When someone asks me what is my favourite country in the world, my reply comes in a beat. China. Eyes widen, eyebrows raise in surprise. Why would I love a place that plays ‘sly games’ with India? A place which cripples you completely if you don’t know Mandarin? And, of course, a place where people...

Like all serious travellers and photographers, I too have a hard disk chock full of images packed into folders that are delightfully building up. I love wandering into these digital suitcases of memories and browsing through the photos. Every time I do that, I remember a long forgotten moment and very soon am back in...

This man was smoking an amazingly long pipe. On the right is a closer look at his wares.

The most interesting sight in Chunxi Lu was the various Wedding Photography shops that were lined up. The Chinese have a process where the bride and the groom shoot pictures in different clothes before the wedding. These pictures are then compiled as a wedding album. This is one of the most important steps before a...

Last weekend I went to Chunxi Lu, which is supposed to be THE place to visit for shopping. A Chengdu tourist brochure that I have says that “if New York has Times Square, Chengdu has Chunxi Lu.” I wandered through the glitzy malls that sold high-priced brands and some of the other shops that had...

Another favorite pastime here. Drinking tea. And I don’t mean the milky, sugary tea that we Indians are used to. This is green, flowery tea. Yi bei cha (one glass of tea) costs 10 RMB (Rs 50 $1.5). Half the price of a coffee I pay in a Barista or Coffee Day back home. Continuously...

It’s not just Tai Chi that moves the Chinese. Slow dancing to loud but catchy Chinese songs are a rage here. Every morning, from 9.00 am to 10.30, when I am in class, I am treated to some lovely music coming from across the road as women dance to the tunes in a huge square....

If you don’t enjoy calligraphy much, just sing! These were a band of men singing in the park, complete with an orchestra behind them and loudspeakers. The parks here are fun, especially on weekends, as I discovered. Everybody comes to play, sing, dance, chat or just sit and watch all the activity. In India, the...

Apparently, this is one of the ways to pass time. Writing calligraphy in the park, using water. I saw this a few times when I was walking around in a couple of parks. This old man was the first one I saw. He was dipping this sponge tipped stick in a bucket of water kept...