“We’ll keep the boat here until the south-west monsoon breaks, then head over to Malaysia sometime around October,” said Jamie and I when, in May 2010, we tied up at Kochi International Marina. Continue reading »
May 012013
Dec 212012
A rare easterly blowing through Cochin this morning has freshened things, brightening colours and tempering Kerala’s humidity. It has lured me from the air-conditioned saloon up into our boat’s cockpit. The breeze brings with it snatches of a lone voice chanting a Malayalam Christmas prayer across the water.
Continue reading »
Dec 192012
Dylan Martorell sets up his installation. Image courtesy Dylan Martorell and Asialink
Dylan Martorell’s installation is in a small, dark room. Hanging from the ceiling are colourful objects, the kinds of everyday bits and pieces you see all over India: copper pots, empty bottles, plastic bags, temple dishes. Thin electric cables and fairy lights are woven between them. A hand written note by the door says: “Take off your shoes, go in and touch the objects. Only four people at a time.” So I went into the makeshift grotto and patted a hanging bottle; it played a musical note. I tapped a pot next to it and a peel of bells rang out. Then I was off, touching everything I could reach, composing my own symphony as I went. A group gathered round the small entrance, as interested in me as the exhibit.
Dec 162012
Wine is expensive in Kerala, the bottles often tucked away on the dusty back shelves of shops and seen only in tourist places.
Oct 292012
Nazar 72 and Millie-the-cat
I am thrilled to announce that my story, Nazar 72, has been published in Foreign Encounters, the third travel anthology from Writers Abroad.
May 302012
It just goes to show that a little persistence can (sort of) pay off. I’ve been bombarding the poor old Guardian for months with tips, opinions and comments. I’ve managed to get a few pieces in Saturday’s newspaper (but none of them has made it to ‘tip of the week’ and netted me that elusive camera … yet). I was lucky enough to have two of my longer essays spotlighted in “Readers’ blogs”. This week I’m stoked to say they chose my piece for their on-line introduction to Kochi (name credit an’all). Here it is, fresh from the Guardian website: Continue reading »
May 242012
Cochin (as its inhabitants prefer to call it) is a collection of islands and peninsulars jammed along the shores of tranquil Vembanad Lake and the Arabian Sea. Each district has a distinct personality, from the colonial trading post of Fort Cochin and concrete towers of Ernakulam, to the sandy beaches of Vypeen Island. A multicultural bubbling hotpot of humanity, Cochin has a place for everyone. Put on your walking boots and jump on the ferry for a flavour of Kerala’s biggest city. Continue reading »
Dec 202011
For those who don’t already know my story, I live on a boat with my partner Jamie, and our cat Millie. During the past six years we have tended to move around, never staying in one place for longer than a few months. Until we arrived in India a year and a half ago and tied up on an island in the busy port of Kochi, opposite the commercial district of Ernakulam. Cochin – as most people who live here prefer to call it – is home to the only marina in India, so for reasons of security, safety and convenience the yacht has not budged. There have been a couple of trips back home to Blighty, and we have had lots of adventures around the Indian mainland, but we have learned to call Bolgatty Island home. Continue reading »