Not Barcelona…
Let’s get out of Barcelona for a bit…I am scanning some old paper photos, and I came across this one, the Taj Hotel in Colaba, Mumbai, India, taken during a weekend spent there. Didn’t stay in there, as 5 stars hotels are out of my league, even in India.
Weekend in Mumbai??? We were living 1400 km away, in New Delhi.
The hotel has hosted notable guests such as The Beatles, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Bill Clinton, Jacques Chirac, The King & Queen of Norway, The Duke & Duchess of Kent, The Duke of Edinburgh, The Prince of Wales, Roger Moore, Joan Collins, Mick Jagger, Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt, Deep Purple, Michael Palin, Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama; Oprah Winfrey as well as professional cricket teams on tour.
We stayed at the local YMCA.
Just next to it is the famous Gateway of India, undergoing restoration a few years back.
This was 4 months before the terrorist attack on this hotel and other places. Leopold’s cafe, my favorite hang out in Mumbai, was attacked as well.
YMCA
No, not Barcelona today. This is the seamstress’s classroom at the YMCA in Andheri, a suburb of Bombay/Mumbai. Or how to learn a job when you’re a young indian girl, and get off the street. No matter what religion you are.
I was reading on the BBC website the other day that Mumbai has more child prostitutes than Bangkok. Scary.
Photo taken with an old phone.
Neighbours
No, this isn’t some soap from Down Under! No Kylie Minogue!
We travelled quite extensively, and these are pictures from our last known abode before we moved to Barcelona, 17 months ago.
Faridabad, state of Haryana, India. Near New Delhi. These were our neighbours from hell. About 40 of them. And believe me, we lived in a quite posh area (hi Leif).
All the balconies were caged, as you wouldn’t want one (or 40) of these neighbours inside your house! They can injure you severely, or probably even kill you. One trick: do not stare at them, as it makes them absolutely furious.
Barcelona Daily Photo 