Hello from London, South Asian Discoveries in Southall
Hello from London, South Asian Discoveries in Southall
Our last day in London had arrived. After our serene and peaceful early-morning kayak tour on Regent's Canal we freshened up quickly, grabbed a bite to eat and got ready for our final adventure in London: a guided tour of Southall, one of London's many fascinating ethnic neighbourhoods.
Punctually at 11 am our personal tour guide, Anne Mark, picked us up and whisked us onto one of the modern double-decker buses that form the backbone of London's above-ground public transit system. Donning a
colourful Shalwar Kameez (a traditional Indian dress), Anne was perfectly dressed for our excusion to Southall, often referred to as "Little India", a suburb with a population of about 90,000 people on the western end of London.
Southall is also the location of the Sri Guru Singh Sabha Gurdwara, the largest Sikh Temple outside of India, an impressive white marble and granite building with stained glass windows and a gilded dome. More than 54% of
the population hails from India, while another 11% have come from Pakistan. These immigrants have brought the sights, sounds, smells and tastes of their homelands with them, and we were ready to sample a slice of South
Asia on the west side of London.
While we were riding on the bus, enjoying a great view from the upper deck, Anne gave us a bit of an idea of her own eclectic background. Anne founded a company called Marksman Tours that provides personal
sightseeing tours in London as well as throughout England and the UK. Anne is an official Blue Badge Guide, a prestigious designation that is awarded by the Institute of Tourist Guiding. The training for London Blue Badge
Guides takes on average eighteen months and includes an extensive curriculum of the history, architecture and the social development of the country.
Anne is an interesting story herself. She had always loved math, and after completing a degree in economics, she became a successful investment banker. After many years in that career she became a Museum Finance
Director before finally deciding to become a full-time freelance tour guide. Today Anne Mark is certified to provide tours in five languages: English, Dutch, German, French and Spanish. She also speaks some Portuguese
having lived in Brazil. Given my love for foreign cultures and languages, it was a pleasure to meet this cosmopolitan individual with this beautiful openness to the world.
As a matter of fact, Anne had just recently travelled to India herself, and the striking Indian dress she was wearing was a purchase from her recent trip. We were obviously dealing with someone who has a great deal of respect
and admiration for South Asian culture, so Anne was the perfect expert to show us around Southall.
After riding on two double-decker buses we had finally reached our destination and hopped off on High Street in Southall. The bright colours of the South Asian stores immediately jumped at us, and we started slowly walking
down the main street. The first store we stopped at was called Chhappan Bhog, a South Asian pastry store. The young lady behind the counter kindly showed me the entire assortment of sweet pastries that was on display in
the glass case.
She explained some of the main ingredients in these sweets which include, for instance, chick pea flour, almonds, cashew nuts, pistachios and lentil flour. One section of the pastries was exclusively composed of milk
products. Other non-sweet choices included samosas (stuffed pastries) and batatas (potato balls).
Our culinary excursion into South Asia continued when Anne introduced us to one of her favourite drinks: a "salty lassi". With a twinkle in her eye she clarified that we were not talking about a dog here, but that we were about to
taste a refreshing salty drink made from yoghurt. Our friendly salesperson proceeded to blend yoghurt and salt in a mixer. Ice can be added to the mix if there is a preference for a really cold drink. Anne explained that a lassi
is a great drink to accompany spicy Indian food since it provides a soothing counterbalance to the powerful spices used in South Asian cuisine. Another popular version of this drink is the mango-flavoured lassi which I was
planning to explore a little later.
Back on the road we checked one colourful store after another and admired the delicate jewellery, the colourful scarves and the large assortment of South Asian music CDs and Bollywood movies. The more we kept walking
the more our cultural explorations of Southall turned into a giddy girls' shopping spree. I picked up some gorgeous pashmina scarves and custom jewellery, all at extremely reasonable prices.
Attracted by the smell of freshly steamed corn, we stopped a street vendor for Magic Corn. Said, the young and very friendly street vendor, mentioned that steamed corn is a popular street food here. Customers can add a
variety of flavours such as Mexican chili, curry, cheese, barbecue flavour, or black pepper to their corn while butter is optional. We enjoyed the friendly conversations with the locals who appeared to have a great time talking
with the tourists.
Our next stop was at an upscale clothing store called Sequinze. Sima, the store-owner's niece, took us on a tour of the store and demonstrated the ready-to-wear collections. The store carries four different lines, including
made-to-measure bridalwear. It features a large variety of traditional, contemporary and modern designs that looked absolutely gorgeous on their displays.
