut plant and coconut coir rope factory which we visited one morning.

Strangely enough, ask as we might, we were only given coconut to drink/eat once on arrival and as for the fish - we were served chunks of dry burned fish as one of 4 dishes with lunch and dinner and on our last night when we were having a beach BBQ guess what? What we thought were chunks of white fish cooking on the coals turned out to be potatoes! Bizarre! BBQ potatoes!!! And they took hours flaffing around and working up the BBQ grill.

I couldn’t find an underwater camera anywhere so had to take snaps from the glass bottom boat.

And with nothing to do for the whole week, I concentrated on my snorkelling of the wonderful reef surrounding the island. One scary moment, I nearly swam into a huge egg-yellow and black Leopard Moray Eel curled around a coral rock that did the mouth open/hissing look at me, I almost managed to run on water.

Loved all the hermit crabs that rambled all over the sand. The larger crabs that live in holes on the beach are a bit strange, look like they wear sunglasses, and at night two frogs used to come out and catch flies with their long tongues. Never seen frogs on a beach before.

I was in a small beach hut complex 2km from where most of the activities took place. The two retired Indian couples who were in my complex were obsessed by the coach all week and behaved like a press-gang, nagging me to get on the coach to go to and from the restaurant. I was dragged out of the shower, out of bed, literally stood over when trying to finish lunch or dinner. And for what? To either sit in a restaurant which was not yet serving food or back to sleep at 8.30pm. (Quick, quiiiiick, hurry, the coach is waiting, we must go!!! - which it never was as the driver was invariably FINISHING HIS MEAL!)

Apart from that it was a great week and everyone was genuinely very nice. The Italian, Rosarno was the group entertainment for everyone as he had the typical Italian way of ranting about things. At worst he has a bothersome letch and was embarrassingly exposed at the end of the week when he had to remove the bed-throw he had swiped from his rucksack in front of everyone.

By the way, I have noticed that every single man here has a moustache…

India 9 - Kerala, Fort Kochi

2008-03-03T03:39:00.010Z

I booked a 3 hour flight from Delhi to Kochi with Spicejet which only cost £50. Back into the tropics for me! I am staying at Fort House Hotel which is on the harbour. Sunday here is like a family outing in the evening, everyone in bright colours having a paddle down by the huge Chinese fishing nets.

Fort Kochi is pretty small, and for some reason smells like the Norfolk Broads. I can’t imagine what people do here when they stay for 2 weeks holiday. I went round and did all the sights with my rickshaw guide first day, it is all very Christian with an Indian slant - the statues and pics of Shiva are missing, instead there are statues and shrines of Christ’s family everywhere.

In case you get a fright, I haven’t been to the morgue, this pic was taken at the indo/Portuguese museum and was simply labeled “Dead Jesus”.

The people here are quite different, less exuberant and quite reserved… mind you if I had Dead Jesus in my home I’d probably be the same. On the up side, all the men are in mini-skirts!!!

I am off to the Lakshadweep Islands on 24th for a week, really looking forward to it as it is supposed to be like the Maldives only undeveloped… I must find an underwater camera.

India 8 - Delhi Again

2008-03-03T03:38:00.000Z

12 hours on the overnight train in a killer, I‘m going to have to do a special feature on Indian trains. I took the sleeper back into Delhi for a pit stop with Mr Kumar and Angelika, had time for a massage and manicure before repacking my rucksack for the flight to Kerala next day.

India 7 - Udaipur

2008-02-23T06:01:00.013Z

The most romantic city in India? I think so! I spent 3 nights here, it is a lovely place, the hotel I stayed at had the best shower in India, roof top restaurant and my room overlooked Pichola Lake.

There town is full of lovely windy streets, parks are all around the city, the best being Sahelion Ki Bari.

Unfortunately I couldn’t get onto a boat trip - tried a few times but was always booked up. There are two palaces on the lake, one is now a hotel and the other, Jag Mandir is unused.
The City Palace was fabulous, full of glass mosaics, glass rooms, peaceful courtyards and balconies. I spied a bees nest.

Overlooking the lake is the Monsoon Palace , never used due to water supply problems but everyone goes there for the sunset.

I went horse riding for a few hours, galloping round the hills was a hot experience as the temp is now hitting 32C ..And I had my palm read while I was here… very accurate on past experiences and dates but I’ll keep the future my secret!

Another interesting trip I did was to the Mausoleum - this place has something like 400 different monuments, the guide showed me the platforms where cremations take place and explained that the tablets in some of the monuments have been put there when the wife or wives do ‘sati’ (which means faithful wife) or throw themselves on the fire… one bonfire must have been huge as the tablet shows all 12 wives joined their husband…

I met a really nice mother and daughter from Ireland who are doing a world trip, strangely enough I didn’t get to hear about what they had actually seen in China or India to date as everything seemed to centre around what they had been eating and in particular their endless search for the perfect slice of toast, egg and marmalade.

