Former British Prime Minister Adam Lang wants to publish his memoirs. After the dubious murder of his ghostwriter, his successor researches more closely than required and makes a discovery that could lead to global political chaos. Was the Prime Minister actually in the employ of the CIA? No one has ruled Britain for as long as Prime Minister Adam Lang. Now he is...
I find myself between worlds. With one foot still in the cool sand on the beach in Calangute, with the other at home. And so I'm back where I started. The circle has closed. A kind of homecoming. A long-known finding: As soon as you return to a familiar place, no matter how negative the memory,...
Breakfast at seven? Rather impossible... I have reserved a room in the best hotel and have to ask when the man at the reception tells me the price. 450 rupees for a good room with fan and TV and a clean bathroom with hot water. Almost outrageously cheap. I feel a bit like a colonialist. Then …
On the bus from Hosped to Hampi, a few fellow sufferers from the night bus are sitting next to me, three pretty girls from Poland. It's always amazing how small the world is and how quickly you can make friends with complete strangers. These facts turn out to be a universal solution to any kind of xenophobia. You recognize yourself...
I'm up early, can't wait to leave Ooty. An English woman from yesterday's trek joins me. We board the bus together, an uninspiring piece of construction on four wheels to say the least. But it's better than feared. I am not looking back to Ooty, forward is the motto. On …
The fears have been confirmed. There is a strike - so there will definitely be no bus to Mysore today. The reason is not entirely clear but it seems to be a local Tamil Nadu issue. Is it just the bus drivers or is it possibly even a general strike? The grumpy gentleman at the ticket corner twists his round peach face and mumbles...
I say goodbye to my hotel, I really liked it here. The TukTuk stops in front of the post office (“no problem, I wait and look for your luggage; I’m your friend”). Calming. The last time the ferry. A man in front of me coughs, I guess TB. Poor guy. A few boys are sitting next to me and looking at...
I didn't know that old Cochin (now called Kochi) held so many unexpected experiences and insights. And above all, I was completely unaware that this former trading city was a refuge for Jews from all over the world. Almost 2000 of them settled in its historic center in the middle of the last century. Today there are only a few left. …
A wide road closed to traffic runs around the temple area. It's a relief to be able to move easily without running the risk of being knocked over at any moment. It's quiet, less noisy, less rushed, you can walk down the street in slow, leisurely steps, sometimes stopping here, sometimes there. Since I'm a donkey...
Normally there is no breakfast in Indian hotels, and seeing what the locals cram into themselves, it's probably for the best. I am led to a small, rather dark room, numerous shadowy figures are sitting at their tables and nothing can be heard apart from violent smacking. Well, as long as I don't...
Sometimes it's good to see a tourist, it gives the impression of having found allies, of not being alone in this country overflowing with people. And sometimes you get the strange feeling of being a Kafkaesque prisoner and not being able to get away, in a place that is strange and loud and smelly and...
I'm up early and notice with slight regret that my pet cockroach didn't survive the night. She has fallen victim to a sneaky attack by tiny killer ants. That's life - wild and mostly deadly. I eat breakfast in “my” restaurant before heading towards…
Strangely enough, there is a direct train connection between Kanyakumari and Trivandrum. Either I misunderstood something or, what is more likely, I once again fell for one of these amiable but often ruinous false statements. For many Indians, the fear of making a mistake and losing face is greater than...
Darkness over the world, I arrived in Trivandrum, earlier than expected, still very heavy and sleepy. Indian trains are always good for a surprise. This is the final stop on the journey south, at least as far as the journey by train is concerned. From here there are only buses. And so I stand with...
Are there still hippies from the 60s? When I hear the word Goa, long-haired figures in colorful clothes immediately appear in my mind's eye, hippies, then as now the synonym for alternative lifestyles, for dropouts, for drugs, and psychedelic music. I met them on the way to India, most of them on the...
It takes me a while to realize why the beach looks so familiar. Of course – Jason Bourne Supremacy. The famous early morning scene when Matt Damon aka Jason Bourne runs along the beach (see Bourne Supremacy - Running Scene). Just minutes before he discovers the Russian killer and calls it a day...
Why is morning a different color in India? It is greener, browner, redder than ours. The sleepy view from the train window opens up another world. Somewhere in the distance a blue and white glitter. The sea. In between there are meadows in all colors of green and yellow. Then scorched ground again, as if a flamethrower had been thrown over it. …
At some point we break through the thick cloud cover and the sun shines for the first time. It stays that way all the way to the Middle East, where the clouds disperse and reveal a desolate desert with strange circular shadows. I can't explain what it is, but it looks nice. The full moon promises...