Sima explained that bridal wear takes about 14 weeks to make, and evening wear is also made to measure. The fine materials include raw silk and chiffon, and colours range from bright jewel tones to muted palettes. Sima
indicated that most of the garments are designed locally by her manager, and the most delicate ones feature Swarovski crystals.
Back downstairs I had a chance to talk with the owner, who originally hails from India but has been living in Southall since 1969 after arriving in England two years earlier. Gernal took me through the store and showed me an
extensive assortment of fabrics that are available for custom-designed garments.
Brilliantly coloured fabrics from Japan, Korea, India and Pakistan were on display throughout the main floor, and Gernal explained that he travels to these far-away destinations several times a year to select the newest fashion
in fabrics. When he asked me where I was from, I responded that I have been living in Toronto for many years. Gernal's eyes brightened up, and he said that he has a brother who lives in a suburb of Toronto and is involved in
the fashion industry as well. What a small world we live in
Now it was solidly mid-afternoon, and it was definitely time for lunch. We headed into a small local eatery where Anne took over the reigns and ordered an assortment of Indian snack foods. The so-called "channa chat" dish
included chick peas and potatoes on a base of yoghurt and herbs. Another dish featured long stringy dry noodles made from lentil flour intermixed with popped rice. We also received a "bhel poori" salad, a cooling dish
made with cucumbers. Now I finally got to taste my mango-flavoured lassi which was absolutely delicious and a great counterpoint to our spicy food.
Anne added that in Southall you can taste a wide variety of cuisines from different parts of India. Popular main dishes include curries, lamb kebabs, chicken tikka masala and butter chicken. At a cost of only 13 British Pounds,
our assortment of Indian snack foods satiated our hunger, exposed us to a variety of Indian delicacies and was very easy on the pocket book. People often say that London is very expensive territory for travelers, but we
found great shopping and culinary opportunities in Southall that were extremely affordable.
Our last stop on our South Asian excursion was a stop at a local supermarket where Anne showed us a wide variety of exotic fruits and vegetables. From guavas, chilies, mangoes, eggplants, melons and tomatoes to less
well known varieties with names such as loquat, mulli and anar, this place was bustling with locals doing their shopping. This supermarket is also a great source for teas and spices.
Across the street is the Himalaya Palace Movie Theatre, a much-loved local Art-Deco era landmark built in 1929. The unique Chinese pagoda-style design of this building makes it a definite landmark in the area. The Himalaya
Palace screens popular Hollywood features as well as the latest Bollywood movies.
Our exotic South Asian excursion in Southall had come to an end, and we boarded another double-decker bus for our return trip. Anne and I sat upstairs at the very front, and she provided a running commentary for me,
explaining the different areas of London that we were driving through. Exploring London with a local expert, particularly one as colourful and cosmopolitan as Anne Mark, was a definite enhancement to our trip.
Our last evening continued along similar lines, with the intention of sampling another one of the ethnic eateries that London has to offer. Since we had to get up very early the next day for our departure, we decided to eat
locally close to our bed and breakfast in the Holland Park area. We found a quaint little Thai restaurant called the Cool Monkey where we enjoyed generous portions of flavourful South East Asian food. Exhausted from a long
day of adventures and from packing our suitcases, we just fell into bed and tried to rest up for the long journey home.
Over the past three days we had caught a glimpse of so many areas of London, and I had got a good impression of this city's phenomenal diversity. From the downtown banking district to Buckingham Palace to a boat ride on the River Thames to early morning kayaking and explorations of different ethnic areas, London has been a great experience, and I can't wait to get back and explore even more facets of this one-of-a-kind metropolis Zoological Park A Tourist Hot Spot In The Arab World Bewitching Destinations And Attractions To Visit On Honeymoon To Kerala The Ultimate Indian Royal Wedding Destination Christian Pilgrimage – Going On Catholic Tours Worldwide Northern India Tours Give You A Chance To Explore Delhi, Varanasi And Jaipur Guides to Buying Travelling Shoes A Must See In Paris Parry pipes up with Paris triumph Bhakti Yoga India Tour and Kirtan Camp Planning And Booking For Holidays Online Does Strip That Fat Work-Does Strip That Fat Work Celebrate Christmas At Malmo With A Difference Ghana ‘Snow Leopard' plans West Africa ski slope