India 6 - Jaipur

2008-02-23T05:51:00.008Z

I spent 2 days in Jaipur. The Pink City has been a bit of a disappointment to tell the truth. First of all, it is the most polluted city I have been in yet, the air is choking with fumes and dust

and secondly, the “Pink City” - which is actually different shades of smoked salmon - is a bit of a façade as far as experiencing the sights go…

I visited various places; the Hawa Mahal Palace was basically gutted, the City Palace with courtyards and gardens had good museum but is still used by the Royal Family so not much of it is available

and the polluted lake has a small palace which is currently being renovated.

So I took a few snaps and then went to see an Ayurvedic Doctor about taking a training course. This is a possibility for two weeks in March so I’ll think about that. While I was there I had a body massage, steam bath and head massage which was just great, however the herbs are not exactly your regular aromatherapy experience and I left smelling like a camel.

The other experience of Jaipur is the markets. This is where buyers come from round the world to purchase Indian goods, so after spending hours in only one market, I left with a couple of boxes of bangles, yet another silk scarf and a new outfit.

What I didn’t see was the Amber Fort - I didn’t leave enough time but will go there if I return.
So now I’ve done The Blue City (Jodhpur), The Golden City (Jaisalmer) and The Pink City (Jaipur).

India 5 - Jaisalmer

2008-02-14T05:07:00.017Z

After a couple of nights in Jodhpur I got the overnight sleeper train (btw, forget sleeping, surrounded by men snoring) to Jaisalmer which is in the desert close to the border of Pakistan. I wanted to do a couple of days camel safari, look at the desert, stars etc, but once I arrived I had developed such a bad cough/cold and, as the temperature has been dropping to almost zero at night I changed my mind and have booked into a hotel next to the fort called Mandir Palace (which is the former city palace) instead. Check out the pics of my crib (eat your heart out Emma)!!!

I found a really good guide called Laxman who is Rajput - this is a pic of him next to his favourite ancestor, see the resemblance?

Jaisalmer is basically a city in the desert with living fort and town of about 40,000 - all very Arabian Nights!

This city/fort is totally made of the local yellow (Jurassic) sandstone, everywhere you go you see polished sandstone with the little fossils and the Havelas, or mansions are all carved sandstone creating this wonderful museum city of winding streets and archways.

This has been an excellent place to stay, very friendly, great accommodation and restaurants, very laid back - the narrow roads are clean, apart from the endless piles of cow dung which make it precarious as one minute you‘re looking up and admiring the architecture and the next scanning for disaster. Look - I found a bat world in the haveli!

My nose and chest has been bunged up for days and the desire to join everyone else in the snorting and gobbing morning marathon is becoming more and more attractive by the day.
The collection of Jain temples, tucked away in the back of the fort was just amazing, when I saw the main statue, it was such a happy thing, it bought tears to my eyes.

Tried Tibetan food for the first time, Momos are great, like dim sum, but everything else on the menu was a noodle soup and the waiter couldn’t tell me what the difference between them was. I would really like to come back and do the desert safari for say, 5 days. If anyone else visits, you must stay at Killa Bhawan in the fort - I couldn‘t get a booking.

India 4 - Jodhpur

2008-02-09T06:21:00.001Z

I got the train to Jodhpur and arrived 2h late at the station at 10pm. Bit of a horror as the hotel hadn’t sent the taxi I phoned for and I got surrounded by a large group of men who behaved like extras out of Night of the Living Dead. Anyway, I’ve been staying at Ratan Vilas which is a lovely old hotel, the only problem is the weather, which is so cold at night, I am freezing!!

Took a trip to have a look round the Meherangarh’s palace within the fabulous fort. The place is full of sandstone lattice work which has been carved so you can see out but nobody can see in and apparently the Maharaja’s wife spent all her time using strategically positioned mirrors to view all the courtyards and eavesdrop on everyone… see what happens when you have too much time on your hands??? The original Big Brother I suppose. I have too much time on my hands at night when I am in solitary confinement and have been obsessively folding my clothes.

The landscape from the fort is beautiful, white cenotaph of members of the royal family called Jaswant Thanda one side, sprawling city below and the Umaid Bhawan Palace in the distance.

The cubist blue buildings on the hillside is the old town is where all the Brahmins live, looks lovely but the tiny, busy streets you can’t see are choked with grime, motorbikes and fumes - a real shopping experience!

