It’s true. We do an article on the UK, and the place goes up in flames. We do an article on Kutch, and there’s an earthquake. Thankfully, the quake didn’t cause too much damage, but the London riots were a bit depressing. If anyone knows a handy witch-doctor or two, who can lift the curse, we’d be happy to spare some time.
In other – and far better – news, we have an issue full of surprises. Which surprised even us, as it turns out.
We went to Vienna, expecting grand avenues ringing with classical music, and children called Von Trapp running about in clothes made from curtains. We found some of that (the avenues and the music, not the curtain-outfits), but we also found, rather unexpectedly, some rather fabulous pastries, a mad little flea market and a gathering movement towards zingy modernism. Then there’s Toronto, a city that’s known mostly for the expat Punjabi community, but which turns out to have crazy art installations, incredible sandwiches made with bacon, and a café that stocks every board game made in the world.
Some places we hadn’t even heard of before, like Roopkund, a little valley in the Himalayan foothills, which, like all the most interesting places, has skulls lying around (literally), and rather fabulous views.
And even the places we had heard of, like rather cruelly-ignored South Australia and Meghalaya, had some tricks up their sleeve. Did you know Adelaide once had a thriving hippie culture, full of kinky poetry and art festivals? Or that, in Meghalaya, you can bet on archery, and iron is considered bad luck?
Thought not. Go to these places. Surprise yourself a little.
But of course, because we’re featuring these places in the magazine, say a little prayer for the poor inhabitants.
