The not-so-secret diary

It's always amusing how the English language gets localised in various parts of the world. Over the years I've seen the Indian version, or specifically the north Indian 'Hinglish' version. On my trip to Thailand and Cambodia there was a South east Asian angle to shop names, slogans and signs. First the well-meaning but slightly cheesy ones. This was a home furnishings shop at Paseo mall, not far from Suvarnabhumi airport in Bangkok. If you are concerned about your health, fruit always helps. The first cart below has some 'fruit for healthy'. In Cambodia, wandering down the temples of Angkor Wat, the signs often forewarned us of an impending activity:   And in some places they told us how to visit: To cater to Japanese tourists, restaurants in Siem Reap tell them who's the boss: But this is what we loved the most- rumoured to be one of the oldest pubs in the Old Market area of Siem Reap city. Have not been able to confirm, but ...

Over the last few days, my travels in Cambodia and Thailand revealed how much the London Underground is loved. In Siem Reap , Cambodia I spotted a map titled 'Angkorground' showing the location of the ancient temples along with Siem Reap' s International airport and the city centre. The poor picture quality is completely my fault as I was worried the saleslady would protest at me being camera-trigger happy around her shop. This along with other interesting maps, t-shirts, bags and mugs with witty one-liners are for sale at a shop on Alley West (near the Old Market) in Siem Reap's town centre . Yesterday I was back in Bangkok to catch my flight to London. With several hours to spare, we hit a local shopping area near Suvarnabhumi Airport (Lat Krabang). I spotted this pink shirt at the evening bazaar outside Paseo Mall. Indeed, why not visit London!                      ...

A recent pub lunch in Cambridgeshire was memorable. Seated in their conservatory area, we ordered the traditional English breakfast. We had just about settled in with teas, coffees and water. For my order, the sausages and bacon were replaced by more tomatoes and mushrooms. Around that time, we noticed a visitor. Kind of blended into the scene. It stayed there a while, happily sunning itself on the window ledge. Clearly a favourite spot.  Thus it transpires that, despite my best efforts, I have added three pictures to the zillion-strong World Wide Web 'Cat photo library'.

During a recent long weekend I visit my friends H and B in Cambridge. It was my third time in the city and I found it as charming as ever. We saw a few hours of sunshine followed by a downpour. In those few  hours, I managed to enjoy some nice walks around the colleges and joined punting group on the River Cam. The green grass grew all around and the trees stood waving gently in the wind. These beautiful red and yellow flowers bloomed along the pathway. We saw visitors enjoy punting on the River Cam and joined a group just before it started drizzling. We rounded a lovely day off with a fantastic afternoon tea at The Orchard tea garden in Grantchester, a small village just a few miles from Cambridge University. By the time we arrived the drizzle had turned into a deluge forcing us to find a table inside. In keeping with tradition we ordered the English Breakfast tea with scones that cannot be described as anything but perfect. Often I've had ones which are just a ...