Mumbai

Mumbai

It proved a bit more sticky getting out of Kathmantu was a bit more demanding than getting in.  There were hundreds of people trying to get on planes and only 5 emigration windows open.  It took almost two hours.  Our backs were aching as we boarded the plane after the departure.  Probably half the plane was empty, later to be filled by migrant workers (young Nepali men who seek work in India and other countries) who had to wait in another line even longer than the tourist line.

Our hotel in Mumbai is modern, has a foam mattress and central air conditioning.  A walk around the neighborhood revealed that it is a garment area, with clothes displays in virtually every store front, advertising both wholesale and retail.  I happened to walk by a sidewalk booth where a guy was crammed in with luggage on display and a treadle sewing machine in front of him.  Later I took back two of our bags that had developed small rips.  He sewed them up in about one minute each then charged me 20 rupees (40 cents).  Wow, it's hard to find someone to do that at home at any price!

First thing we noticed on the streets is NO cows, goats, or other animals. Our guide later told us that they are against the law here.  And they have constant electrical supply.  Our guide said that because Mumbai is the commercial capital of India they can't afford not to have a reliable power supply. And, they have traffic lights that people obey.  Mumbai feels like New York energy plus some Miami (the bay) 

and even a touch of South Beach (art deco architecture). 

Our guide was the first woman we've had, probably sixty-something.  Besides history of Mumbai and India she has a brother who is a doctor in West Virginia and has traveled extensively in the U.S. It was the most revealing and fun conversation about cultural, economic, health care and other issues that we have had with anyone here. First off she took us to a house that had been owned by a close friend of Mahatma Gandi.  It was much like the MLK museum in Memphis, a very moving tribute to his life and teachings One room where he lived is preserved as it was when he lived there, with a simple mattress, some books, a writing desk and spinning wheel.

Not a lot of monuments because before British started to develop commercial interests there wasn't an existing city as there was in Delhi. The most interesting architecture is British colonial/Victorian  in the area near the  Gateway to India, a memorial to the visit by King George V in 1911.

Next to it is the Taj Mahal Hotel, made famous by the bombing attacks that took place here three years ago.

The Victoria Terminus is a fantastic neo-Gothic structure built in 1888.  More than 1000 trains and 2 million passengers pass through daily.  

As we saw when we arrived for our trip to Araungabad at 5:00 the next day, there are also quite a few people who just sleep on the floor there.

Mumbai is the most expensive city in India with escalating real estate prices and a continual process of tearing down traditional buildings to put up new high rises.  One reason that the older buildings get so run down is that rent control limits how much landlords can charge so they don't put any money into the upkeep.  Too bad, because some of the traditional wood buildings would be beautiful if they were not falling apart.

Since there are no rivers in Mumbai where the laundry could be done in the traditional way (beating it on the rocks) the city established an area with cement tubs and water for the professional laundry men. Behind the work area and the clothes lines you can see the high-rise.  

And when a little extra drying area is needed for the clean hospital gowns, the pedestrian guard rail on the side of the road will do.  Can you imagine what U.S. healthcare workers would say about this?

Mumbai has the largest Parsi community in the world, 50% of the 100,000 world-wide total live here.  While it would be too long to go into a full description of them here, it is well worth a Google search.  Like the Jains, they are a fascinating, very small, but very successful and influential minority.  I lived with a Parsi family in Karachi, Pakistan  as a high school exchange student).  

More Indian tourists wanting to have their pictures taken with us.  An attractive young lady was probably on her honeymoon judging from the henna tattoos on her hands and wrists.  The whole park at the top of the hill is built over a water cistern, thus no large trees.

Large beaches, but even in the heat and sun, hardly anyone on the beach.  Our guide said that many indians don't lear to swim and don't like to be out in the sun "we already have good tans" she joked.

There are plenty of places where you see expensive high rise condos right next to slums.  Again our guide explained that they tried relocating the slum dwellers to the suburban areas but that the people preferred to live near the rich people they work for. 

The most expensive house in the world ($one billion dollars to build), belongs to the richest man in India, has seventeen stories (hard to tell because of the architecture how many there are), and is built for a family of 5.  Six floors are just for parking.  Maybe for his car collection or for an entourage. We did see Lamborghini and other high-end car dealers here. 

How to paint a lamp post in India…shinny up the pole as you would a coconut tree while holding the paint can and brush…

Most of you have been accosted at stop lights in Boston or NYC by hawkers with bouquets or newspapers for sale.  Here they come at you with a stack of best sellers.  One was sure that I wanted to buy Warren Buffet's book persisted until the light changed.