Mumbai

Hi Bloggers,

It's sad to be following the events in Mumbai. I actually went there about three years ago and must say it's my favourite big city in India. This is the second time Mumbai's been hit, as there were the train bombings a couple of years ago, if you remember. I wish I could say something constructive, but that's pretty difficult with this Islamic terrorism. How can anyone believe that killing innocent people is God's will? What kind of God do they worship? Certainly not one worth worshipping in my book! Do they really believe they will go to Heaven with all that blood on their hands?

Anyway, I've put a couple of my own pics of Mumbai, for all they're worth. Walking around Mumbai is a bit like being in a London mark II. There are so many old colonial buildings there, and in great shape too, which strongly contrasts with Calcutta, where everything is completely dilapidated and in a total state of disrepair. In fact, I've never seen such ubiquitous poverty as I did in Calcutta. I think everyone should go there once in their life if only for educational purposes. You'll never complain about your lot again!

But, getting back to Mumbai, the city has a terrific buzz to it, being not only the commercial hub for India, but also having Bollywood based there. And, of course, there's all the usual markets and colour you'd expect in India, plus the bay, Chowpatty Beach and the Maidan with its never ending cricket. It's also got Asia's largest slum, Dharavi (see link on side bar for pics)!

Anyway, let's hope they can sort it out in Mumbai and that the city will recover despite this tragic, needless and pointless loss of life.

Rob

PAD Thai

Hi Bloggers,

So the farce continues! The PAD are starting to show their true credentials now. They've taken over Bangkok airport, disrupting all departures, thereby threatening further the already diminished tourist trade. Is this good for Thailand?

Surely this alone makes you wonder whether they really have the welfare of Thailand at heart or just care about seizing power, by hook or by crook. Attacking the airport is certainly a most bizarre choice. They've probably chosen it because it was one of Thaksin's pet projects, indeed one of his most successful.

The truth of the matter is that they are just plain bad losers. Their party lost a perfectly fair democratic election. Rather than face this and try to win the bulk of the population over through creative campaigning, they have resorted to bully boy methods. This has been possible largely due to the fact that most PPP supporters are based outside Bangkok. What would happen if the PPP set up similar demonstrations? We would have complete chaos with street fighting and, who knows, even the possibility of civil war!

Remember also that the kind of democracy the PAD want is one of representation for the various "interests" in the country. They would do away with the "one man one vote" system, making sure that the rural poor play a much lesser role in elections and political life in general. How democratic is this?

I've put a picture of a plate of Pad Thai for this blog, as I feel it's a highly appropriate symbol for the PAD. While Pad Thai is a tasty staple Thai dish, it's definitely considered slightly downmarket and rather messy - greasy too, in my opinion. I must admit I hardly ever order it, preferring more exotic dishes like Tom Yam Kung or Thai Green Curry.

As far as the tourist situation is concerned, clearly the global economic crisis is effecting numbers. Technically it's high season, but most locals are saying that numbers are little better than in low season. Mind you, as an expat here, I'm not complaining too much about that!

The next few days should be genuinely interesting.

Beautiful weather at the moment, by the way.

Cheers,
Rob