Mumbai arrival

Hawker, damp day at Gateway to India

Just over two weeks ago we arrived and started work in the Mumbai suburb of Goregaon. It's been predictably hectic but the essential practicalities are working themselves out pretty well.

The weather has been abysmal for photography but fantastic for sleeping with no air conditioning.

It took until the most recent weekend to get into Mumbai proper and first impressions were positive. The grey cotton wool skies that go with cool weather didn't make for great photographs, but things will undoubtedly brighted up.

Edinburgh extended stay

A quick week stop off has stretched out further as the work visas are taking longer than anticipated to get processed. No problem, time for more pictures, more oatcakes and more baked tatties and lots of time at the visa processing centre.

Vermin


There's a Spanish tourism promotion this week and appropriately themed buskers.


There are more traditional Scottish buskers


and traditional buskers with twists.

Otherwise I've been out and about getting arty-farty with the new lens.







Fingers crossed for the next pictures coming from India.

Edinburgh

Back in the old stamping grounds after four years in South East Asia. It's been a whirlwind of panic, frustration and tangled rules and regulations as we attempt to get travel, visas and banking all sorted out while still leaving some time to catch up and catch breath.

I've rediscovered how few people are out and about before 6am and still being on a Vietnamese waking schedule have found it a good time to get out and take some pictures. There's no doubt Edinburgh is a striking city.

Clouds

Palings

Lums

Lamposts

Castle

Cobbles and a rare personal appearance.

Farewell Vietnam

School Logo
Originally uploaded by amasc

Time to move on, a brief time in Edinburgh picking up the new work visa then off to Mumbai. I have mixed feelings of regret and excitement but onwards and eastward, it's all part of the extended adventure. It's been good, we've made some fantastic friends and wonderful memories. We'll be back.

I thought of doing a montage of favoured images but I've posted them here already so by way of farewell here's a very occassional image from my workplace.

The last day at school, Students from the youngest to the oldest classes painted this during Creative Arts Week and assembled it during the last morning. No spelling mistakes either!

See you in India.

Anywhere in the world by DHL...

...anywhere else by bus.

Pastures New and Old Stamping Grounds

By July we'll be off taking the same kinds of pictures in a different kind of place and I'm already getting a bit nostalgic and taking pictures of things I see on a regular basis but have stopped really registering.
Hence, The Post Office, The Virgin at Notre Dame, Uncle Ho and a coffee shop;

I still think this is one of the loveliest Post Offices I've been to and the service is great and charges are excellent value for money despite the recent hikes in cost.



This is the famous "crying Madonna" who caused a huge fuss just before I came to Vietnam. She wasn't crying today and hasn't for four years I've been here but the real novelty in this picture is the blue sky which made such a change from the horrible grey candyfloss that has been passing for sky recently.



Now, what I wanted here was a picture of Uncle Ho's statue in front of the Hotel de Ville with the Vietnamese flag snapping away in the breeze. This was one of the grey sky days hence the ridiculously cropped closeup.



Vietnam has adopted the fancy coffee culture with arms open wide. A fancy coffee has at least four components to its name in my rule book. This was an expresso freeze with cream so clearly not as fancy as some. Very good though and the first time I've been back since their rebuild, I noticed that they're hosting live music now, Regina Coffee, Nguyen Du St.

I didn't realise just how many puns I got into the title of this blog until I re-read it, I'm quite proud of myself if a little ashamed.

Hoi An break

We were off to Hoi An for a few days during the recent break. We'd toyed with ideas of setting off somewhere abroad but work and other commitments wouldn't let us do it and I'm glad of it. A relaxing time with good food and friendly people and a break from the city was just perfect. I also spent some time with the models of Hoi An who will happily either sell you fruit or pose for you for a very modest fee.

Cheers Etienne.

Cambodia trip

At this time of year I am usually to be found leading a school trip to Nha Trang. I had a change of scenery this year and led a trip to Cambodia instead.

Angkor Wat is still there.



Spiders are still considered delicious snacks.



The monkeys of Angkor still swim when they get the opportunity.



And you still have to watch out for your ice cream.

Dress Up Day

It's the annual book week and students dress as their favourite characters or books, so do teachers.



It can make teaching a bit distracting.



Not a normal school day.

Old Advertising, Saigon

On Tran Hung Dao one hotel has been knocked down to be replaced with another one. In the process old wall advertisements have been revealed for the first time in who knows how many decades. I like the juxtaposition of the old adverts with the new and that there are no power lines getting in the way.