Having lived in South Africa, I am used to hawkers and beggars. In SA, I developed my own way of addressing them – some of which I learned from the wise guidance of Orlene Bar Chaim. I learned to connect, and not buy; and I would give food, instead of money. One day, I gave... Learn More

I have never thought of myself as being 'strange' … 'weird,' yes … 'strange,' no. In my family, weird was an appellation to be cherished, signifying uniqueness, out of the norm. It was a 'good' thing to be weird. In India, with Bill's white hair and pinky-white skin, and with my red-blond hair and green... Learn More

The day we arrived at the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel in Mumbai marked exactly one year since ten separate bombings took place in several parts of Mumbai, including the hotel - killing almost 200 people and wounding over 300. That explained the many police cars and militia surrounding the hotel when we arrived, as well as the airport-like... Learn More

Malabar Hill – the ritzy section of Mumbai (formerly Bombay):  we were driving down the hill, when the driver mentioned the Parsi Tower of Silence, which we could barely see through the dense trees. It is a round building, situated high on a hill, not far from the posh residential section. It is called the Tower... Learn More

It took about an hour and a half to get from the airport to our hotel – and another several hours to let the foreign images settle into a new, more encompassing view of the world. It has been an eye-opener to see how naturally Mumbai embraces extreme polarities. It is the largest city in... Learn More

Setting – In transit from Houston, TX to Mumbai (formerly Bombay), India – during a 12-hour layover in London's Heathrow Airport.  Players – Bill Boothe: BFF (best friends forever) for over 30 years, architect/land planner extraordinaire, instigator of this India trip, currently living in Phoenix, AZ, USA; Simon Allen:  partner in Lumina Consulting, who I... Learn More