Friday 27 March 2009

Going Home

Oh hi! We caught a 9 hour flight out of Delhi with Air India. The in-flight meal was a curry with all the trimmings, and very good too. There were even some films to watch in the in-flight entertainment.

Fortunately for us Jamie-Jay had very generously offered to pick as up in his car at Heathrow and he brought the Kevster with him. It was lovely to be met by them.


A million pounds to park please.


A pit stop at Marathon on the way back for falafel and chips.




Battered sausage or Oi, Oi, savaloy?


Old ladies leg or Alsatian?


The land of plenty...


At nice high prices, all you don't need.


Harmood House Hotel.


Some beardo looovin from Louise and Kev.




A bit of a boogie from Wij and the beard.


Louise fills us in on the details of 'spoon gate', where she inadvertently allowed Kev to play Russian roulette with a spoon that she should never have left out...




Bite size?..


Well I had a go.


An accurate image of the Harmood House hotel coffee table on any given night or morning after.


The morning after, an empty Copettito to Juan and Easter Island.


So what has really changed?


The Town Cafe had a re-fit and was still doing well.


Laaaaandaaan Caff innit?






Familiar.


They even recognised us still, lol!


Mmm, I am smiling.


A classic egg on toast.








The concierge wasn't broken-that was a surprise!


Burnt to the ground while we were away, and reborn again.


Getting a hair cut.




Work, work, work, work, work, work, work, work, work, work, work, work...

Thursday 26 March 2009

The Last Train

Oh hi! On our final train journey I was determined to catch some of the sights proper by hanging out of the vestibule train doors in order to get some pics. This did seem quite obviously foolish, but naturally I wasn't alone, I was under the careful supervision of the catering staff who were happy to hold the door open from slamming in my face and kindly give me prior warning as they nonchalantly launched giant bin bags containing the rubbish from the trolley meals into the environment-no matter where we were...nice touch.

It was quite hard to take the pictures, what with trying to brace myself against the door and the jolting movement of the speeding train, trying not to fall out and constantly having one of the Indian boys wedged at the side of me viewing the journey through the digital screen of the camera at all times...here are a selection of scenes...



















A pile of cow dung shaped into individual patties, then stacked in this hive formation was a common sight in rural India.






Several cow pattie piles in the distance too.






Over every wall, or into every river, never mind how close or far...a massive pile of rubbish.




Picking through the rubbish.








A familiar sight at a railway crossing.


I loved taking these...








Living under the sidings.




The rich oily sheen of the water buffalo on the rubbish tip.








Reading the paper outside the house...


A small shop.












A pig farm.






















Walking the lines...
















A turn track.




And then I was asked to come inside, before we got into Delhi proper, so that people could not jump into the open door way.