One of the great things about living in India is the opportunity to learn a new language. In India you have over 14 different languages to choose from, but it makes sense to learn the local one 😀 I’m living in the state of Tamil Nadu, in the main city called Chennai (it used to… Continue reading
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An Argument About Coffee
Just had a little argument about the best way to make coffee today. I was asked if I want a coffee, to which I replied, “sure, I’ll boil the water”. This was met with a blank expression along the lines of “why the hell do you want to boil the water?!”…Err, to make coffee? Well,… Continue reading
You Know You Are In India When…
Just a little fun, no offense meant from this list 🙂 It’s just some of my observations from the last few months of living in Chennai. A Honda or Skoda is considered a premium luxury brand The tuk-tuk driver demands Rs 150 for a trip that you know should cost Rs 70. But you end… Continue reading
A Typical Day In India…
Thought I might write about a typical day for me in India. Could be incredibly boring for some, could provide useful information for others…who knows?! My day usually starts around 9:30 – 10am when the maid comes in and starts cleaning the apartment. You don’t have hot water on demand, so you have to turn… Continue reading
Playing The Matchmaker
I was inadvertantly playing Cilla Black the other day at the office, let me set the background if I may… Anand, the CEO of Agriya, the company that I work for has decided that it’s time to get married. Or rather, his parents have decided that it’s time for him to get married – this… Continue reading
Mobbed By The Kids
I had my first proper experience of being mobbed by Indian children the other day! I’m used to the staring you get as a white person living in Chennai – in a city of over 6 million people I would be surprised if there were more than 1,000 Westerners living here. With those kind of… Continue reading
Can You Read My Mind?
Anyone that knows me will probably know my opinions on spiritual and alternative therapy stuff quite well. Suffice to say that I’m a complete non-believer in that sort of thing. So when I had the chance to have my palm read on Saturday, I jumped at the chance 😀 The entire conversation took place in… Continue reading
Nearly Claimed My First Fatality…
I was so close to claiming my first Indian road kill today when I opened the car door and a guy on a motorbike slammed in to it. As part of the crazy ‘no rules’ driving style in Chennai, when Aravind stopped the car, I opened the passenger door (on the pavement side – not… Continue reading
Tips For Getting a Tuk-Tuk in Chennai
I’ve decided to write some tips about catching a tuk-tuk (known as an auto or an auto-rick to the local population) when in Chennai – they probably apply to most asian cities aswell though. So here goes… 1. All Tuk-Tuk Drivers Wear Face Masks and Black & White Stripy Tops Or in other words, they’ll… Continue reading
Something That Bugs Me About Westerners In India
I’m getting more and more bugged as the weeks have gone by about Westerners in India. For some strange, unknown reason, they are all insisting on immersing themselves into what they believe the culture of India is by wearing traditional Indian clothes. By that, I mean the guys wear a kind of wrap-around fabric –… Continue reading