Mumbai, Day 1

Listening to: Sæglopur (Enigma Remix) by Sigur Ross

Our flight was packed. As in stuffed. Bags and limbs alike pooled into the aisles. There were lots of screaming babies, and overweight people who spilled out of their respectively assigned seating. In economy, each row had 10 seats, and there were at least 50 rows. I have to admit to thinking about how heavy our plane must be, and saying a little prayer. I mean over 500 passengers and at least 800 suitcases? I wasn't sure the plane was going to lift-off. A different experience than my previous flight to say the least.

I was at the back of the bus in the middle row. Luckily the man beside me was a little Asian man who kept to himself and didn't get up once the entire flight! So I was able to settle in and stay settled. I fell asleep the second I put my eyemask on and earplugs in. Ajda on the other hand was at the front of the aircraft's economy section, giving her a ton of legroom. However, she was seated next to one of those people who needed a seat and a half, resulting in little-to-no sleep.

9 hours and 1 curry later, we are finally landed in Mumbai! "YES!" We thought. Oh, how wrong we were. Getting through immigration, claiming our baggage, and going through customs only took us a mere TWO HOURS. But finally we were through. Exiting the building was another challenge in itself. There were military officials blowing whistles into ears, people pushing, and a strange sense of franticness- all just to get out of the door and into the outside world (which was equally as frantic!) luckily our driver was easy to find and he helped us meander through the thousands of people, many of whom had decided to have their lunches on picnic blankets in the middle of the walkway, parking lot, and various other places. I'm talking a full picnic lunch, with men in white garb sat around in a circle on a blanket while their fully covered female relatives served them various dishes. Very bizarre sight to see... Not quite the European Picnic I'm accustomed to.

Visiting India when I was 11, I vividly remember a few experiences, one being exiting the airport in New Delhi and taking my first few steps on Indian soil. The same things I remember from 13 years ago still applied. The smell of hot, burning garbage and piss permeated the air. The pollution made it impossible to see more than a kilometer or two into the distance. The rich and the poor coexist in streets covered in garbage and littered with stray dogs. People set up food stands, makeshift homes, and relieve themselves wherever they please. India is a sensory shock.
In a span of 15 minutes during our drive to our hotel, we passed the largest slums in Asia where Slumdog Millionaire was largely filmed. The next thing we know, we are in the richest neighborhood of Mumbai, living next to The Brad Pitt of Bollywood (people crowd outside his apartments hoping for a glimpse).

We are staying at the Taj Lands End. As far as the Taj hotels go, this one is fairly new and more business-like. To get on the hotel property, they check under the hood, in the trunk, and underneath our car for bombs. When we pull up to the front we are greeted by a valet in traditional and beautiful Indian attire. Then, we are approached by a very serious man in a security uniform who takes all our bags and puts them through an x-ray machine and ushers us through a metal detector. We are finally in the lobby.

We are greeted by staff who have clearly been selected, trained, and polished to work in an upscale hospitality environment. We are blessed by a woman who looks like she was ripped out of a Vogue photo shoot, and immediately given a free upgrade. Once we give them our passports, we are escorted to our room where, "the rest of the formalities can be completed in comfort."

Our room is beautiful. This definitely isn't backpacking. I'm writing this from the King Sized bed we share. Ill include photos.

Our view, though not very impressive compared to other cityscapes of the world, is the best Mumbai has to offer. Though fairly smog ridden, we overlook the sea, and the bridge that connects this part of the city to the Eastern part, and the few buildings that are visible trough the smog over there.

We had an AMAZING but expensive (by our budget-standards) Indian dinner, after a Kingfisher in the hotel lobby's bar. My favorite dish was a traditional Northern Punjabi dish of lentils. One of our waiters (yes, one of) told us that they had been cooked over a small flame for two days, while the additions of butter, cream, and spices slowly simmered with them. I could have eaten 8 garlic naan dipped in a vat of that stuff. But I wasn't very hungry from all the traveling so I jut sort of nibbled.

One thing I love about the Indians who work in hospitality, such as our driver, te hotel staff, and the waiters, is their attention to detail and their elegance. They speak in a way that puts you at ease and calms you. They strive for perfection and take great pride in what they do. It's really an art, and it's not lost on me.

I fell asleep by 10pm and have been up since 5:40am writing. Today we are meeting our driver at 9am for a full day of sightseeing including museums, and view points. It's now 7:30am and I'm going to eat an orange and have some tea before leaving. More to come when I can next post!