A couple of Pushkar stories

2008-02-09T06:16:00.000Z

The hotel was an empty, overpriced marble pile, I would get a room in Pushkar if I came back, lots of atmosphere. I had a laugh at a couple of stories I heard - there are signs all over the ghats with rules about not embracing/no nudity/ no shoes/& more. A few years ago, a couple of Israelis thought it would be romantic to get married on a ghat and arranged for one of the priests to marry them. At the end of the ceremony they kissed and it caused so much of a commotion, some of the priests complained to the authorities and the couple were arrested and after a 2 day trial were sent to prison for 5 days and fined 20k rupees.

Which is nothing compared to the Scandinavian woman who while on a ghat at sunrise was told by a priest that bathing in the lake would lessen her karma. She promptly stripped naked and caused such a massive crowd that she couldn’t get to her clothes and streaked through the streets back to her hotel… 5 days trial, 10 days in jail and a 40k rupee fine… Mr Kumar has been phoning to see if I am ok and asked if I’d been on the hashish! I said ‘certainly not’ in my most uppity English accent.

India 3 - Pushkar

2008-02-05T05:12:00.000Z

Well so much for that! No music, chanting or drum beating tonight… just a quiet dinner by my lonesome in a rooftop restaurant overlooking the lake.

Earlier today I climbed the hill to go to one of Brahma’s wives’ temples. Great view from the top and a nice cup of masala chai and some pretty birds to watch.

I also visited the Brahma Temple, over 1,000 years old and quite frankly made me feel a bit creepy. Don’t know why, just that there were so many little rooms with statues and the main one - with a statue of Brahma had huge, glassy dark eyes.

I finally caved into the street kids this morning and bought them a gourmet burger breakfast.

On to Jodhpur tomorrow for a couple of days, to see the ‘Blue City and possibly Osian, which has the earliest group of Jain and Hindu temples.

India 2 - Pushkar, Rajasthan

2008-02-04T05:35:00.000Z

3rd Feb - I left early morning to start my 2 weeks touring Rajasthan to catch the 7hr train to Ajmer and got a taxi to Pushkar. This a place where Brahma created a lake and the only place with a temple dedicated to Brahma (plus two hill temples dedicated to his two wives) there are something like 500 temples around the lake. The ashes of Gandhi, Neheru and Shri Lai Bahadur Shstri were sprinkled into the lake and Brahma himself is said to have worshipped here.

The town is surrounded by troops of large monkeys and overrun with cows. I’m staying at the Niwaas Palace overlooking the lake, which is very spacious and grand and I am pretty sure I am the only guest! The town below is alive with fake hippies who, according to the manager, (we had chai and chat while I waited for the taxi driver to come back with the phone I dropped in his cab) come here to hang out and grow their hair long and then tidy themselves up as soon as they go home. Tonight the sound of music, chanting and loud drum beating is floating up to my palace… I’ll go and experience it tomorrow after a good rest.

About the weather - it is nice and warm during the day, very cold at night... naturally I forgot to bring socks and can't find any anywhere!

Sitting here typing my blog, I started with Krishna, Ram music blaring outside which has not turned into Bob Marley... get the picture?

India 1 - Delhi

2008-02-04T05:05:00.000Z

As I flew into Delhi on 29 Jan, it looked like a light fog was hanging over the city, it was 4pm local time and when we landed the airport was full of smoke which appeared to be due to some kind of insect fumigation, there was one guy up a ladder pumping thick smoke into the ventilator and about 20 officials in yellow hats watching below leaving us to choke our way through customs and past all the no-smoking signs. Raju was there to pick me up in the car and I realised almost immediately that the ‘fog’ I saw from the plane was in fact dust - which is everywhere - all the trees have a white powder over the leaves -everything seems to be dust coloured. I think that’s the most visual impact Delhi had for me - the dust!

But the combined energy of the people it contains is something else all together. It looks like chaos, but is 100% human communication, networking and marketing. I think the British Army must have chosen officers with the most OCD to try and control her, what a spectacular failure that must have been…

I’ve been staying at the Orchid Retreat, a bed & breakfast/guesthouse in the Defence Colony (South Delhi) area which is run by Mr Kumar and Anjelica. They made me feel so welcome and arranged for Raju to take me out in the morning to Fab India clothes shop to buy Indian clothes. I have now discarded the clothes I bought with me in favour of the truly wonderful outfits I purchased… I have a number of different trousers, baggy cotton and some tight leggings which are hilarious to look at… like a sink at the top with drainpipe legs (the drawstring waist sorts everything out!). I have not had any hassle, older men have complimented me on my outfits and a couple of younger men in shops were slightly petulant - as if I have spoiled their game (ha ha!). (I'll upload some pics of my outfits)

I love the Auto Rickshaws, a real fair ground ride through the traffic and have been out to have a haggle in a couple of the markets. I did a sightseeing tour, the Red Fort which is a bit of a ruin but you can still see the beauty from the layout, structures and what's left of the art.

