Am I still in India?

Taj Mahal Palace Hotel
see all photos »

I arrived in Mumbai around 7:30 AM and decided to hang out at the train station to wait for the reservation office to open at 8, so I wouldn't have to come back again to get my next ticket. I knew hanging out in the station would probably lead to hassle, but I had no idea I would get quite the attention I did. I was just sitting there, minding my own business, looking at my book, and this woman attaches herself to my leg. I'm talking, wrapped her body around my leg and wouldn't let go. She would rub her face on my knee, and stroke my leg... all the while wanting me to give her money. I finally couldn't take it anymore, so I got up and walked around... sure enough, she followed me wherever I went. I finally walked by a policeman and asked for his assistance in shedding my new friend and he chased her off. I really like the police here... I've had to use them a few times... and they're always very helpful.

Gateway of India
see all photos »

After booking my ticket, I took a taxi to my hotel (a whopping fare of 20 rupees, or about 50 cents). Later I walked down to the Gate of India and took a ferry out to Elephanta Island where there are more caves. It was a beautiful ride, nice to be on the water... my fav! It was quite a hike up to the caves - I have a theory that everything historical in India is built on a mountain... I've climbed thousands of stairs since I've been here. Oh, and it was 36 degrees Celcius, which is about 96 Fahrenheit. It was worth the climb though... nice place. The ferry ride back was very peaceful and I saw an amazing sunset... if pollution and dust can be good for anything, it's for making magnificent sunsets. The sun looked enormous.

Taj Mahal Palace hotel
see all photos »

On Thursday, I took a walking tour of Mumbai... amazing how British this city is.. and much more modern than the other places I've been. Feels like you stepped out of India for a minute. On my walking tour I ended up at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya... nice name, eh? Formerly known as The Prince of Wales Museum. It is a very nice museum, I spent about 4 hours in there. They have a very nice audio tour which explains things. In the evening, I met a nice couple from London that are on the end of their round the world trip and we had dinner together. They were a lot of fun.

Gateway of India
see all photos »

Today (Friday - yes, I'm finally caught up!) I ventured into the northern suburbs to meet a friend for lunch. He was a consultant for our company in Boston and has since moved back to India. I took a local train... you know, the ones you see on TV with people hanging off the sides... yes, it's really true... but it was off peak time, so they weren't so crowded. And there's a great thing called the "Ladies Car"... very nice... I was actually alone for a couple stops. After about an hour on the train, I took an auto rickshaw for another 30 mins to get to L&T, where most of our consultants came from... nice to see the place I've heard so much about. The suburbs are nice... much quieter and nobody hassling you. We had a nice lunch and then I headed back to the city. After that I walked around from the train station and saw some kids playing cricket... stopped and watched for a bit... still don't really understand it, but it looks interesting. Saw the University of Mumbai... and the High Court... very British architecture.

Gateway of India
see all photos »

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie are in Mumbai filming a movie. They seem to make the headlines every day, but today they were the front page story. One of their bodyguards shoved a kid to get him out of the way while they were filming on some school grounds and when the people got mad he called them "bloody Indians"... they're now talking about arresting and deporting him. Didn't go over real well. I haven't run across them in town... although I heard they were at the Gateway of India the day before I got here.

End of the day for the hawkers at Elephanta Island
see all photos »

Not sure yet what I'm doing tomorrow, except that I'm catching a 5:00 train to Pune. It's only about 3 1/2 hours, so I'll get in by late evening.  Mumbai isn't really a tourist town, but it's been a great place to rejuvenate and enjoy city life again.