Thursday, March 31, 2011

Mumbai on 2nd day and at sea

Monday, March 21 – Aunt Ann and Matthew’s special birthdays! Mumbai, India

Did not set the alarm, did not pre-order room service and thought it was raining outside! I think I was tired. But quickly moved in to action to meet Ali, our driver, outside for another day in Mumbai. What a difference a day makes…today was a work day. The streets were full of cars and pedestrians and motorcycles – all traveling their own route and miraculously making it to their final destination without interfering with each other. There is no need for a lane marking or a light in this city – just a ton of patience and a loud horn. We were able to “feel the pulse” of the city with our taxi windows open and horns blaring. It was utter chaos and I really enjoyed it. I felt like we were protected in our little vehicle as we weaved through the streets, horn tooting and maneuvering slowly to our next destination.

Our first stop was the Chor Bazaar – the Thieves Market in the Muslim community. We saw a half of a goat hauled on the back of a bicycle. The streets were festively decorated with overheard lights so it must be pretty at night. During the day, it is not a tourist destination; we saw on-the-street barbers, auto mechanics, kitchen and bathroom supply vendors, antique shops…not very interesting but a cultural eye-opener. Due to the chaos in the streets, the police were thankfully there to help us across the street to Ali, our driver. Next stop was the Zaveri Bazaar but we found out the shops don’t open until 11. We did find a nice clothing shop and shopped there. www.shubhamcollections.co.in

We hurried from there to the Victoria train station – I really wanted to see the Dabbawallahs deliver the hot meals! We found them but they are just normal people in a train station so you really have to look. Man #1 got off a train carrying a large tote bag filled with round silver lunch boxes. One bag was filled with many loaves of flat bread. Man #1 dropped his bundle near a post in the center of the train station and went back to get another bundle. In the meantime, Man #2 came up to Man #1’s first dropped bundle and took them across the floor of the railway station and dropped his bundle in the middle of the floor. Man #2 went back to get more of the bundles dropped by Man #1. Then Man #3 came up to pick up the bundles dropped by Man #2 and took them out to the taxi stand. Four women appeared and quickly filled three taxis with all the bundles and were off for delivering them to the men whose wives had packed these hot lunches for their husbands!! Fascinating route to have a hot lunch delivered at lunch time! I felt like we were spies as we rushed back and forth to figure out which person was meeting which other person and to find out the final “drop” place. There have been several efficiency studies done by major corporations on these dabbawallahs.

Found a pharmacy and nice department store – Asiatic – and we have fun there! Many different departments – you sign a receipt for what you want and then pay in one area downstairs and pick up your items at the next counter once you have paid. Great prices on pharmaceuticals and beautiful ready-made clothing. Jehangir Art Gallery, contemporary art gallery of Indian artists, was interesting with water colors and photography exhibits.
Ali did a wonderful job driving us from place to place – at our beck and call. He asked that we pay him prior to arriving to the port; after we left his vehicle we saw a person approach him and he paid him something so I assume he had to pay a portion to them since he was not an “authorized” driver for the port. I felt so comfortable this time in Mumbai. I enjoyed the fast pace of the city and the interesting sites. It is fascinating but still a place that I enjoy during the day for sightseeing but need to retreat at night to my comfort zone/foreign hotel/ship for the facilities with which I am comfortable. There are over 17 million people in Mumbai, making it the sixth largest metropolitan area in the world. There is a deep natural harbor and is the largest port in Western India. Also located here are the Reserve Bank of India, the Bombay Stock Exchange and the corporate headquarters of many Indian companies. The name was officially changed from Bombay to Mumbai in 1995. Comedy of David Deeble as the entertainer.

“A mind that has been stretched will never return to its original dimension.” -Albert Einstein

Tuesday, March 22 – at sea
We had a highlight performance of “La Traviata” by an Australian group, Opera Interludes. Formal night and we had the Bollywood Ball! Bollywood is the informal term popularly used for the Mumbai-based Hindi language film industry. It is only part of the Indian film industry and is one of the largest film producers in the world, with over 800 films a year. They are mostly musicals and are expected to contain catchy music in the form of song-and-dance numbers woven into the script with songs, dances, love triangles, comedy and daredeveil thrills all mixed up in a 3-hour long extravangaza with an intermission! We did not quite measure up to those standards but everyone wore their new saris and Indian attire. If you wanted to be part of the fashion parade, we had a running commentary of the outfit if you entered the theatre on the starboard side. We also had silly prizes awarded for silly talent – fun evening.

“Knowledge speaks but wisdom listens.” - Jimi Hendrix

Wednesday, March 23 – at sea through the Straits of Hormuz
Many tankers in the area trading with the oil rich states in this area. Watched movie “Rabbit Hole”. Amsterdam singers and dancers in AVALON.

“The difference between fiction and reality? Fiction has to make sense.” - Tom Clancy