Mumbai mixture

There's no theme to this post, just a collection of pictures taken recently. I've got over whingeing about grey skies and poor light and decided just to suck it up and take pictures anyway. No more excuses accepted, it's going to be like this for about half the year so I just need to adapt.

Repainting the Taj hotel tower, one little bit at a time.





Family outing Marine Drive, overexposed but I like how the family group are thrown into isolation against the mainly white background.

I was attracted by the vibrant orange, the only good thing about grey light is that bright colours are more eycatching.



This came out a bit softer than I hoped for and I'm quite shy about taking pictures of strangers so I didn't hang about to correct my mistakes. I like his face anyway and that there's a "big balloon" in the background.

Monsoon August

View over Aarey Milk Colony through the rain.



Mould resistant advertising



Wall foliage, colour saturation levels not fiddled about with, it really is this green.


The last day of August and the first hint of blue skies to come.

I admit, I was blase about monsoon. I'd been through four and half wet seasons in Saigon so it was clearly going to be more of the same. No. It's wetter; the rain is heavier and lasts longer, at least it does this this year. I'm not sure how this year relates to previous monsoon seasons. It's the levels of moisture in the air that's taken me by surprise though, everything is always slightly damp, and there are weird mildew like smells around the flat that I'm trying all sorts of things to cover up or clear. However, it's cool, the breeze is lovely and everything is green and sparkly so it's not all bad. I just want some more blue in the sky.

Mumbai August

The skies are still grey so the weather is still cool but there have been a few hopeful signs of blue from time to time.

I've been heading into Mumbai proper more often but usually without either a camera or a charged battery. The latter is infinitly more frustrating!

Lots of people suggested a trip to Mohammed Ali street for the Muslim food stalls during Ramadan. It's the first time I got overwhelmed by India but it was mostly fun. we went, I got lost, I got punched in the kidneys by a child, we found our way out, I didn't manage to eat a bloody thing. Next time maybe.

Mumbai arrival

Hawker, damp day at Gateway to India

Just over two weeks ago we arrived and started work in the Mumbai suburb of Goregaon. It's been predictably hectic but the essential practicalities are working themselves out pretty well.

The weather has been abysmal for photography but fantastic for sleeping with no air conditioning.

It took until the most recent weekend to get into Mumbai proper and first impressions were positive. The grey cotton wool skies that go with cool weather didn't make for great photographs, but things will undoubtedly brighted up.

Edinburgh extended stay

A quick week stop off has stretched out further as the work visas are taking longer than anticipated to get processed. No problem, time for more pictures, more oatcakes and more baked tatties and lots of time at the visa processing centre.

Vermin


There's a Spanish tourism promotion this week and appropriately themed buskers.


There are more traditional Scottish buskers


and traditional buskers with twists.

Otherwise I've been out and about getting arty-farty with the new lens.







Fingers crossed for the next pictures coming from India.

Edinburgh

Back in the old stamping grounds after four years in South East Asia. It's been a whirlwind of panic, frustration and tangled rules and regulations as we attempt to get travel, visas and banking all sorted out while still leaving some time to catch up and catch breath.

I've rediscovered how few people are out and about before 6am and still being on a Vietnamese waking schedule have found it a good time to get out and take some pictures. There's no doubt Edinburgh is a striking city.

Clouds

Palings

Lums

Lamposts

Castle

Cobbles and a rare personal appearance.

Farewell Vietnam

School Logo
Originally uploaded by amasc

Time to move on, a brief time in Edinburgh picking up the new work visa then off to Mumbai. I have mixed feelings of regret and excitement but onwards and eastward, it's all part of the extended adventure. It's been good, we've made some fantastic friends and wonderful memories. We'll be back.

I thought of doing a montage of favoured images but I've posted them here already so by way of farewell here's a very occassional image from my workplace.

The last day at school, Students from the youngest to the oldest classes painted this during Creative Arts Week and assembled it during the last morning. No spelling mistakes either!

See you in India.

Anywhere in the world by DHL...

...anywhere else by bus.

Pastures New and Old Stamping Grounds

By July we'll be off taking the same kinds of pictures in a different kind of place and I'm already getting a bit nostalgic and taking pictures of things I see on a regular basis but have stopped really registering.
Hence, The Post Office, The Virgin at Notre Dame, Uncle Ho and a coffee shop;

I still think this is one of the loveliest Post Offices I've been to and the service is great and charges are excellent value for money despite the recent hikes in cost.



This is the famous "crying Madonna" who caused a huge fuss just before I came to Vietnam. She wasn't crying today and hasn't for four years I've been here but the real novelty in this picture is the blue sky which made such a change from the horrible grey candyfloss that has been passing for sky recently.



Now, what I wanted here was a picture of Uncle Ho's statue in front of the Hotel de Ville with the Vietnamese flag snapping away in the breeze. This was one of the grey sky days hence the ridiculously cropped closeup.



Vietnam has adopted the fancy coffee culture with arms open wide. A fancy coffee has at least four components to its name in my rule book. This was an expresso freeze with cream so clearly not as fancy as some. Very good though and the first time I've been back since their rebuild, I noticed that they're hosting live music now, Regina Coffee, Nguyen Du St.

I didn't realise just how many puns I got into the title of this blog until I re-read it, I'm quite proud of myself if a little ashamed.

Hoi An break

We were off to Hoi An for a few days during the recent break. We'd toyed with ideas of setting off somewhere abroad but work and other commitments wouldn't let us do it and I'm glad of it. A relaxing time with good food and friendly people and a break from the city was just perfect. I also spent some time with the models of Hoi An who will happily either sell you fruit or pose for you for a very modest fee.

Cheers Etienne.