Kitchen Sink Drama - Part Three I have finally got round to concluding the tale of my stay with an Indian family, back in December…. I had been made very welcome in Ramesh and Seema's home and enjoyed getting to know the family. However, there had been some awkward moments, culminating in Ramesh and his friend Manech announcing that they were both in "open relationships". I am still unsure whether they meant it in the way it would be understood in B...

Somewhere for the weekend Ever fancied spending the weekend in a Golden Temple? Well, in the city of Amritsar you can - no matter your religion, race, nationality or class the Golden Temple offers food and lodgings to all. Last weekend, I escaped Delhi and took the six-hour train to Amritsar in the Punjab, home to the Sikh people's holiest shrine - the golden temple. It was built to house the book written by the 4th of ten Sikh prophets or Gurus, with the instr...

Check out the monster key! This, folks, is the key to my new pad! They must have seen me coming a mile off and decided I needed a key that was impossible to lose! It's like something out of a fairy-tale; I feel I should be able to unlock treasure chests or secret gardens with it, rather than a plain old flat in a Delhi suburb! Yes, I have found a room to rent for the next three months or so. It's in a great location, not far from where I was staying with Emily...

Kitchen Sink Drama - Part TwoAfter arranging to spend a week living with Ramesh, Seema and Anil, I turned up with my bags, and as before, Ramesh collected me from the nearby restaurant. This time he is without the henna, but is sporting a three-o'clock shadow that I notice with surprise, is flecked with grey. It makes him look older than his 34 years. Performing the usual Indian miracles with space and balance, we manage to accommodate my three bags and me on the...

I got a phone-call from my Mum and she told me that my grandpa has died. I decide that, for the wonderful man who once drove hundreds of miles to the Isle of Mull to rescue his horribly homesick grand-daughter, I want to make the journey home to say my goodbye properly. I fly back to the UK on Sunday. It will be a flying visit though, so I apologise in advance to all of you who I sadly won't get to see. And I wish you all a very happy 2009.