It’s come to my attention that my team are now following my blog - so, hello Godson, Shiva, Salim, Srinath, Muthu, Mohamed, Nagarajan Mohan and everyone else !
Below is a photo of us - I am in the middle, front row.
Where's Wally?
FMG Inida
June 14th, 2009The writing WAS on the wall . . .
May 25th, 2009Where ever you go in Chennai, elaborately painted on every single wall (apart from ‘P James Magic Show’) are political slogans. On some walls are very good murals depicting the leading politicians.
But as it was election time when you would expect to see political slogans (at least in the UK) all walls have been whitewashed, leaving me with a very unimpressive photo of a wall, which was a piece of art a few weeks ago.
It's a whitewash
Tokyo Amour
May 21st, 2009(Google it)
Last of the holiday snaps - must be time for another holiday.
The writings on the wall…
May 21st, 2009I make no secret of liking writing on walls and wherever you go in Chennai you will see “P James Magic Show and Balloon Event 9841072571″ He has blitzed the city.
There are a number of things which amuse me about this.
- I didnt realise that Chennai had much of a Magic Show scene (dont worry Bergy I’m sure your magic show was much better)
- I didn’t realise that Chennai had an undergound magic show scene,
- The graffiti is carefully numbered so if ever the police were to catch him they would know exactly how many counts to charge him with.
- He’s left his name and mobile number so the police should be able to catch him pretty easily.
Where are you Mr Potato Man when Chennai really needs you!?
Number 319 . .
I’ve just realised this is a different phone number - so maybe P James has competition - or one phone simply wasn’t enough for all the calls he was receiving !!
Corruption
May 18th, 2009Corruption in India is everywhere, I have heard a number of stories:
- My drivers brother had to pay a years salary to get a job as a bus driver - a state job.
- I saw police stopping people without crash helmets at the intersection of a busy road. I am told you are given the choice of 100rp official fine, or 50rp to the policeman and he will let you go.
- Supposedly a new restaurant which doesn’t have an alcohol license not only pays the police so it can serve alcohol - but employs someone who gets arrested every month. (I am not sure this one is true but i like to believe it is)
Now, when I heard these stories, I couldn’t believe that’s how Indian society worked, I wondered if it would ever be possible to stop and I thought how much better the UK was.
And then I realised, as MP’s expenses claims have proven, the UK is probably just as corrupt - at least in India it is much more in the open
Highs and Lows
May 13th, 2009New High
Housekeeper bringing me cold beers and crisps to my hand as I sit on my sofa watching the 20/20 cricket.
Nice.
New Low
Housekeeper walking in on me as I am naked, having a shit.
Not so nice.
…
Gotta take the rough with the smooth i guess.
Hawaii Photos
May 11th, 2009Its been quite emotional looking at all these photos again - its sad to think I haven’t seen anyone since . .
Wedding Pics
May 9th, 2009As i said before - if Carlsberg did weddings . .
What goes on tour, stays on tour . .
May 9th, 2009For a while.
Tokyo textures
May 8th, 2009As Leo and i wandered round japan, snapping photos (ironically, just like Japanese tourists) we started taking pictures of patterns and textures that caught our eye.
It became customary to shout “teexxtttuuuurrreeees” when you found a new one.
Here are some of the best.
Lanterns
Squid
Lipstick
Waterfall
Art
SkyScraper
SkyScraper
Fans
Temple Roof
Street Tuff
May 3rd, 2009On of the nice things about Chennai (and probably the rest of India) is that I feel completely safe walking the streets whatever time. The most uncomfortable I feel is when approached by a beggar, but 100rp soon sorts things quickly enough - or asking my driver to drive on (joke!)
So why are the streets so safe, is it cultural? Or is there a mythical crime fighter, Chennai’s answer to Gothams Batman?
Step forward Mr Potato Man, instilling fear into the criminal underworld of Chennai, keeping the streets safe for everyday Chennaites.
We wanna be . . Smith's Crisps
Lok Sabha Elections
May 3rd, 2009The last National elections were in 2004 when 647 million people voted, this time the figure is predicted to be more than 750 million - a staggering figure.
In the interest of impartiality, it is good to see that the ruling party erected a huge 30 foot illuminated sign above the polling booth, complete with iconic image of their leader (complete with de-rigeur sunglasses) for all the floating voters out there . .
