Thank you India

The Alanis Morrisette song Thank you has a line in it "thank you India" and I can't think of a better way to sum up my visit to this wonderful, mystical, overwhelming place. People that have traveled to India often say: "it will change you" and I couldn't agree more. It attacks all the senses pulling you in opposite directions physically and emotionally. In my opinion you do not vacation in India, you experience India.

Munich to Mumbai

I took an early flight from Munich on Jet Airways. To my pleasant surprise the airline was top notch, I felt as if I was traveling in business class: personal media centre, gourmet Indian food, big comfy seats and wonderful staff. Had I known what the next week would hold for me I would have relished the moment longer... Actually, I found all flights within India to be just as comfortable (not to mention affordable). I arrived in Mumbai (Bombay) at the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport about 12:30 a.m. As I exited the airconditioned aircraft, I felt a wall of hot moisture hit me in the face – not unlike walking into a sauna fully clothed. It was 34 degrees Celsius with 96% humidity. This weather would not change during my entire stay in Mumbai. In fact, during the day the temperature would climb to 40 C. After muddling through the confusing immigration checkpoints (which I found out afterward that you could easily walk past without stopping) I made my way to the currency exchange counter *bring USD with you there are no ATMs in the airport*. I grabbed my fist full of rupees and then booked a prepaid cab. Fortunately at this hour of the day there was little traffic and we motored our way into the darkness. Having lived in Malawi, Africa I thought I was prepared, no, conditioned to adapt to the culture shock; this turned out to be a false assumption. It was, after all, many years ago and seeing people sleeping on the street, in the gutter, and on sidewalks was a huge wake up call. I arrived at the Hotel Pearl in Chembur (about 20 kms north of Mumbai central).

The staff were very pleasant and accomodating however the condition of the rooms left much to be desired - even for hostel standards. That being said, I was glad to have a place to lay down and rest. Fortunately, I brought ear plugs with me which helped drown out the noise of the rattling air conditioner, which did not provide any relief from the heat since it would only blow air. The only way to fall asleep was to take a cold shower without drying off and go straight to bed, allowing the fan to evaporate the water from my skin thus taking some heat with it. As I laid my weary head on my thin pillow, I drifted into sleep thinking about all of the wonderful adventures that awaited me.