BOMBAY/MUMBAI

During our schooldays my friends and I were passionate filmgoers. Weekend after weekend we sat in grubby movie halls and allowed ourselves to be hypnotized by the soap operas of Bombay and dreamt of love and romance. Today Bollywood has become a household name. Bombay – that was and is the glamour metropolis of India, the city of the rich and the beautiful, the city of dreams, the city of boundless possibilities. When the Portuguese gave seven marshy islands to King Charles II in 1661 as a gift they could not in their faintest of dreams have thought of what they would once become: The gateway to India, now called Mumbai. In the darkness of the caves on the island Elephanta, not so far from the madding crowds of Mumbai, sculptures in stone tell stories of the creation of the universe, of gods at work - A symbol of a city and its dwellers that strive to create a dazzling tomorrow for themselves.

MYSORE/KARNATAKA

Bangalore – capital of Karnataka state. Events in my life led me down south. Bangalore was a sleepy big town then. I was sixteen and discovered the first big love of my life and life on the street. Like a moth that returns to the flame I love to come back here. Today Bangalore has become the Silicon Valley of India, a boom town. Mysore, the former capital lies further south and its palaces seem to have sprung just right out of ‘One Thousand and one nights” – a dreamy delight. The grandest of dream worlds lies further north in Hampi, a UNESCO World Heritage site and home to the ruins of what was once a fabulously rich empire.

CHENNAI/TAMIL NADU

I was 17. Jawaharlal Nehru, the first Prime minister of India had introduced economic policies that had stifled all private enterprise. Ready-made clothing was a rare luxury. We teenagers dreamt of American jeans. There was one place where they were available – in Madras (today Chennai) on the black market. I arrived in Madras looking for jeans and discovered the land of the dark-skinned and lovely Tamilian people and their incomparable sacral architecture in Mahabalipuram, Kanchipuram, Tanjore and Madurai. A newly made friendship then took me further down the east coast to Pondicherry. This was once the French Riviera of the East. The French were long gone but their spirit lingered and I loved it. Pondicherry is a rare experience. Tamil Nadu - They say this is where India, authentic and unspoilt is to be found. Tamil Nadu is gentle magic!

KERALA

My ancestors come from this state that is called Kerala - a 600 kilometres long but narrow strip of land on the southwest coast of India that calls itself ‘God’s own country’. Those who have been here understand why. There is a world of matchless beauty here just waiting to discovered - great beaches, lush green, magical waterways, Ayurvedic massages and treatments, amazing food. One could spend weeks just in Kerala because Kerala has what whole countries wished they had - breathtaking landscapes and a kaleidoscope of fascinating cultures. National Geographic has put Kerala on its list of 50 greatest places of a lifetime.

GOA

Goa is a product of 450 years of Portuguese colonial rule – a singular mix of the East and the West. Christmas and Carnival are just as much occasions for celebrations, as are Diwali and Durga-Puja, the festivals of the Konkani speaking Hindus. Goa is different from the rest of India und still India. As a teenager I dreamt of the beaches of Goa and free love. That remained a dream. It was only years later that I came to Goa, but it was love at first sight. I mostly always end my tours of India here und allow myself the luxury of being pampered and cared for in one of Goa’s magnificent resorts.

A TOUR THROUGH THE SOUTH OF INDIA - MY CHOICE

THE INCOMPARABLE JOYS OF THE SOUTH
Mumbai – Chennai – Mahabalipuram – Kanchipuram – Pondicherry – Tanjore – Madurai – Periyar – Kumarakom – Allepey – Cochin – Mumbai

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