Mumbai, India

March 28th and 29th

Mumbai, India

After sleeping 24 hours and coming out of my medicated haze, I felt 100% better. Yippee….2 days in Mumbai. Wait a minute, that haze I see out the window is not my foggy brain is it? Nope, good old fashioned smog. The stuff is so thick that my eyes are watering and my already compromised lungs are screaming for air. It leaves a fine film of dust on everything. Oh well, it is so hot (95) maybe I will sweat this crap out of my system yet. Until 1995, Mumbai was formerly known as Bombay. It is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra and has a population of more than 18 million living in 237 sq. miles. It is the largest port in western India, handling over half of the country’s passenger traffic. Mumbai is also India’s business center and one of the most commercial hubs between Singapore and Europe. It generates more than a third of India’s gross national product, and half of the country’s foreign trade moves through this port. On the other hand, it also has crippling pollution and poverty. Right next door to mansions and high-rises are depressed areas of makeshift shacks and begging children. My first impression of India….people, people everywhere, the smell, the garbage, the children, the traffic, the noise. My senses were bombarded. Just the dynamics between rich and poor were mind boggling. The men dressed in pants and white shirts, and every woman wearing a sari. Some were very beautiful, and depending on what part of the country they came from-wrapped different ways. We are docked right next to the Navel Base, so security is very strict. I have never seen so many guards with machine guns. They check everyone’s ID coming and going. Taking photos is prohibited in the area. But from the top deck of our ship we have a pretty good view of the whole area…wink,wink. Our first stop was the Gateway of India arch. It was constructed in 1911 to commemorate the visit of King George and Queen Mary, and was the site of ceremonies held for British dignitaries and others who arrived by sea. Since 50 people were killed here in 2003 by 2 car bombs, security is strict and there is a fence around it. Armed guards are patrolling pretty much everywhere you go. The beautiful, plush Taj Mahal Hotel is just across the street. After getting mobbed by the hawkers, including small crying children plucking at your pockets, (their mother pinches them for the effect) we were off to Elephanta Island for the day. The hour long boat ride was an adventure. A rickety wooden boat that spewed exhaust like crazy. At least it was covered. The workers were even trying to sell things on board. Elephanta Island is a UNESCO heritage site. About a thousand years ago, Hindu craftsmen carved columns and sculptures out of solid rock in a series of caves. We had to climb a long stairway to the top of the hill where these were located. At least there were stalls along the way to shop at. The main cave was immense and awe inspiring. Several panels depicted the Shiva in various forms. The most outstanding one was the bust of Trimurti-the three faced Shiva representing the Hindu trinity. It was pretty amazing and interesting. The other attraction on the Island are the wild monkeys- they are everywhere and they are not shy. We were warned not to bring any food or eat in front of them. Or feed them. They will attack for food. Very cool to watch though, as they scampered through the woods. Back to the ship on our little wooden boat. Too bad it was so hard to see very far because of the smog. It was a great day. My stamina was at its limit, so we decided not to go out on our own that night. Big day tomorrow.

A Day in the life of Mumbai….that is the name of our tour today. Sounds intriguing doesn’t it? Started off at the gate again. I swear the hawkers knew Bruce from his mustache from the day before and zeroed in on him. Now they were telling the other people in our group that “he bought from me yesterday at this price so I give it to you too.” Nothing like a little giggle in the morning. It was fascinating driving through the throng of cars and people. Our next stop was the Churchgate Railway Station. Unique to Bombay culture, we watched the dabba-wallas, members of the Mumbai Tiffin Box Suppliers Association get ready to deliver their clients lunches to them. Every day 4,000 of them deliver lunch boxes that they have picked up from about 175,000 office workers before they get on the train. The meals are then carried by bicycles, shoulder poles and handcarts to the recipients. Lunches are rarely, if ever lost. It’s like Domino’s but you don’t have to make the pizza. The reason for this is the trains are so tightly packed by passengers in the morning, that there is just no room to move, let alone room to carry a lunch. Our guide likened it to a “can of sardines”. Millions of people ride the trains every day. The dabba-wallas wait until mid-day to get on the trains with their loot, and less passengers and then deliver them at noon. Fascinating. We then got to board one of the trains to take us to Dhobi Ghat. Now these trains are not subway trains….they are train- trains. Open doors, open windows, open everything. There is no waiting to get off or on. The getting off part was the problem. Now some in our group were, let’s say rather slow and tend to dawdle. I was not ready to get stuck on a train in who knows where, so, I was very firm when it came to getting off. No, isn’t she just a sweetheart here…. Even the guide was rather blunt.” Get off when I say or get pushed off.” It was either that or wait till I come and fetch you at the next stop…..not what I wanted to do. We have taken many tours on this cruise and my level of irritation is coming to a max. Some of these people should not be on these tours…..but that is another very long story. On to Dhobi Ghat. It is located on the banks of the local river and tons of laundry is washed here every day. Each morning, laundry from all over Mumbai is brought here to be washed. The next day, after being air dried, it is pressed, folded, wrapped and delivered to the owners. At about 5 cents apiece. And on another note….most of the workers are men. Thousands of pieces of laundry just flying in the smog. And the sheets were as white as can be…amazing. Again, Bruce amused the local children with his mustache, or maybe it was the necklaces he was wearing around his neck that we just bought. Anyway, to all the Tsunami drummers reading this…your thoughtful contribution is being passed around the world. We stopped at the Mani Bhawan Gandhi museum where Gandhi lived between 1917 and 1934. We drove along Marine drive which is a very nice beach area, but once again nobody swims there. The locals go there for snacks and walking along the shore. And at night it is all lit up and called “The Queens Necklace”. The drive back to the ship was rather long due to traffic, but it was fascinating. We were told by the ship tour director that we would either hate India or love it. I don’t think that I can say whether I do or don’t since I really did not spend much time here. I know I did not love it, but all the people were wonderful. I did not hate it either…just the living conditions. It is a very fascinating place, but….not somewhere I will return to. We arrived at the ship and saw a new decoration…… coiled razor wire. Yep…..it was hanging all around the outer lower promenade deck, right above our deck 2 room window. This was the first time anyone has ever seen this on a cruise ship. We are going to cross the Arabian Sea, close to southern Pakistan and into the Gulf of Aden close to Somalia, so I guess it’s better to be prepared. Either that or they have much more Intel than they are telling us. I choose the former. The Captain already informed us that there will be convoys in the area to escort the smaller, slower ships. May the fair winds be at our back. On to Egypt where we will be going on a one night overland. We will be arriving in Egypt early, so this option was offered to the Valley of Kings in Luxor. Can’t wait.

Shipboard Meanderings……

Everywhere I have visited as a tourist, I have been very respectful of each countries customs. Whether it be taking off my shoes in a religious institution or covering my shoulders and knees during the day no matter how hot it is outside. The ship tour director has been very informative about what to do and wear in each country, and at every port gives us the currency exchange rates and basic language formalities. That being said, most on this ship are clueless. They still act like they are in the US, with everything it has to offer, even though we are miles away, and in a different country. The complaining is mind boggling and even though we are sailing around the world, the world is revolving around them. With the… I can do anything I want to and to heck with everyone else attitude… I just don’t get it. I know this is complicated, but I am beginning to understand much more about why some of the world really dislikes us so much. I do to, at times.

Dhobi GhatElephanta Caves