Monday 4 January 2010

New year, new blog

So it's the start of the new year and I've been in India for one year and three weeks now. A lot has happened in that year: I've made two new cities my home (Mumbai and Delhi), I've met copious numbers of new people, I've made new friends, rekindled old friendships. I've hung out with Tibetan fortune tellers, Danish philosophers, crazy old wandering sadhus, rapacious bankers looking to get a BRICs foothold, literati glitterati at the literature festival, British High Commission types, kind-hearted, warm-smiled philanthopic tailors, professional Expat Wives, and family. I've freelanced for great publications - among them, Monocle and CNN Traveller - interviewed a couple of big names, finally settled on a book conceit and, thrillingly, have actually committed to it and started writing it .


After years of staring hopefully at atlases and maps and planning routes, I've actually ticked off a heap of travel destinations from my list: Darjeeling, Himachal Pradesh, Pushkar, Kerala, Matheran, Mysore, Tamil Nadu jungle, and others. I've developed a deep love for the mountains and outdoor pursuits - in fact, my proximity to the Himalayas might just keep me in Delhi for longer than initially thought. I've stayed at some remarkably wonderful hotels: Mumbai's Four Seasons, Matheran's Verandah in the Forest, Cochin's Malabar House and Shimla's Clarkes. (And that, precisely, is why I don't have a mortgage.)


I think the new year is a suitably fitting time to give this blog a makeover. For various reasons I have decided to switch over to a new blog - actually the main reason is because I no longer live in Mumbai and Desiderata is, confusingly, monikered as such. Plus, I seem to be getting a lot of spam.


I'm working on a new one and in coming days will be starting the arduous task of shifting all this content over. Thanks in advance, Gora.


Also a massive thanks to my favourite blogger, Liberty London Girl, for the brilliant plug. One of my resolutions is certainly to blog more regularly.


I already have a killer post in the works about my massage yesterday at an establishment I'm pretty sure is a cover for something less innocent than an Asian spa. Stay tuned.


5 comments:

Ramit Grover said...

Happy New year! I hope you update the other blog more regularly than this one. Good luck!

desiderata said...

Thanks Ramit - I am a bad, lazy blogger but aim to turn that round!

Liberty London Girl said...

My pleasure! LLGxx

Top bird said...

Happy New Year, just read the lovely plug by LLG! xx

Anonymous said...

That's quite a lot for one year and three weeks!

Looking forward to the new blog..

Cheers,

Quirky Indian