Like Dogs

On the last night in Nassau, Tyrone, Andy, Ros, Jackie and I had a few beers in the Compass Point Bar and Restaurant with Tyrone's mate Ken. When it was time to go back to the airport, Ken told us he'd give us a lift in the back of his truck. So, like dogs, Andy, Tyrone and I hung off the back of th truck and let the wind blow through our hair (we let the ladies ride up front). It was great.

Here's Andy and Tyrone:

Signs

I've finally made it to Kathmandu. Yesterday Sarah and I flew from Delhi to Kathmandu, circled it three times, then flew to Calcutta. We then spent a quality three hours on the tarmac as our Jet Airways (their slogan is 'The Joy of Flying') international flight became a domestic flight (meaning they could no longer serve beer), and then we flew back to Delhi. All this came to result in zero air miles.


Tomorrow we hope to get to Pokhara but as a result of the local transport folk being upset at the government not compensating the local transport folk for a number of their buses being torched in a riot last week, Nepal is now on strike. If the strike carries through till tomorrow we'll be off to see monkeys being revered in temples.


In the meantime, here's some signs I've seen. The first tells me what I cannot take as carry-on luggage in Indian flights (they omitted to include duty free alcohol that you buy in the arrivals hall. You can only take through booze you've bought in the departures hall. Essentially this is a way for the customs men to get cheap wines and spirits. The Aussies in front of us, seeing the high fives, didn't play along and tipped their scotch in the bin. I was willing to lose the five quid bottle of german sparkling wine I'd bought for Mike and Sarah...). The second photo advises me that if I'd like to know how black holes work, I need not stray from the hotel Jet Airways put us up in. Which was vastly superior than a white tent on the front steps of Heathrow.

Sacred Cow

If you want us, from tonight the beer drinking bovine and I will be visiting The Cow's holy lands of India and Nepal for three and a half weeks.

Smokin'...

...at the Graycliff Restaurant, hotel, bar and cigar factory, Nassau.

Strange Encounters

While walking up St Aldates tonight I was on the phone to my old housemate Rhys. Coming the other way was Lucy, who was on the phone to her mum. Midway through our respective conversations we stopped and hugged, wished each other Happy New Year, and carried on our conversations. An odd but delightful moment.

Dinner time

He serves

Volleyball in the Bahamas.

Break out the Violins

So... I've just come back from Belgium, Holland and France. On the 19th I'm off to India and Nepal for three and half weeks so see Mike, Sarah and the lovely little people.

I could really use NOT going to the Bahamas for a weeks 'work' this Wednesday...

Damn the fox and his bone.

Pretentious Photo Essay - New Year 2007...

Indulgent photographs from Holland, Belgium and La France.

Edward, the drunk Dutchman, was up for some lovin'.

Before the big bang

Apparently €73 million worth of fireworks is lit at New Years in Holland. The vast majority is by drunk Dutch men.

God bless the Dutch.

An Arne Jacobsen original.

Juno Beach, Normandy.

The German battery at Longues sur Mer.

Pointe du Hoc

The American cemetery at Colleville sur Mer, Normandy

Some of the missing.

One of the Unknown.

Ein Deutscher Soldat

The German Dead

The German memorial at La Cambe

Bayeux, Normandy

Mont St. Michel, Normandy. Damn, this was something else.

God Hungry, Lille

(The 42 year old artist, Subodh Gupta is one of the figureheads of Indian contemporary art. At the heart of his work, we find objects from the everyday life of the artist, as well as the lives of hundreds of millions of Indians.
Here he presents « Hungry God », a monumental cascade of kitchen and eating utensils which will occupy the centre of the church, under the dome. The hungry god and this wave of objects are references to the tsunami which ravaged India in 2004)