OK this is gonna have to be quick, I am sat in a small dark, backstreet internet cafe in Mumbai, the air is so thick with insense it is difficult to breathe. This is day 7 in India and I am having an unbelievable time, of course it is hot, baking hot in the middle of the day, my skin is blotchy with mosquito bites, the sandals I bought are starting to rub, and almost everything around me is different to what I am used to, but I'm loving it.
I am taking a break from my stay with friends in Virar to visit this city of 15+ million people. Using the train, even 1st class was hilarious, people squeezed into every corner with their bags held above thier heads, and even hanging outside (there are no doors) and these were businessmen in smart clothes. The sprint for a space starts well before the train has stopped with people running on the platform to jump into the carriage. I was lucky enough to have got a space at the start of the line otherwise I expect I would still be stood at the station now!
Its a bit odd being centre of attention most of the time, people are more used to foreigners than they have been in the past, expecially in the cities where I have seen lots of white faces, but you still have to get used to stares and inspecion. For example I used my mobile whilst ejoying a Kingfisher beer in the Leopold Cafe, and was soon in deep conversation with a bunch of waiters regarding its features and the cost of it in England (its difficult explaining the cost and I couldn't bring myself to confess how much it actually was). Using a camera draws similar attention, and I find that I don't use it as much as I would like, it just feels wrong some of the time. Staring poverty in the face is not easy to come to terms with, neither is being forced to ignore all the beggars and poor. Soon I travel to Kerala to Vega 2007 , and afterwards I'll be coming back to the Maharashtra area and hopefully get some serious flying done in the Westen Ghats. I managed a quick 20min flight last friday in Virar but nothing since, will post something on that soon.
Net access is slow and so far I have not been able to upload any photos to flickr, hopfully I'll find a way of doing this soon.
2 comments:
Sounds like your having a good time then.
You should try and get a job in an indian call centre for a day !! That would be very funny !!
Work is good, i'm not fond of the person now sitting at your desk (TJ) right misserable F**** I'm missing my tea break buddy, come home soon !!!
neat write-up on mumbai... am glad u r liking it. as a friend says, peple either love it or hate it, theres no middle line.
hope u have a great trip in india!!
Post a Comment