India Part 2

First another note about Air Indian (which redeemed itself somewhat by being very prompt most of the trip home (yes, I'm back on Japanese soil)): Any guesses as to what the in flight movie was on my way to India - what recent, award-lauded Hollywood film (they did show some Hindi films) they showed?

Dr. Doolittle Three

Yes, three. My headphones were broken, but somehow the voices and bad acting still came through visually - I wasn't even aware there was a third film. After, they showed some post-Cheers second rate sit-com with Ted Danson and interspersed it with random bloopers and practical jokes.

Okay, on to Mumbai:
I got in in the middle of the night and took my pre-paid taxi into town (45 minute ride). This is actually a perfect time to drive in Mumbai as there is very little traffic and the incessant honking is reduced to a minimum. The Residency Hotel was eagerly awaiting my arrival and I was soon up in my marble-floored room which was clean nicely furnished and had A/C. After a great night's sleep, I got up and found a small restaurant across the street from the hotel for breakfast. The street was already a mass of people going to work, street vendors setting up their stands, taxis, auto-rickshaws, cars, stray dogs, cats, and the odd cow. I am not very adept at crossing the street even in the US, so in countries like Japan and India where the driving is done on the left side of the road, I'm even more confused. What I did in this case was to look for a person or group of people crossing and stay close to them - I figure they know the ropes better than I do, so I'll trust them. At the restaurant, I had some iidli (sp?) a kind of rice patty that you dip in a coconut chutney or small curried type soup. I also had some porridge with whole spices in it - it was very good. I also learned to eat as the Indians do - with my right hand, while my left hand sits on my lap. A few of the Indians I met - when they found I was living in Japan currently - would ask about using chopsticks and were amazed that I knew how to use them. I also always tried to be very careful about not using my left hand cuz that's your bathroom hand - which is good to know when you are in a bathroom and it's just you and a hole in the ground with treads on either side, a flush, and a hose with a spray nozzle on it for you to clean yourself with. Luckily I'd pinched a roll of toilet paper from my hotel to keep with me in emergency situations such as this.

I walked around the neighborhood by my hotel (Fort area) and just took in the scope of the city and decided that I really like Mumbai - it is entirely different in character to Delhi. It is vibrant and alive - yes it is dirty and smells like urine in spots and you have to dodge people sleeping on the pavement in front of you, but there is also a wonderful quality of community about the place - couples and even friends walk arm in arm around the streets talking and laughing and you get small bursts of wonderful smells - someone roasting peanuts on a street corner, a woman's perfume, sandalwood eminating from gift shops, and even just the smell of humanity. Even as I write this and remember in my mind the people and places I saw, I am a little reluctant to describe too much because I don't want it to sound wrong or even touristy or enlightened or something - like the great Westerner coming in and "getting" India. I don't get the country at all, but I am in awe of it.

I ended up at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya (Prince of Wales Museum) which first opened in 1923 (Michel, aren't you impressed with my inclusion of more specific information - Thank goodness I have Lonely Planet: India handy). This museum has a wonderful collection of sculpture and paintings by Indian artists - mostly depicting figures from the Hindu religion - Vishnu, Shiva, Ganesha, there is also a room with some nice Japanese art in it. One drawback - the cost for foreigners: If you are Indian, it's Rs10 and if you are a foreign visitor, it's Rs 300. So basically if you are local it only costs 21 cents but if you are a visitor the price is jacked up to about $6.50. Still, the building is quiet beautiful to look at and is surrounded by a lush garden with tall palm trees.

That reminds me - India may have more litter than Japan, but it has A LOT more green in its cities. The trees here are so beautiful and lush and wonderful to look at (and thankfully, not cut back every fall).

I lunched back at the same restaurant and had masala dosa. A dosa is like a brittle crepe and in the middle was this wonderfully spiced potato and onion mix with curry leaves and mustard seed. After, I went to my hotel to nap as I was still tired from a late night arrival. In late afternoon and evening I went shopping at FabIndia - an awesome clothing store with inexpensive, beautiful Indian wear. I got some long and short kurtas and some pajama type pants to wear under the long kurta. Then I went to a bookstore and looked around for a bit. By this point in the day, I noticed many guys wearing thin colorful threaded bracelets with small flowers or trinkets on them, and found out that it was Raksha Bandhan day - a day that celebrates the bond between brothers and sisters. It takes place during the full moon and the sister ties the band around her brother's wrist and the brother gives his sister a gift and vows to look after her. I really liked this idea as I have an awesome sister - I would see men on the trains and streets sharing cellphone messages they'd received from their sisters. Girls can also give bracelets to good male friends they wish to "adopt" as brothers. In the evening everyone was out and the streets were damp and everything was colorful and very happy.

That's it for my first full day in Mumbai.

More later...