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Bhel Puri On The Beach, The Gateway To India, And Bollywood. Mumbai With Vikram Chandra

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Mumbai is a fascinating city with diversity in religion and architecture, and in this interview, Vikram Chandra talks about the colonial impact of the Portuguese and British, as well as the Zoroastrian, Muslim, Hindu and Christian holy places in the city.

It’s also a feast for the senses, as Vikram evokes the taste of seafood from the harbor and the chaat street food on the beaches, the clang of ships in the dock, as well as the action spectacle of Bollywood films, and the multi-lingual speech of Hindi, Punjabi, English and Bombay slang.

We discuss how Vikram feels at home both in Mumbai where he grew up and in the Bay area, California, where he now lives and teaches, and he gives some book recommendations if you want to read more about the city.

Vikram Chandra is the multi-award-winning author of Red Earth and Pouring Rain, which won the Commonwealth Writers Prize for best first book as well as Love and Longing in Bombay and Sacred Games, adapted into a successful Netflix series set in Mumbai, which has just been listed on ‘The New York Times’ list of the 30 best international TV shows of the decade.

Show notes

On the cultural history of the name Mumbai — and why some still call the city, Bombay.
Impact of colonial history — Portuguese and British — on the architecture of Mumbai
Religious diversity
Bollywood and modern Indian films
Influence of the coastal environment
Food and restaurant recommendations
Tips for getting around the city
The challenge of representing the multilingual nature of India in fiction
Recommended books set in Mumbai

You can find Vikram Chandra at VikramChandra.com.

Walk The Kennet And Avon Canal From Bath Spa To Bradford On Avon

Walking

Bath might be a UNESCO World Heritage city with the draw of the Roman Baths, Georgian architectural splendor, and the medieval Abbey, but just a stone’s throw from the tourist mayhem is a wonderful walk along the Kennet and Avon canal.

It can get busy on sunny weekends, but often it is a quiet and peaceful haven of natural beauty alongside the ever-changing life of the canal. I walk this route regularly, whatever the weather, and it never fails to delight with its infinite variety. In this article, I’ll take you through the main parts of the route as well as where the coffee and rest stops are, plus some recommended reading. Although my pictures are mainly from sunny days in spring and summer, it’s a great walk in every season.

Walking the Kennet and Avon canal. Photo by JFPenn

This walk is from Bath Spa railway station to Bradford-on-Avon. You can do the walk either way. It’s about 17km in total, a flat footpath with plenty of refreshment stops and photo opportunities along the way. You can’t get lost because you just follow the towpath! Allow at least 4 hours, especially if you want to amble or have a pint or a coffee on the way.

Pintxos, Txakoli, Modern Art And The Beach. What To Do In Bilbao And San Sebastian

Weekend Trips

I love Spain. The moment I arrive, I find myself relaxing into the laid back, low-key attitude that makes it so different from the UK.

I also return again and again for creative inspiration — Spanish cities have appeared in a number of my ARKANE thrillers — and of course, the food is some of the best in the world, but they don’t shout about it so you need to do your research to avoid the more touristy places. I almost moved here in the late 1990s but headed for Australia instead. It would have been a different life indeed …

Author JFPenn outside the Guggenheim, Bilbao. Photo credit: Jonathan Bleier

For this trip in early February 2020, I went with my husband (and photographer/business partner). We had four days in San Sebastian and Bilbao — a taste of the Basque country. In this article, I’ll share some of the cultural and culinary highlights in case you’d like to visit.

What is Basque?
Guggenheim Museum, Bilbao
Maman by Louise Bourgeois, Anselm Kiefer, and more of the art within
Promenade by the bay in San Sebastian and climb Mount Urgull
Enjoy pintxos and txakoli … plus Michelin star dining
Where to stay and how to get there
Recommended books about Basque culture or set in the region

Cycling Around The World With ML Buchman

Travel Memoir

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Sometimes we can only find our true selves by leaving everything we thought we wanted behind. Matt Buchman was a successful business consultant, but when he lost everything, he set off to cycle around the world. It was a way to escape his old life, but also to find a new path. In this interview, he talks about some of the highs and lows of the trip, but it’s also a discussion on what really matters and how to find home again.

M.L. Buchman is the author of over 60 romance, thriller, sci-fi, and fantasy books, as well as nonfiction. And today, we’re talking about his memoir, Mid-Life Crisis on Wheels: a Bicycle Journey Around the World.

Show notes

How losing everything led to a grand adventure
Dealing with fear of the unknown
Letting go of a perfect plan in order to learn more about yourself
How the lows are just as important as the highs when traveling
Looking for a definition of ‘home’
Adjusting to ‘normal’ life after an extended period of travel
Recommended books about cycling adventures

You can find ML Buchman at MLBuchman.com and on Twitter @mlbuchman

Sacred Australia And The Northern Territory With Amanda Markham

Unusual Places

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In today’s episode, we’re heading for the Northern Territory of Australia as Dr. Amanda Markham talks about some of the Aboriginal Dreaming stories of the area and how the vast landscape impacts living and working there, as well as the best places to visit if you’re traveling. Amanda is of Wiradjuri Aboriginal descent and speaks an Aboriginal language, so it’s fantastic to get her perspective.

We recorded this episode before the bush fires swept the country and I talked back in episode 20 about my own experience traveling around Australia and then living there — I mentioned that it’s the weather you have to watch out for, not the snakes or spiders — and Amanda emphasizes again how important it is to prepare for the reality of the outback. We both love Australia and particularly, the Northern Territories — it’s one of the places I would love to go back to — so I hope you enjoy the adventure in this episode.

Dr. Amanda Markham is an archaeologist and anthropologist in the Australian outback, as well as a travel writer and award-winning author of speculative fiction.

The three different climates of the Northern Territory
Exploring the Top End with Aboriginal guides and some of the Dreaming stories in the landscape
Language differences above and below the monsoon line
The myths and reality about danger in Australia
The Alice Springs Beanie Festival and what makes the outback culture unique
Stargazing in the Northern Territory
Recommended books set in outback Australia

You can find Dr. Amanda Markham at traveloutbackaustralia.com and at AmandaMarkham.com

Traveling On The Trans-Siberian Express Across Mongolia And Russia With SJI Holliday

Unusual Places

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What would you do if you only had a short time to live?

Most people have some kind of travel on their bucket list, and when Susi Holliday had a near-miss in the London terror attacks, she decided to head off on a round-the-world trip. Her experience on the Trans-Siberian Express resulted in a crime novel years later, and in this interview, we talk about what she learned along the way.

We also talk about why reflection on mortality makes us want to travel, the importance of getting out of your comfort zone, why spiritual places draw us in other countries, and why we might have more in common with travelers from other countries than we think.

SJI Holliday is a scientist, writing coach, and the bestselling author of five crime novels, including the Bankstoun trilogy set in a fictional town in Scotland. Susi was born and raised in Scotland, but today we’re talking about her novel Violet, which is set on the Trans-Siberian Express Railway.

Making travel and life choices after frightening world events
Using different modes of travel, including railways
Why getting out of your comfort zone when traveling is important
Visiting holy places in different parts of the world
Food challenges in Mongolia and Russia
Following the river in a city to find hidden gems
Thoughts on being safe while traveling
Tips for what to take to be comfortable on a long train journey

You can find SJI Holliday at SJIHolliday.com.

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