Greetings. Well, I am having one of those challenging global evenings... We had an ok flight back to Mumbai on Kingfisher Airlines - yes, the same company as the beer company. The best thing I can say about flying on Kingfisher is that it is better than flying on "Spice Jet" which we experienced the other day. At any given time, there are at least 70 Kingfisher employees standing around when you fly on the airline (in addition to those actually working) so there is always someone around (wearing bright red) in case you need anything.
So we have arrived at our hotel - The Shalimar. I'm sure it was a nice hotel once upon a time. Perhaps we'll leave it at that - Mumbai is a city where so many have so little (or nothing) that I can't allow myself to complain too much (as tempting as it may be). And speaking of Mumbai, this city perplexes me ... When we were here last time, we only experienced our lavish hotel (near the airport) and then we just saw one shanty town after another as we left the city for Pune. Tonight, we are in a completely different part of the city, the south. The marine drive (along the Arabian sea) is nearby but we couldn't really see any water as it was dark (will report on the view later). There were some buildings that look quite fabulous and modern so I think we may be near a Bollywood hotspot. We also saw a brand new Rolls Royce driving along the freeway which seemed like the most decadent and absurd reality yet...
Well, it's very late (or very early) and we have another big day tomorrow. I will publish more info and pictures from our school visits asap - part of my issue this evening was that the internet does not work in my room and so I am using the business center which they were kind enough to open for me in the middle of the night.
For those of you who know Matt (and even if you don't), you'll be happy to know that his Student Leadership workshops have been a huge hit, especially the one today at the Sanskriti School in Delhi - so, even though our pace has been somewhat brutal, we are enjoying some success and kind attention.
Good night from Mumbai!
cmn
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Shalimar is a perfume brand my grandma used to wear... if the hotel is from the same age I can easily picture it! The images you describe sound like taken from Ionesco, many contrasts and interesting scenes. Your new office in the FFC is waiting for you, the Global Village corner has been widely visited especially by the seniors. Take care and have a safe trip back home,
ReplyDeleteMaluza