Gandhi’s Memorial (time for bare feet) and a place I really liked, the very beautiful Humayun’s Tomb which is a garden paradise and a mini Taj Mahal, built by his wife, Bega. Plus visited a new temple complex which opened in November, 2005 called Akshardham, it's difficult to describe it as it has been built to inspire personal gowth by showcasing the essence of India’s ancient architecture, traditions and spiritual messages - no camera's allowed! (I'll get a pic from somewhere)

I can’t describe how fantastic Kumar and Anjelica have been, they have helped me with everything, giving me tips/pointers and really supporting me to the point of booking an entire trip through Rajasthan which took Anjelica days to organise. Kumar runs his guesthouse so that everyone is welcomed as family and has been great company in the evenings when we’ve had our philosophical discussions! Anjelica even took me on a shopping expedition with her mother to choose a sari and jewellery for her brother’s wedding in February. (I'll ask for some pics when I get back end of Feb).

Brighton 8

2008-01-28T08:27:00.000Z

I must be mad. I am off to Heathrow to get the 8.30pm flight to India/Delhi and feel like I am about to descend into Hell. The plan is to stay in Delhi for 5 days then get the train down South to Goa/Palolem to try and hook up with other women and get some ideas for the next few weeks… three months alone feels like an incredibly long time now…

Brighton 7

2008-01-24T17:30:00.000Z

Talk about spanner in the works - Oliver has announced he does not want to go to India and has gone back to Glasgow. I am still going ahead with the plan, but am very nervous about the level of harassment I can expect as a single woman travelling alone in India. Been on-line and swatting up with my Lonely Planet guide which says, for example “if you feel someone getting too close in a crowd or on a bus, brandishing your left shoe in his face can be very effective”. Not sure if the shoe is supposed to be on or off, or why exactly is should be the left shoe… maybe the answer lies in spending a week on a yoga training course prior to venturing out.

Strange to be back in Brighton - it all feels very surreal. All the white faces are very bland and going to the shops even to buy food in the supermarket lacks depth - no one is chatting or laughing!!!

Had to deal with First Direct again. The replacement card was not at the appointed place and then they tried to fob me off with telling me it had been destroyed after 3 days - which was bullshit. Eventually admitted it hadn’t been sent due to the error of a human being and forwarded it special delivery (grrrrr).

Barbados 9

2008-01-23T12:04:00.000Z

I am so very sad to leave Barbados and will really miss dear Sooey who has been wonderful to us.

Our last week has whizzed by. We had a lovely time at the Jazz Festival on Farley Hill - saw Erykah Badu - a great performance (even Oli wanted to buy the t-shirt) and then had a picnic planned on Saturday afternoon to watch more bands including the Cuban All Stars. Then even more hanging out at the beach at Ju Ju's and time spent down in Holetown with Lizzie and Matthew from the UK and our best pal, O'Neil.

On our last day we went down to the Concord Experience - my only chance to actually get on the plane. Having heard so much about it for years before it was decommissioned, I was still surprised by how small it was and can’t imagine flying in it. Oli went on the flight simulator and landed and parked Concord on the apron within minutes… the guide said it was the quickest and best landing he had seen, but not really surprising as he has mastered the art of being a virtual pilot for the last couple of years.

Then back to the beach for a Bank Holiday extravaganza including BBQ with the local guys who dug a hole in the sand and put the morning’s catch along with breadfruit onto a makeshift grill fired with coconut branches mmmmm delicious!!!

I'll miss the yellow buses - local renegade buses that charge around, stop and pick you up anywhere you like and play really loud reggae music.

Rastamen - who have the most hilarious angle on everything.

Cocktails at sunset & dinner at fabulous locations like the Lone Star.

But most of all I'll miss all the wonderful people we met XXX

Barbados 8

2008-01-18T14:28:00.000Z

The reggae concert was great fun, part of the DLP rally for the elections which happened on Tuesday, the slogan was “time for change” and they did. The Democratic Labour Party knocked out the Barbados Labour Party by winning 20 of the 30 seats ending 30 years in power. There was no drink allowed to be sold all day until the polls closed at 6pm. You could feel the ground vibrate with the stampede towards the bars on the West coast at 5.59. And when O’Neil came to collect us, it turned out that Sooey’s dog ‘Wednesday’ had bitten him on the ankles a couple of years ago… another tetanus story.

