Here Drena is standing behind a mobile Disco, available for weddings and party hire etc. These guys would not fire it up, even though I offered a tip – business must be good!

This cute child in the car next to us was from a very middle class family; there are more wealthy people in India than the entire population of Australia. We have been to shopping centers that are just like Western Malls, and it is apparent every visit that the middle classes of India are growing.

When I first visited India as a back packer in 1974 I was unable to stay a whole day in Bombay (as it was called then); it was just too depressing. There were starving people sleeping everywhere on the streets and in the morning I am sure that many of them had not woken up. It was desperate and depressing. But now the economy is picking up and there seems to be paid work for everyone who is prepared to work. It seems that even the beggars at the big intersections (as shown) and around tourist hotels have informal organizations with 'pimps' and zones. Apparently there are some benefactors who put on a meal a day for legitimate beggars, but many people here are upset that this attracts lazy people who squat under the road overpasses (it never gets very cold in Bombay); perhaps they are the equivalent of our dole bludging surfers who move up and down the east coast of Australia as the weather changes?

Begging at major intersections is very common. I gave the one on the right 10 rupee's for posing, and the one on the left ran out and nearly got killed for her piece of the action.

The Taj Hotel

Here is a shot of the +100 year old Palace section that we stay in. There is a new glass tower style next door to the right – but the old part has lovely high ceilings.

The plate of a mostly devoured meal was at Trishna - the most amazing fish restaurant – masala (like Chiken tikka) flavored calamari and a piece of skewered Pomfrit fish (like a fat flounder) cooked in a butter black pepper in a tandor oven. We went back 3 times in a week for these same 2 dishes (and giant prawns and crab). It is a 15 minute walk from the Hotel. There is also a fab Lebonese place on the top of the new tower :)

Some of the paintings and sculpture in the Taj Mahal Bombay hotel passages and on our floor. We were very impressed with the art in Delhi too.