The V.VIP Room

You'll know you've made it when you bypass the VIP Room and enter the V.VIP Room at the airport in Varanasi. We can only imagine the guest list: Maharajas, Bollywood stars and Graydon Carter.




Photograph: Paul Nathan

Mahatma's Message, Alive and Well

I saw this sign on the side of the road in Jaipur, Rajasthan. India is a long way from the vision that Mahatma Gandhi had for the country after independence in 1947 and sadly never saw through due to his assassination one year later. Sadly these days his message is used for commercial purposes, but hey it is still a reminder for some of us...

Photograph: Nadine Rubin

The World's Most Beautiful Wash Line

Diana Vreeland once said, "Pink is the navy blue of India." Well, orange, red, green, turquoise are the sand, stone, beige, brown. Here, 6 meters of saris are laid out to dry on the ghats along the Ganges in Varanasi.

Photograph: Nadine Rubin

Following Buddha's Footsteps

After attaining enlightenment at Bodh Gaya the Buddha travelled to Sarnath to preach his first discourse in the deer park. His discourse is said to have set in motion the 'Wheel of the Dharma'. Visit peaceful Sarnath when you visit Varanasi. The site is about 20 minutes away and it offers a wonderful reprieve from the madness of Varanasi.

Photograph: Nadine Rubin

Ethiopian Airlines -- not as bad as they say!

We missed our Qatar Airlines flight to New Delhi to start our honeymoon last night. So we scrambled to find the quickest way to get to New Delhi from Johannesburg to catch our overnight train to Varanasi. Unfortunately Qatar couldn't help us until 6 days later, but Ethiopian Airlines could get us there in 16 hours. But who knew that Ethiopia had an airline? So I Googled "Reviews of Ethiopian Airlines" and found horribly obnoxious notes from previous passengers complaining about seats not reclining, food being served cold and one rather alarming tale of an engine that caught fire. Still, my fiance insisted we go. I am writing this from the Cloud Nine Lounge at Addis Ababa airport having recently taken my first Ethiopian Airlines flight. I am saddened by the reviews I found online last night. We had a fantastic flight on an aging but still with it Boeing 737. The staff were super friendly, the food was delicious (a wonderful bonus) and the trip was without incident. And actually, when you look them up, Ethiopian Airlines is rated three stars in the same category as most American airlines. I might even give it four...well, if the Addis Ababa to Delhi leg measures up.

Jo'Burg Art Tour

No trip to my birth city would be complete without a stop in at the following galleries:

1. The Goodman Gallery
2. ArtSpace
3. Maker
4. Circa
5. Everard Read
6. Gallery Momo
7. What if the World
8. The Johannesburg Art Gallery (JAG)
9. Museum Afrika
10. And the all new, all fabulous Arts on Main where William Kentridge, Mikhael Subotzky and David Krut have all taken up spaces.

For more good news on the much maligned Jo'burg (or Jozi as we affectionately call her), pick up a copy of Chic Jozi by Nikki Temkin at Exclusive Books.

Soccer's Arty Side

To commemorate the World Cup Soccer in 2010 in South Africa, local artists including Marlene Dumas and William Kentridge have agreed to design commemorative posters available in editions of 2010. Prices start at R2000 and top at R5000 for Kentridge. You'll find them at David Krut Publishing on Jan Smuts Avenue in Johannesburg.