Barbados beaches are lined with coconut trees - I didn't realise coconuts grew like grapes and when a guy came to harvest them (stop death by coconut) we had the chance to sample fresh cocunut water and scoop out the soft flesh for a beach snack.

I had to take a pic of this little red car which services waste disposal and offers useful bits of advice like "Fear God, Think Clean, Aim High".

Sooey has a couple of friends over from Martinique for the rest of this week as we are all going to the Jazz Festival. Other than that, a bit of horse riding and more lying around on the beach. I have now been jet skiing, all the way down to Bridgetown and back.

Oli spotted a man on the beach the other day wearing a t-shirt from Egypt with the Hod-Saloman logo for ballooning over the Valley of the Kings (which we did last New Year’s Eve at sunrise). It turns out he was there, same time, same day, same place, using the same company as us but in another balloon - I think there were 3 ... stranger and stranger.

Barbados 7

2008-01-12T17:36:00.000Z

Grey with intermittent showers lately… it’s given us a bit of time to do some other things. I gave Oli some driving lessons out of the way on the South of the island and later went to the drive in cinema to see Russell Crowe in The 3.10 to Yuma followed by Alien Vs Predator #2. Made us laugh that everyone toots their horns to express themselves at violence or humour. Loudest honking and calling occurred in AVP2 when someone said “…but the Government doesn’t lie…” The Bajans have a fantastic sense of humour.

Plus I thought I had finally making it with the Lear-Jet-Set this week, only to have my Scottish Karma rear it’s ugly head in the form of one Sally and her 2 year old daughter Iona. Sooey is acquainted with her from Glasgow and I politely invited her to meet me and Oli at the beach only to have her bellow loudly ‘Iona, IONA, come ‘ere will ya, do ya wanna get slapped?’ throughout the afternoon, finishing diva style on the steps of JuJu‘s before making a loud exit up the stairs… total silence while everyone examined their fingernails. I am dismayed.

Never mind, I did get a compliment from a man on the beach earlier this week who told me I had the BEST feet on the island. In retrospect I am suspicious that this may fall into the category of people who enthusiastically compliment you on the lovely quilt in your pram to avoid mentioning the ugly baby! But this evening, my feet and Oli are being taken for dinner by O’Neil the “Beach Manager” and afterwards to a Reggae Concert.

Barbados 6

2008-01-09T14:00:00.000Z

Well this is supposed to be the dry season, but global warming and all, we had the most almighty downpour last night for literally hours. Sooey and I had popped out for an hour but Holetown became so flooded we had to abandon the car and get a lift with a friend in a 4x4.

Other than that, life continues on the beach... I think I should write something about the beachlife. Oli and I hang out at JuJu's beach bar most days and I get to eavesdrop on the most interesting of conversations. Yesterday a woman lectured 3 men for nearly an hour on 'how too many women pluck their eyebrows until they are far too thin (the eyebrows that is)' on how her eyelashes grow in different directions, finishing up with the benefits of using eyeliner.

Then there is the regular nutter who comes by every day who Oliver has nicknamed Herbert. He has a fine wardrobe, yesterday he was wearing jeans that finished mid calf, a white t-shirt with some message scribbled on the back in pen and an embroidered net curtain on his head. This went down very well with the invisible people he was arguing with on the sun loungers.
(I got some pics of Oli swimming with the turtles)

Barbados 5

2008-01-07T15:12:00.000Z

There's been some surf action the last few days. Oli has been out on a bodyboard, but needs loads of practice. The surfers have the whole beach but clump together in a traffic jam on one wave

We've been here two weeks now and still have another two weeks before we fly back on 21st. Interesting island as far as history goes, the people are great, lots of fun, but I think as the population is 95% black, it's pretty obvious that there's a bit of a 784 situation; that 7% of the population own 85% of the wealth... and if you've got it, flaunt it is the rule is seems. Actually, I think Barbados is one big retirement home. But it's fun for a month!!!

Barbados 4

2008-01-01T22:05:00.000Z

Happy New Year!
31 December was an interesting day. Oliver has been investigating the wildlife. There is a huge spider in his bathroom which is crouched into the corner of his window and he has delighted in taking photos, magnifying and showing me horrid close ups.

Next, I saw something small and black drag itself across the floor of the utility room and screamed for Oli who found out it was a bat, which he took out with a glove and had flying round the garden!

Which led him to find the largest frogs in the garden and take night time snaps. They are really loud and make a noise like "dweet".

