Hello from Bombay (using the Portuguese name for Mumbai today in honor of our visit to the American School of Bombay). I have so much to say and have seen so much today that I am dividing my blog into 2 parts.. Part 1 - First Impressions and Part 2 - The American School of Bombay. As you can see, I am doing my best to absorb the culture. What a sensual place this is - Music is everywhere, smells from incense, spices and more fill the air, vehicles and animals rush by in every shape and color, fabrics are ornate and lush, the foods like bhaji with basmati rice are artistically prepared with sprinkles of coriander ... I could float away...
Still, Bombay is not an easy city to navigate. There is a need for more infrastructure evidenced by flooding and unpaved roads. There are countless stray dogs and countless people in need everywhere. I also saw one cow in the road just relaxing along with many chickens and one goat. But, for every difficulty or challenge that I saw, I could name another sight which evidences hope and growth and tremendous energy. There is construction everywhere as well which obviously provides lots of opportunity for work, commerce, etc. Business people, women in gorgeous clothing, schoolchildren, etc. also line the streets. It is truly a mega-city - reminds me much of Mexico City in the pace of the people and the millions of stories they could tell.
One thing that has really surprised me is the extreme security everywhere. Perhaps because we are in a western-style hotel and we visited a western school - I'm not sure. But the number of gates, check points, searches, armed guards and overall surveillance of our every move has made a strong impression on me. Matt bought a sim card for his phone and had to be all but fingerprinted - he was photographed, had to produce a photo ID and had to fill out countless forms - all security measures in order to monitor the phone. I would say the USA is not the only land with an elaborate Homeland Security.
The excellent service continues to make an impression as well. In India, it seems, when you ask for more coffee, you get a whole new cup - so your coffee / sugar / milk ratio is never ruined - genius!!
More about our school visit and new friends coming soon...
cmn
What a wonderful description--I really feel as if I were there. Yes, from my recent trip to Mexico, I can see the similarities--how does the city compare to Rio? Are you allowed to take pictures freely? I would enjoy seeing pictures of some of the characters you are describing--well, maybe not the fellow in the London airport, but those at your hotel for sure. We miss you but can tell you are having a great experience.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comment! Well, this city is much larger, much more crowded and much less sunny than Rio - Like Rio and as in much of the developing world there are lots of slums - the favelas in Rio are more colorful - I do think both cities have an abundance of colorful characters. The energy of this city is much faster... I am allowed to take pictures freely but it's hard when we are in a moving car - I have just learned how to post pics on my blog so I'll be sure to post more..
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