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.

Art in the Winelands

Six years ago Laurence Graff (of diamond jewelry fame) bought a wine estate called Delaire under the shadow of Botmanskop atop the Helshoogte Pass in Stellenbosch, Cape Town. He commissioned the experts -- British interiors guru David Collins, local landscape genius Keith Kirsten -- to create a wonderfully modern restaurant with clever nods to Africa that's packed to the rafters with a magnificent art collection including works by William Kentridge, Deborah Bell and Dylan Lewis. Chef Christiaan Campbell is responsible for a solid menu and winemaker Morne Vrey has every new toy at his fingertips to make sure that the Delaire Graff Estate wines are eventually able to compete with its neighbors -- Meerlust, Ernie Els, Rust en Vrede.

Recession-Inspired Photography

Tomorrow, when the Metropolitan Museum of Art opens Robert Frank's "The Americans," New Yorkers will be able to see these iconic photographs exhibited for the first time ever and at a time that resonates with the past. Frank traveled around the United States with the support of a Guggenheim Foundation grant and presented his book, The Americans in 1959. It coincided with the start of the Cold War and was initially reviled by the press for being "Anti-American." Ten years later, once the world has caught up with Frank's prescient vision, they hailed it as revolutionary. The exhibition also shows Frank's early work, a self-assessment of what he considers his best work called "Black, White and Things," and a short silent film showing Frank assessing his work made especially for this show. Also of immense interest are the six books that represent the tradition that The Americans came out of: The English at Home by Bill Brandt, American Photographs by Walker Evans, Ballet: 104 photos by Alexey Brodovitch, Day of Paris by Andre Kertesz, Fabrik: Ein Bildeposder Technik by Jakob Tuggener, and 50 Photographien by Gotthard Schun. The most endearing element is Mary's Book a book of photographs that he made for his wife prior to their marriage. It is signed "Le Petit Prince" following this note:
Mary,
It is not much, but I promised you a little story. Maybe this is not a story. "Only the essential is invisible to the eyes, one only sees well with the heart."
You remember.
We're lucky to finally be able to view Frank's work outside of the book. Frank, the Met's curators say, resented the success that the book brought him and refused to allow its fame subsume the new work that he had moved on to. But he has blessed this exhibition. Don't miss it.