I lived in Mumbai, India, from 2004-2006. During that time, I did a lot of traveling throughout the country. I also came to love so many aspects of life in India, from food to festivals. Here are a few snippets of writing from my life there as well as posts on the latest sights, sounds, and style from the subcontinent.
I think Slate’s Seth Stevenson is one of the best writers out there: hilarious, concise, and with a sarcasm that I can appreciate. He’s most famous for writing the webzine’s Ad Report Card, which is probably the only column that I read regularly. But now he’s gone and stolen my mojo with his new…
Sometimes I have very good luck, such as I did this weekend when I scored two, last-minute, free tickets to see ‘La Traviata’ at the National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA). The event was part of the whole ‘Festa Italiana,’ a two-week event featuring Italian art, culture, and business. The NCPA, located at the…
Bombay can be extremely noisy, crowded, and inhospitable at times. But, at other times, you stumble across these tranquil little neighborhoods. One such place is Walkeshwar. Adjacent to glitzy high-rise apartments and old-money bungalows, Walkeshwar is a fisherman’s village on the top of tony Malabar Hill. There, the stone houses are incredibly modest, the alleys…
So, I will let you in on a little secret. In less than three months, I will be moving to Mumbai (formerly Bombay), where for the next little while I hope to derive travel writing inspiration from the Indian metropolis’ mind-boggling array of sights, scents, and cultures. It shouldn’t be too hard. That is, it…
It has been almost nine months since I left India and last posted on the blog. (You’ll also notice I moved cyber addresses – from http://tblogs.bootsnall.com/miss to here.) I was ready to leave India last April, but now I look back on that chaos quite fondly. Indeed, I was also fond of today’s holiday –…
As I mentioned before, it’s a little difficult finding your way around Mangaldas Market. But, now after two buying visits and a pit stop to show friends, I have mostly figured out where some of the best vendors are located. The 6th Lane is the best place to start, specifically at Rangeela. The shop specializes…
Tired of bland veg curries and dals? Think sheekh kebabs are the only non-veg contribution to Indian cuisine? Then, check out Goa. Thanks to the Portuguese, who left their Euro-Christian tastes for meat, Goan menus include beef and the ever-popular goan sausage. Being on the coast and blessed with wide rivers and creeks, Goan chefs…
I don’t think I had ever planned my life beyond 2005, so New Year’s 2006 hit me from the out of the blue. We hadn’t made any plans for New Years, either, figuring that something low-key would come along. Ha! This is Bombay. Something came along, but it certainly wasn’t low key. A friend of…
Bombay is one of the most progressive cities in India. For most intents and purposes, both the New York and L.A. of India. It is also the capital of of Maharashtra, a state that is proving to be more backward which each report of a book ban. On Monday, the Maharashtra government banned a scholarly…