Anyway - back to New Year's Eve, we cleaned the house and were ready for Midnight gongyo with a few of Sooey's buddhist group. We were chanting and started reciting the sutras at midnight to the sound of huge booms of fireworks going off on the beach. When we finished we had some champagne and then went down to Hole Town to the big party where I drank loads of rum - my favourite drink is currently rum and coke. Oliver sits in the corner wherever we go with his ipod plugged in, fag in mouth drinking bottles of beer.
We got back around 4am and I took Fatima for a walk on the beach from Lone Star down to Glitter Bay with my Maglight Xmas pressie. When I got to Glitter Bay I found a man rescuing baby turtles and spent an hour working with him to put them into a bucket and take them down to the water, where the bucked gets tipped over and they make the mad flap and dash from the damp sand into the waves, they are so cute!! I think I managed to find about 20, it is really hard to believe that right underneath your beach lounger lies turtle nests! Beddy with the sunrise at 5.30am.

Barbados 3

2007-12-30T17:52:00.001Z

I didn't especially want to get up at 7am this morning, but Fatima jumped into my bed and was so excited she peed all over me.

We went snorkeling and swimming with turtles yesterday. I would like to report that I am as confident as Jacques Cousteau when it comes to the life aquatic, but unfortunately I let myself down by screaming when a huge sun fish swam into my face with its mouth open and then two huge turtles came to sniff at my legs. I eventually found my snorkel courage and got told off for chasing turtles- they are so good natured!

Barbados 2

2007-12-29T12:54:00.000Z

Xmas day was spent on the beach. Oliver is practicing his James Bond emergence from the sea look. Boxing Day we went to the races and we have driven round the whole Island. The East and West are totally different. St James Parish is where all the most expensive hotels are and the best beaches for swimming is West, but I liked Bathsheba on the East coast, which is the latest surf town, really full of character, rugged coastline and Atlantic breezes.

Life here can only be described as relaxing and rejuvenating. We wake up late, go to the beach, jet ski, swim with turtles, snorkel... in the evenings so far we have gone to a few local bars. No problem with Oli being able to go anywhere with us.
Worst thing that's happened so far is my bank cards aren't working. Don't know what's wrong yet, but First Direct are being really unhelpful... there must be a reason why bankers rhymes with...

Barbados 1

2007-12-29T12:42:00.000Z

Alrighty then! Here we are in Barbados!

Flew in on Xmas eve -airline was Virgin again - didn't drink this flight as I had a rather nasty hangover after whooping it up till 2am for Hannah & Mark's wedding party. Sooey met us at the airport and we immediately felt great, I looove the tropics. Sooey's villa is in St James just opposite Glitter Bay and is big and airy, I'll have to take a photo of her three dogs which she calls her 'UN dogs' of no specific breed but are so sweet. I have adopted Fatima already, who is some kind of a Jack Russell/Chihuahua cross who gets so excited when she sees me, literally pees the floor.

Brighton 6

2007-12-29T12:36:00.000Z

23 December we had a party for Hannah & Mark's wedding at Kobar in Brighton - friends and family took over the whole club for the night. Hannah wore her wedding dress and cut her chocolate wedding cake from chockywockydoodah - amazing cake, all chocolate with white chocolate orchids.

The sisterhood got together and danced the night away with the two Olis, I had taken a vow not to drink as I was flying to Barbados the next day but broke it by 6.45pm... the champagne was too tempting. I am so weak!!! (Pics to be uploaded)

Brighton 5

2007-12-19T14:53:00.000Z

4 days to go and I will be on my way to Barbados with Oli. I had to go to the Indian Consulate in London to get our visas this morning and was totally unprepared for it. I have been on the website and read all the notes but still managed to behave like a retard. First of all, I didn’t know you had to be in a queue between the hours of 8.30am and 10.30am to get a number, to get into the consulate, to provide your applications. Secondly I didn’t realise the queue would have approximately five hundred people in it. Finally I had a totally blond moment and turned up without any cash to pay for the visas - I think I must have thought I was at the visa supermarket and could pay by switch or something. Anyway, I was saved by Yvonne, who I got talking to in the queue and we spent most of the day together.

Coincidence - Yvonne has a flat in the West End of Glasgow she lets out and will be staying with friends on Fergus Drive (where I live) for New Year! She currently lives in South Carolina and works for Christian Aid as a project manager for their many different causes. She said her best job to date was working in Addis Ababa a few years ago where she set up a project and worked with prostitutes to get them out of that particular business. Interesting eh?

Brighton 4

2007-12-17T16:43:00.000Z

One week today and it will be Christmas Eve and we'll be on our next flight, this time to Barbados for a month. Staying with another dear friend, Sooey who I got to know in Glasgow and has been living her dream of developing the land her grandmother left her in Barbados into a condo for holiday lets. Can't wait!!!

