Just to remind you of my most recent posts…
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July 1st, 2019 
I hope this doesn’t sound like a mean-spirited case of schadenfreude, because it isn’t meant to be at all – but I’m sitting here, MELTING in Delhi’s remorseless heat, reading about the heatwave in Europe.
Trust me, I do not belittle the 45.9C that clobbered France last week.
Not. At. All.
45.9C is bloody hot, by anybody’s standards.
Here in north India, we know pretty much how it feels. We’ve been sweating and sweltering through 42C, 43C, 44C for weeks on end now.
Today we had a high of 42C, and there is now no rain forecast for several […]
Click to continue reading The heat is on
June 22nd, 2019 
So, my wonderful Big Adventure is over.
Panpatia Col and Parvati Col have been climbed.
We did it – through thick snow & heavy hailstorms & sleeping on ice & super cold weather, as well as a million other moments of breathtaking beauty & fun & laughter & drama & team work & great new friendships.
In my case,
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Click to continue reading Back to the heat and dust of the big city
June 7th, 2019
…and I must go.
My kit bag is packed.
My day pack is packed.
And in a couple of hours I head off to catch the train to Haridwar for my Next Big Adventure.
2 weeks in the mountains, trekking across a glacier, sleeping in a tent – I cannot wait!
Dreaming of this…
I’m going with my favourite trekking and climbing company, White Magic Adventure Travel, and if you head over to my review blog – aptly named christinesreviews.com, you’ll find 3 or
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Click to continue reading The mountains are calling
June 4th, 2019 
As I write, Delhi’s temperature in 42C.
That’s 108F.
And we are by no means the hottest place in India. That dubious distinction goes to Churu in Rajasthan, where it hit 50.8C. That’s 123.44F.
Quite.
I live a life of privilege, well, certainly I do by India standards.
I have cold, clean, filtered water to drink & I have electricity to power the A/C.
To be honest, it doesn’t take much to be privileged in this furnace. Just have access to cooling and water.
But for the poorest of the poor in this country – of whom there are […]
Click to continue reading Delhi is scorching
May 30th, 2019 
I am still feeling dejected about the body politic, both here in India and back in the old home country.
Barely has the BJP Hindu nationalistic government recovered from its celebratory parties, than the attacks on people suspected of carrying meat (ie beef) have begun, all over again.
In the UK, the spectre of Boris Johnson being the favourite to become the next PM boggles the mind.
Actually it beyond boggles the mind. It is a total travesty.
The spectre of Donald Trump and all his children on a state visit to the UK is also pretty grim.
So, […]
Click to continue reading In which I talk about trees rather than politicians
May 23rd, 2019 
Don’t worry, I am not going to give you a political word of the day today.
Absolutely not.
Instead, my word of the day is the one used to describe what is happening right now as I type.
Delhi is being doused with lots of lovely rain after crazy hectic winds, and the sky has gone dark, and the temperature has dropped significantly.
First you get the wind, a fierce wind that sent our flower pots crashing,
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Click to continue reading Your Hindi word of the day : Aandhi
May 23rd, 2019 
It’s mid-afternoon here in Delhi, as I sit down to write this blog. It is currently 40C and my trusty weather app shows “unhealthy air quality.”
But there are other things to worry about right now, than the heat and dust.
The general election results are flooding in, and the Hindu nationalist BJP has decisively won a second term.
Mr. Modi
I am not exactly in shock – that would be a tad overdramatic. I’d already reluctantly accepted that the current government
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Click to continue reading Elections. More elections. And milkshakes
May 11th, 2019 
In everyday life, how often do you see people in wheelchairs?
Not that much, right?
And thank goodness for that, since it means people aren’t injured or handicapped, right?
Ah well…I have news for you AND, most importantly, I have the latest question for you, in my things-about-India-that-have-puzzled-me-for-years series.
Namely, why are there so many wheelchair travellers at Indian airports?
Ready and waiting. Air India check in, Delhi airport
In January this year, when I landed in Mumbai for the
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Click to continue reading What’s with wheelchairs at Indian airports?
April 28th, 2019 
And please don’t quote the Representation of People Act 1951 to me.
I can Google like anyone else 😛
What I mean is, no really, why on earth are politicians allowed to hedge their bets like this?
What is the logic?
How does it work, expenditure-wise? Aren’t there ceilings on how much a candidate can spend? Or is that per constituency, meaning a double-constituency candidate gets double to spend?
Is there no requirement for a candidate to have local links? A home in his/her constituency? (Clearly not…)
And why don’t YOU, the lucky people who CAN vote protest?
Quick aside: […]
Click to continue reading Why can Indian politicians contest from 2 constituencies?
April 26th, 2019
I have no idea.
And with that answer to my own question, this could, potentially, just be the shortest blog post ever.
Flippancy aside, let me tell you what I’m doing here.
Despite having known India for over 3 decades…
Despite being married to an Indian…
Despite living here…
There is still WAY too much about India that I neither understand nor “get”.
And it suddenly struck me that I have a prime resource, right here at my finger tips.
You, the reader.
Especially all of you who live in India.
You’ll definitely be able to answer my questions […]
Click to continue reading Why do Delhi buses never stop at bus stops?
April 24th, 2019 
…well…
The answer depends who you are, really.
Delhi summer living is uncomfortably hot. As I write, it is 42C.
Here, don’t believe me? Screen shot, taken just now.
Next week, the temperature will hit 44C, and we are still in the month of April.
OK, fair enough, Tuesday,
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Click to continue reading Summer time & the living is…
April 3rd, 2019 
I’m back in Delhi after a fab trip to Shanghai, and in the 2 weeks we were gone, spring has given way to summer.
And how.
We are already in the mid-30s during the day, and as I type, mozzies are chomping away at me.
Such horrid things.
I am feeling most unprofessionally weary of some of my staple blogging topics – politics in particular – with the old home country (the UK) and the new home country (India) are both up to their eyes in political shenanigans.
I am so Brexit-ed out it’s not funny, and as for […]
Click to continue reading Pottering amongst the birds & the bees
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