Pictures - The 'Cochin Island Experience' to New Delhi

This was the British Indian I met while still with Yael.

Yael sulking behind a wall.

Courtyard restaurant.

Indian cigerettes.

For some reason, the cutlery in Courtyard restaurant is from BA made by Wedgewood???????

In the dorm, I started to have a good clearout, having decided to go back and do the business idea. These cassettes were mostly made as audio diaries around 95/96. I'd carried them all around since leaving England, thinking I would listen to each one and summerise them on the webpage. But in the end, I hated doing it and just destroyed them.

I remember sitting in a fast food restaurant back in Istanbul listening to one. I had made it ten years previously and was saying that it's strange, knowing that as I sit and make the tape, I am talking to my future self, and said hello to me.

Next, I ripped up all the mind maps from previous writing

This is a piece of artwork I did to symbolise the objectives in the magic I did in Cochin two years previously. I carried it all the way to England, then all the way back again.

Cafe de Net, where I got thrown out for downloading a virus (accidentally).

Breakfast at Salt & Pepper.

Night out at S&P with Nikki and Anders.

Next day, we went to Vypeen Island. This is fish being cruely treated near the Chinese fishing nets.

At the beach.

At night, Simon's friends turned up. About ten of us went out, then Nikki and I split off to see this Indian concert... for about five minutes because it was total drone.

This was the famous, 'Mad Easter'. So significant for me, as it may even have played a part in the decision to alter my lifecourse. The guy is Simon.

Simon decided to cut his hair.

This headline, about the Cheif Minister of New Dehli, Shelia Dickshit, caused immense hilarity. I noticed about a month later, they started spelling it Dixit.

Advert of the Tourist Board.

Anders and Simon left together and wrote their addresses. I'm standing behind Renee, who had just arrived.

William Hicks, left; Ed Foster, centre; Binnie (Alisdair Blackwell), right.

Will & Binnie leaving. As usual, Will's in charge, Binnie looks lost.

The Italian in the dorm who was left. He only stayed a couple of days; very generous man. I bumped into him two months later in Delhi. He's going home via Iran.

Hindi film posters in MG Road, Ernakulam.

The famous rooftop.

The weird Ayurveda room in the dorm.

You can just see a bit of Leeander at the shop.

Unfinished painting, actually conceived in Panaji.

St. Francis Church, Cochin. The plaque commerates a visit from the British queen.

Dirty sink on the patio, photographed for a new idea I have.

Manual water pump (actually functioning) in Kashi Art Cafe.

Spider's web, just above it.

Unfinished painting, based on one of Junko's letters.

Old school pic of me, damaged while traveling.

Same sink, later in the day.

On the patio, I decided to carry on clearing out all the things I didn't need, so I could feel I was getting on with it, and getting out.

This is a letter I wrote to Junko on my birthday last in London, but never sent.

Funny thing is, my last birthday, the one after it, I was also in Colva and wrote a letter I never sent to her.

My Eurolines ticket.

New years day restaurant bill, the day after I told M&A I would return after ten years. Ironically, I was in Cochin.

European tube ticket.

Receipt from the post office in Vienna, for when I sent Junko the photo album.

Junk mail mar gave me.

Receipt for Junko's gift.

One of the few things I didn't throw away. Junko and I got together on November 5th. I don't recall the year, but on that day I was up in Dharamsala, so I went to the Dalai Lama's temple, and bought this Dhammapada, then I went to a lake and found this feather, then I went to church and read Junko's post. I later found out A lost the original, but Junko told me that she looks at the stars on my birthday.

Bayswater magic of last year. It's still working.

Cochin magic.

Picture bought in Singapore, a very long time ago.

From Junko's card.

Various junk.

Bayswater magic, last year.

Can you believe this. I found this sealed envelope in the box in England. It was from a piece of magic I did about 1990, before I'd even decided to travel. I couldn't recall it. When I opened it, it was a piece of natural magic, trying to obtain an independent place for me to live.

The dates Junko and I did things are written on this card, also not thrown away.

A lemon in art cafe.

The seat in St. Frances Church, yes... I know that's boring... but I took these pictures for a different project I had in mind.

Fishermen on the way to Ernakulam.

Lovely pasta and soup dinner in Art Cafe.

Kashi Art Cafe.

TV, and batteries with a strange name, in Ernakulam hotel.

Rubbish outside Colma Beach Resort, Colva.

Inside Colma Beach Resort room.

Goodman's restaurant, Colva.

In Colma, playing with the camera's preset metering modes, to see what each one does.

At Margao bus station.

Asian metal toilet on the train to Delhi.

Finally back at Metropolis restaurant, Paharganj, New Delhi.

I drempt about coming back here for two years; I thought it was the best place in the world. When I got here, it's all changed, the foods no good, drinks warm, ice-tea from a can etc. I could have cried.

The moon, from Anoop restaurant rooftop.

Sacred Heart Cathedral, New Delhi. I vowed to come back, took its photograph on the day I left. Framed it and looked at it every day in Anne's house...

... and made it back as promised.

Yep, it's hot.

View from the back of Prince Palace.

The Following are selected pictures of the above which I touched up a little, sometimes improving them, sometimes not.