Crossed Line...

Every now and then we'll be on the phone and there'll be a very pronounced cross line..
We think this bloke (outside our apartment) and his mates be the cause...
All you need for free phone calls is a screw driver and your own hand set, then just take a seat, relax and enjoy a good chin wag...

Subtropical Chill..

Mercury levels in the Mumbai megalopolis touched new lows on Australia/Republic Day with the minimum temperature falling to 10.2 degrees Celsius. Brrrrrr.... This is something we're not used to, this is a subtropical climate... Whilst we wait for the cloudless skies of the dry season to end and the humidity of the coming monsoon season to build, the last thing we thought we'd see is images of the north of India in our streets. Working men wrap their heads in scarves as if to keep their jaw from chattering and dress in grubby cricket style pull overs while they sit around small fires of road litter and broken twigs. The chill doesn't last long, by the first rays of the morning sun the temperature is climbing to 20 degrees heading toward the 30's...
The chill has been attributed to a cold wave across north India. It was freezing up there a few weeks ago.. We haven't hit the lowest temperature ever recorded though, this was 7.4 degrees Celsius on January 27, 1962.

Mumbai Marathon 2008

6am and dawn was still an hour away as we started our journey into South Bombay in the first class carriage of the western line train. We were to meet up with the Leighton mob who were running in the corporate "Dream Run" raising funds for their chosen cause. The Mumbai Marathon has become a yearly fixture of the Asian marathon circuit and is a embraced as part of the Mumbai festival. More than 20,000 people take part corporate run with a total of more than 40,000 running, walking or getting around the course any way they can, while the supporters enjoy the festival atmosphere.

The main marathon had been run and won by the time we hit the road. 9am and the streets filled with colourful sponsored shirts and banners, some runners keen to test their time and others happy to spend a few hours having a walk around the city. It was a great experience to see the empty inner city streets at a slower pace, happy to be in the middle of the road without the threat of being cleaned up by a mad taxi with a family of ten bursting out of the windows.

I'd been asked to join the team a week ago so I trained hard, tapering from walking to the shop to a few beers (carb loading) the night before the event. In all it was a fun event with bands and entertainment along the course. At the finish was a Mtv sponsored DJ playing some good tunes to mild appreciation, but when she started with the Hindi beats the streets, the medians the trees were alive with hands in the air and big smiles. I loved the moves... screw the light bulb, pat the dog all whilst biting their bottom lip. These people love to party and love being in photos, the old bloke beside me just wanted to be in a photo, gotta love 'em..

New Years Eve 2007!

Mark and I flew back from Kerala, Ash from Australia and Lif from her tour of India to be back for NYE’s. We were headed to the JW Marriott, where Mark & I hoped we would emulate the year before with Jo & Gali – only this time, more food, less alcohol and more memories. The day we were all flying back to Mumbai, we found out we would have to pay the $350 ticket price (new GM). Mark cleverly justified it as approx. $1 per day, and even though it was to be a AFN (alcohol free night) for me, we knew we wouldn’t find any other party at such late notice, nor was it really that safe (as we were unfortunately to find out later) to venture too far from home.

Our limo ride (rickshaw) to the party of all parties in Mumbai. So not cool, but so funny to us.

Our 2007 crew!

Sammy - our mate (but not Ash's)

Aussie performers


Bibasha - the main performance of the evening and the reason for many coming.
She's a BIG star in the world of Bollywood.

Since New Years Eve, the press has been filled with stories of 2 couples (Indians from the US) being attacked outside the Marriott, fortunately 2 reporters shot the whole incident and it has made front page news and caused much debate – are Indian men sex starved? One poor girl had her dress ripped off. If it wasn't for press, their tale would have never got further than the useless visit to the local police station directly after the incident..

We too experienced two separate incidents when leaving the Marriott at 3.00 am. Mark and I left in search of a rickshaw, we live only minutes away. The street was crowded with a mob of people heading towards the beach. I was holding Marks arm and we unwillingly joined the wave as we tried to make our way to the road. A group of boys/men started shouting at us, but we ignored their taunts. I held my bag protectively across my tummy in fear of someone banging into me, it was that crowded. Out of nowhere a guy came from behind, grabbed my breast, the force separating me briefly from Mark, I turned around and yelled words I've never uttered before and saw him running cowardly into the crowd – there were literally hundreds of grinning men watching this crazed white woman.We crossed the road where there were less people, I was shaking and could barely speak but before I knew it, another hand groped me from behind. This time I turned around, smacked the guy behind me, yelling at him like a woman possessed. The guy I hit claimed it wasn't him, but fortunately it happened right in front of police. Never before have I felt safe or respected the police, but the men who came to my rescue were a God send. They grabbed the guy I yelled at, he was yelling back, they hit him with their lathi as he was trying to back away, they called me over and I had to tell them to let him go, as although he was the closest person to me, I wasn't 100% sure it was he who had the audacity to touch a female in this manner and I couldn't have him violently punished, if it wasn't him. I also just wanted to get to the safety of home.

What is wrong with Indian men? Why is there no respect for women in this country? I have worked and travelled in many countries and this mob kind of sexual behaivour just doesn't happen elsewhere.
What are Indian parents not teaching their sons?

Santa and the coconut palms…

We enjoyed our short stay in Kerala last Christmas so much that we decided to head back to Varkala this year and make the most of the South Indian sunshine and clean air. The Hill Palace Hotel, with onsite 2 week old puppy to play with was our base this year. With its balcony view to the ocean through the coconut palms and being central to the cliff top restaurants and Tibetan souvenir stores, it was perfect.

There was a different crowd this year, less of the backpacker yoga travelers and many more package holiday tourists from Europe. As a result we spent more time on the beach lazing under the umbrella and less time stumbling along the uneven cliff top path in the early hours of the morning.

On the ‘must do’ list whilst in India was a backwater trip. Where old barges are refitted to carry passengers through the expansive waterways of coastal Kerala. We chose an overnight trip out of Kollam, about 30km north of Varkala to break our time lazing on the beach. What an experience we had… Trips like this can be hit and miss and we surely had a hit and miss trip…



To cut a long story short, we enjoyed the tranquility of the water ways, the village we visited was great as the locals were in the midst of Christmas celebrations and included us whole heartedly. The down side.. the boys with the brains on the boat tied us to a coconut palm with loud speakers at the top and at 5am the villagers cranked the volume with Hindu Temple classics. We thought the crew may not have known but to our surprise, this had been happening for the last 41 days as part of a Hindu festival.. The crew was oblivious to our pain... At least we were able to watch the morning mist rise off the water, with the village on the riverbank coming to life.

The rest of the time in Varkala was as expected, very lazy indeed. The main tasks of each day being, to negotiate the price of the beach umbrella, deciding where to place it and where to watch the sunset and have dinner… It was tough but we got through it, albeit with a little help from the local men. You see, the tourists may love Varkala, the beach, the ocean and the fresh food, but for the local men the tourists become the entertainment. Many times throughout the day the life guards or the police with their big sticks move the men along but they quickly return as curiosity gets the better of them..