Meanwhile, back at the seafront, it is really, REALLY cold, feels like it could snow and I am sure it is colder than Glasgow. I have ticked two things off my long list of things to do...

Coco's Shoe Collection

2007-12-16T17:43:00.000Z

I have to add a special note about Coco's shoes here - Coco is Texan and one of Ruth's tenants. Now, I am a person who quite readily admits I have too many shoes, I will even own up to having shoes I have never worn, HOWEVER I discovered on Saturday that Coco's collection is something else. Legend has it that when she arrived from Texas, she only had two suitcases and one was full of stunning, high-heeled shoes - of which she says "I ate tomatoes for MONTHS to afford these puppies!" Judge a small sample of her size sevens for yourself....

Brighton 3

2007-12-16T17:13:00.000Z

I had a super day in London yesterday. First of all I went to Islington to meet The Man From Pakistan - my new internet friend, he was on his way through London between Puerto Rico and Islamabad and we arranged to meet for a couple of hours. First thing I did was set my scarf on fire when I put it on top of a table tea-light. How fortuitous that TMFP had bought me a lovely pashmina pressie to replace it!!

Later I went off to Hampstead from my dear friend, Ruth's Big 60th birthday party (did I mention my new scarf is champagne colour complete with little studded bubbles? Perfik) Then to La Gaffe for dinner, followed by spectacular fireworks on the Heath at midnight.

I have to give a special blawg mention to the wonderful Ruth, we've known each other for nearly 25 years and she is a constant inspiration to me and so many of her friends - three cheers for Ruthie!!! Happy Birthday to yooo xxx

Brighton 2

2007-12-12T14:01:00.000Z

We got back from Vegas on Sunday 9 December and have been suffering from sleeping sickness ever since, I keep sleeping in till 1pm. Unbelievable, I don't think I've done that since I was about 12 years old and was allowed to as I was staying at my Grandmother's for summer holidays!

I have a list of things to do but really, nothing to do... Oliver is either out working with my brothers or at the skatepark.

I'll write a blog soon about my brother Paul, who was on a TV show with his wife Helen. Called 'The Block' it was about 6 different couples who each had to design and build the inside of a house on a block in Brighton. Paul and Helen didn't win the series but did eventually manage to buy their house - great story, I'll get some pics.

Las Vegas 4

2007-12-10T14:43:00.000Z

As we drove up the stip to drop off the hire car and collect our bags for the airport, we stopped at lights at the Bellagio - the fountains were on and dancing to Elvis singing Viva Las Vegas... aahh, classic!!!

Anyway, what can I say? We came here for The Wedding and it was FABULOUS, I still love Vegas, I got right into the entertainment and party however I still detect a disturbing note with the people who work here. It's all about generating the money for the corporations - the people we met are paid the minimum wage and all rely on tips for their income. By the time I got to the airport, I was bled dry of my dollars... but I'd still come back for more!

Las Vegas 3

2007-12-10T13:53:00.000Z

Most of the group left of Wednesday when we waved Hannah & Mark off to their skiing honeymoon in California. That left me, Judy, Paul and my Oli to shop - so we've done all the malls and viwed all the sights on the strip.

When Paul and Judy left, I hired a car and went to Death Valley and Hoover Dam.

Car hire was simple, only cost around $40 dollars for 24hrs and as this was my first time driving in the USA a bit of an adventure - the highways are incredibly busy and nobody signals!

The stars in DV were stunning, this is the place in the US where there is the least light pollution, I'd love to spend a few days here to explore. Hoover Dam is interesting to say the least... we did the damn tour to see the innards of the structure - this only started again a month ago after is was cancelled after 911. The finished design of the dam is Art Deco and by far the most intriguing feature is the site dedicated to the opening of the dam.

The base of the site is inlaid with a star chart/celestial map, which preserves 'for future generations' (ie 200,000 years into the future or reading between the lines, ETs) the date on which the dam was opened (September 30, 1935). The stars on the chart are shown as they would appear to the naked eye at a distance of about 190 trillion miles from earth and are placed so that an astonomer could calculate the precession of the Pole Star for approximately the next 14,000 years. Weird to say the least - incidentally, the dam is compared with the pyramids of Giza in terms of construction genius... no other comment.

Las Vegas 2

2007-12-05T18:08:00.000Z

Hannah and Mark got married at the Wynn Hotel. We spent the day in the spa having massage and pampering. We all like the Wynn, it's swanky alright!

It is very confusing, there are three Oli's here... big Oli; his boyfriend, little Oli and my Oli.

Hannah's dress is just gorgeous - made by her friend, Big Oli she looked sooo beautiful. The marriage at the Wynn chapel was perfect, rose petals on the floor, the Right Rev gave the best wedding speech I have ever heard - we were all in tears, and I hear - to my dismay - that there are photos of us all snivelling into hankies.

