WRITER ON THE ROAD - India 2008

Hello from India!

I have just started a 3 month assignment in India which is very exciting. Over the next 3 months I plan to try and add some Indian spice to my works. We will see how that turns out.

I'm situated in Delhi (the capital) but I should get the opportunity to see quite a bit of the country. At the moment I am just trying to remember all the details that make another country different, for example there is dust every where and a kind of permanent grey haze (think Blade Runner) over the city. At night the haze turns into an eerie fog which make all the cars look like they are traveling under water (I have moved on to The Abyss) .

The traffic is mad. There are no rules and the horn is used more as an echo sounder than an instrument of anger. In fact all the drivers are remarkably relaxed given the chaos.

Another interesting thing - when you order a beer in a bar, the waiter will bring the bottle over and wait for you to feel that it is cold enough before they will pour it. This can lead to some awkward moments for the newcomer as you sit there looking at the beer bottle and wondering why he is showing it to you. "yes a very good year but do you have it in an 08?"

It would be great to work some of this stuff into a story.