I rallied north from Mombasa almost to the border with Somalia. At the end of the bus ride, I sailed by dhow on the final leg around the bend to Lamu Island. It seemed as if I had left an Indian island with no cars (Rameswaram) and arrived at another trafficless destination where mules were the only form of transport. Continue reading Lamu
Tag Archives: Rameswaram
Leaving India
Ship off the Kenyan coast
Photo courtesy: Andrew Thomas — Wikimedia Commons
Three times I’ve left India, (oops, now it’s four, since writing this post) and two of those times were by sea. Firstly, I chugged across the Palk Straight from Rameswaram to Mannar Island, Lanka.
The second sea exit was Continue reading Leaving India
Bangalore and Mysore, a muted memory
Bangalore High Court — Photo courtesy: Sniperz11 — Wikimedia Commons
I like the sound of these names. But I remember little about these South Indian cities I visited. Perhaps it was the pace of my third visit to India. Continue reading Bangalore and Mysore, a muted memory
Thank you India
Indian train toilet — Photo courtesy: Loganathan R. — Wikimedia Commons
I spied a photograph on line of a father holding his son as he sat on the window ledge of a train. His pants hung around one shin, the bottom half of his body naked, as he peed down the side of the train. Continue reading Thank you India
Mumbai – a different world from the south
Photo courtesy: Aam422 — Wikimedia Commons
I headed north with an empty feeling at leaving the Tamil family whom I will be forever grateful. Continue reading Mumbai – a different world from the south
Ever had an oil bath?

I grew up where summers were sticky and the thirty degree heat didn’t subside even by midnight. If I turned on a tap for a glass of water, the liquid was lukewarm. Arriving in sweltering Rameswarm, you’d assume a seasoned tropical dweller like me didn’t feel the heat, but that wasn’t the case. Continue reading Ever had an oil bath?
My first sight of Buddha earlobes in South India
Photo courtesy: InSapphoWeTrust — Wikimedia Commons
When you’ve never seen a sight in your life before, it’s hard not to stare. That’s what a lot of people did to me when I first arrived in South India so well, it was okay for me to ogle too when I spotted the first woman I’d ever seen with Buddha earlobes. Continue reading My first sight of Buddha earlobes in South India
South Indian masala dosa
I’ve tried making masala dosa but they always turned out the soggiest, floppiest hunk of cooked rice flour you’d ever manage to drop straight into the bin. So naturally, I’m on the look out for a good South Indian restaurant Continue reading South Indian masala dosa
The magic of South Indian rasam
Photo courtesy: Rameshng — Wikimedia Commons
Whenever I felt “something” coming on, that tummy rumble or slight fever, I nipped into a Rameswaram restaurant and ordered a stainless steel cup of resam. Continue reading The magic of South Indian rasam
Rameswaram Sadhus
Photo courtesy: Claude Renault — Wikimedia Commons
Rameswaram offered sadus a livelihood, not that their needs were great. Continue reading Rameswaram Sadhus