Its getting hot in here
April 29th, 2009Its been a while since I wrote anything - a reflection of how busy I am.
But over the weekend I managed to hold an impromptu after party at mine (having dj’d on a roof top till 9am)
Trouble is, by 9am its 35 degrees plus and a day splashing about in the pool with my new friends (in 40 degree heat) has left me peeling on my face like a leper - “This is a keeper” as Goldmember would say.
Now I look terribly deformed and stupid.
Will I ever learn? Probably not.
Will I post a photo? Not a chance.
Having a whale of a time
April 3rd, 2009Dan’s parents were kind enough to organise a boat trip for us to go snorkeling in the Molokini crater, off the coast of Maui. The trip wasn’t without event - Dan’s aunt was swept outside of the craters rim and was caught in a strong current that would have taken her to Tokyo!! Despite her sons and Leos best efforts they couldn’t pull her to the safety of the crater so had to be rescued.
Not only did we get to see all kinds of mutlicoloured fish feeding on the coral, but on the return journey we saw whales breaching (jumping out of the water). It is very common to see whales in Hawaii as they come to the shallow shores to mate, give birth and nurse their young. We had seen many whales in the week before, but none as close as this - seeing them so was quite moving.
My attempts at capturing them on my camera had resulted in lots of pictures of splashes but Dan’s Dad took two awesome shots.
Molokini
Photo courtesy of Mr Ellis Snr.
Photo courtesy of Mr Ellis Snr.
Cant think of a good title - too jetlagged.
April 1st, 2009What is amazing about Hawaii is the different environments you can visit in one day.
From picturesque waterfalls, to glorious beaches, barren dry moon like surfaces, rain forests, bamboo jungles and Volcanic rock pools - there’s something for everyone!
Timotei?
Bounty?
Why did the lion get lost? Cos the Jungle is Massive!
I hope my legs dont break. Walking on the moon
Get your rocks off..
Hey Snowy, I can see the pub from here . . .
April 1st, 2009For those who dont know, Hawaii is a series of volcanic islands. We are staying on Maui which has (or is as it forms 75% of the island) a volcano called Haleakala.
We got up at 4am to drive up to the 10,000 ft high summit to watch the sunrise (with 4 t-shirts, 1 shirt, 1 jumper and 2 pairs of trousers on) and it was magical - and freezing!.
Sun rising up . . .
Giant steps are what you take. Walking on the moon . .
If Carlsberg did Weddings
April 1st, 2009As if the stag do wouldn’t go down in history, the wedding will surely too. Fortunately I am single, so I didn’t have a partner getting big ideas about their big day !!
Set in a colonial style plantation house facing the sea, with palm trees and whales spouting a few hundred metres from the shoreline, I think it was just about as perfect as it gets.
We organised 200 photos of Dan to be stuck to the bottom of all the guests chairs at the reception - giving him a note to read to all of the guests asking them to check their chairs. Oh how we laughed.
An amazing day for everyone, even more so for Dan and Jessie - congratulations once again !
Wedding Venue
3 amigos
P-A-S-T-A
Dan and Jessie
If Carlsberg did Stag do’s
March 23rd, 2009Obviously I cannot divulge what happened on the stag do, but it was legendary and I doubt that it could be beaten easily, if at all.
Dan the Man
The Boys
Terence Arrives
March 20th, 2009A picture paints a thousand words . . .
Lube o'clock
Aloha !
March 17th, 2009Leo and I have arrived in Hawaii. Another massive contrast. From a country where we saw 3 fat people (fat school kid, fat biker and fat businessman) we are greeted at Honolulu Airport by a variety of oversized (to the point of deformed) custom officials.
On Sunday we head for the American version of TK Max, Ross “Dress for Less” buy the loudest clothes we can find and hit the beach to drink Pina Coladas on the beach for ‘Super Funday Sunday’ !!
Toilets
Super Funday Sunday
Differences Between India and Japan
March 11th, 2009In India… It is acceptable to go for a piss in the street
In Japan… Facemasks are work in public to not (i) catch a cold (ii) spread a cold (iii) trigger an allergy from pollen
*************************************************
In India… Breakfast costs 50p
In Japan… Breakfast cost £25
*************************************************
In India… The streets are covered in litter and street stalls sell food.
