The Subcontinent

Tsunami – Interview With a Survivor

On the 26th December 2004, at around 9am, the coastlines of Sumatra, Thailand, The Nicobar and Andaman Islands, The Maldives and Sri Lanka were all hit by a massive Tsunami that had originated just off the coast of Indonesia. In Sri Lanka, beachside properties were pulverised and over 30,000 people lost their lives. A further…

Pakistan: Ghosts

It seemed to weigh heavily on him, this bespectacled middle-aged man opposite me. Alternately hunching his shoulders when lapsing into deep thought, and then rising up again when making a vital point, he would continue to talk, at times lowering his voice to a whisper, conscious not to allow his voice to reach the surrounds…

India and Pakistan: An afternoon at the circus

Cross late in the afternoon from Pakistan into India through the Wagah border point, complete immigration and customs formalities, walk a further couple of hundred metres down the road and you’ll find crowds of people, predominantly Indians, assembled outside a large closed gate. They are not touts awaiting tourists leaving Pakistan; you’ll find them a…

72 Hours in India

I found a friendly, but basic guesthouse near the Taj Mahal. I only planned to stay one day there, but it wound up turning into nearly a week. The admission price to the Taj was extremely steep – a whopping 750 rupees. I debated whether or not to go, but then decided you can’t go…