At the buffet meal after the wedding we had the greatest waitress - Darlene - who wore the tatoos the boys bought back from their 'gun shoot' stag party.

Champagne all day and night, a spot of fun on the roulette table (Paul's lucky nuber 14 kept coming up - he is rolling in cash now) and back to the night club at MB . Jo suddenly decided to lie down at 2pm and had to be carried off to her room by Steve (two Jos here) and for some reason I found myself sleepwalking in the fire escape...

Las Vegas 1

2007-12-05T18:03:00.000Z

Hurruh ~ a week in Las Vegas, flying Virgin which was ok I suppose. I had one glass of wine and there was an announcement they'd run out of booze... was looking forward to a champagne flight which ended up being 10hrs of cola!

This is my third visit to this City - we're staying at Mandalay Bay, by far the best hotel on the Strip in my opinion. The rooms and hotel layout are just great, our ceiling to floor window looks out onto the airport and the mountains in the background, Oliver has been busying himself in the evenings with watching his favourite TV programmes from bed on the huge flatscreen TV and ordering room service.

We're here with 25 people to celebrate Hannah and Mark's marriage on Monday, we're all really excited about it.

Brighton 1 29th Nov

2007-12-05T17:58:00.001Z

I finally got away from Glasgow on 28 November! Very difficult leaving the flat ready for rental when you have a 4pm flight to catch - too much to pack away, we ran out of time!

But well worth it - Thursday 29 November was a beautiful blue sky day in Brighton, the light is so different to Glasgow at this time of year - sunglasses at the ready!!

We spent the time getting ready for a week in Las Vegas on Saturday morning and had a lovely meal at Carluccio's - it's my birthday today...

Winter turns to Spring 3

2007-11-24T14:39:00.000Z

3 days to go and I am still packing but keep falling foul of procrastination… there is always something I would rather do that sort through more drawers, cupboards or … the kitchen… For the last couple of weeks I’ve been seeing ex-colleagues, ex-clients, ex-husband drinking way too much with friends and planning the exit, it's thoroughly exhausting! Oliver is excited about being in Brighton - he loves it, the last time we were there was summer, just a few happy days with family. Me on the beach, Oliver at work in the café. Me trying to relax, Oliver out of his head on dope – thank you so fucking much Uncle Tony. (Pic is of Oli boarding in Brighton)

I LOVE MY CAR!

2007-11-19T19:11:00.000Z

Born 1st May 1991, Figgie is a Nissan Figaro, a 16 year old Japanese import, one of only 20,000 produced as a one-off and so much in demand were only available to buyers through a prize draw.

You can’t fault Figgie. I love the cream leather upholstery and retro chrome. She always starts first time, fully automatic, zips through traffic and effortlessly zooms away from lights, turbo charged, convertible, roof folded into boot, sassy little minx she is!

With Britain being Europe's largest single market for convertible cars on a per capita basis - and I hear Glasgow has the most - I may well be leaving a city of optimists! (Pic is of Figgie)

Winter turns to Spring 2

2007-11-18T11:16:00.000Z

The flat is successfully rented and I have one more week to put away all my personal items. I am selling my dear car to support the financial slush fund and went out yesterday afternoon with my old friend, Shona to talk about 2008 plans and drank much too much wine.

Shona is 62 years old and was avoiding yet another funeral of a Glaswegian male friend (the average life expectancy of a Glasgow man is 68). We bumped into Alasdair Gray on Byres Road, he looked like a green pixie in wellies and told us he was just back from his walk in the hills, so we left him in a very busy Oddbins. At age 72 (his admission) he doesn't have a single line on his face - unless they were all washed away by yesterday's high winds and horizontal rain. Shona and Alasdair are both wonderful artists and members of the Glasgow Group - a cooperative of artists who promote the arts in Glasgow and the West of Scotland. (Pic is one of Shona's pastels)

Winter turns to Spring 1

2007-11-15T12:08:00.001Z

So my marketing job was made "redundant" by the Fat Controller in October - but more about that later when maybe I'll have a proper vent. Meanwhile I believe crisis is an opportunity for change, so what does a forty-something, single female from Glasgow want to do next? Do I want another marketing job? Do I want to work for myself? Do I want to stay in Glasgow?

The answer is, I really don't know so I obviously need time to think about it.

A plan is evolving; I will let my flat, go to Brighton to stay with family short term, go to my sister's wedding in Las Vegas at the start of December, then do some travelling with my 16 year old son.

That should flush out all that oppression and let me create a fresh vision for the future! (Pic of bottle of Bourbon by the way)