In Japan… The streets are litter free, its frowned upon to eat in public. You shouldn’t smoke whilst walking, only in designated areas.
*************************************************
In India… The public transport is overcrowded and hot.
In Japan… The public transport is immaculate and spacious
*************************************************
In India… Traffic clogs the streets, drivers continuously beep their horns
In Japan… Streets are empty and silent.
*************************************************
In India… Everyone stares at me when i walk down the street
In Japan… Everyone keeps themselves to themselves - to the point that people put plain covers on their books so you cant see what they are reading
*************************************************
In India… People wipe their arse with their left hand
In Japan… You sit on a heated toilet seat and a warm jet of water is sprayed to clean you, followed by a jet of hot air to blow the parts that other beers cannot reach.
Sushi Bar
March 11th, 2009Thumbing through the lonely planet we pick a famous sushi bar to have breakfast. Armed with just over a tenner each we queue for an hour, only to find the large set meal is £25. Slightly embarrassed we leave the queue and search for an ATM that will take our cards - not an easy task.
Eventually we find one and return to the sushi bar - queuing for 2 hours this time. When we enter we are warmly greeted and sit at the bar. The sushi is prepared in front of you using fresh fish from the market. After the first bite all memories of the queue are forgotten. The staff do their best to explain each one to us. “Sea Bass” Eel” “Sea Urchin” “Tuna” then one I hadnt heard of “Ras Wun”
So I start repeating “Ras Wun, oh ok, Ras Wun” before Leo nudges me and explains he was saying “last one”
But better was still to come.
The final dish is our own choice, so we asked the Chef to choose. He says something and I definitely remember hearing a chuckle. The sushi it arrives and it is very similar to Urchin, soft almost liver like. Leo says he enjoyed “popping the sushi against the top of his mouth“.
We ask what the dish was and the Chef points to the sign - in Japanese, so we take a photo and go about our day.
In the evening we present the photo to the receptionist at the hostel, she smiles and explains what we have eaten, see photo below, Winter Season, 2nd item on menu.
Sushi Bar
Spit or Swallow?
Tsukiji Fish Market
March 11th, 2009With our body clocks still reeling from traveling across the world, Leo decided that getting up at 4.30am was a good idea.
So we travel to Tsukiji fish market and as is customary when travelling anywhere in Japan - we get completely lost. The fact the street names don’t have names doesn’t help and the fact we know hello, thank you and goodbye in Japanese compounds the problem.
We arrive at about 6am into probably the biggest fish market in the world, with certainly the biggest fish I have ever seen. Row apon row of stalls sell every kind of fish and shellfish imaginable and some you couldn’t imagine !
Photos to follow soon as they are on Leo’s camera
To-kyold
March 11th, 2009I left my pool and the temperature was 37 degrees, I arrive in tokyo and its dropped 30 degrees!
When i left England i hadn’t packed for this.
It is a massive cultural change to have gone from India - a hot, dirty, chaotic city to a cold, clean, ordered one. As I made my way to meet Leo I stood in awe at the pedestrian crossing - not only was there very little traffic - but the street was silent, for a couple of minutes I stood smiling there listening to nothing !
Unfortunately we are at the mercy of the exchange rate which has dropped from 237 yen / pound to 135/ yen in the last year. Japan was already expensive but this makes it ridiculous.
Sandyha’s Wedding
February 28th, 2009I have been invited to 4 weddings over the next few weeks, unfortunately I wont be able to attend all of them as I will be away. My initial excitement about a good piss-up at a wedding was dampened when I reaslied there probably wouldnt be any alcohol whatsoever.
Sandhya’s wedding ceremony started at 7am, but I arrived fashionably late at 8.30am. Not only was I the only Westerner in the Temple - I suspect a probably 5 mile radius.
Unlike English weddings, there are multiple weddings all at once in different areas of the temple. Guests sit around the bride and groom as music is played, prayers said, mantras chanted and a lucky coconut passed around. Instead of placing a ring on a finger, it is placed on a toe.
Eager to get some good photos I squeezed my way to the front, only to feel the hot glare of the video camera on me and then notice that everyones attention (and indeed cameras) had turned from the ceremony to me!
Sandhya and Chandra
Indian Temple
Reception Sign