Arrived at the hotel after day one of my tour only to realize that I had left my smartphone in a blue cab. As I mentioned before, there are approximately 20,000 cabs in Mumbai, so there was no chance of recovering my HTC Dash complete with a prepaid SIM card. Fortunately, that was the only thing I lost on my voyage with the exception of my favorite bike multi-tool that some young security official pocketed at the Munich Airport...
Another night and no relief from the humidity, 12 a.m. 32 C (felt like 40 C) – time for another cold shower without drying off before hitting the sac. The bedsheets were incredibly starchy, fortunately I had packed a sleeping bag liner and mini pillow which served me well throughout the trip.
I jumped out of bed early and had the great idea of taking a commuter train from Chembur (where my hostel was) to Mumbai, it was a fraction of the cost because the hotel security guard escorted me to the station and paid for the ticket – I came to realize that there are two prices for everything: one for "National Citizens" and another for "Tourists". But I was determined to act like the common man, I'm adaptable – right? I boarded the train circa 1956, grabbed a dangling handle from the lime green ceiling and blended in like a pink elephant on a bus. I was reminded of what my tour guide told me the day before – there is no personal space in India, no one even knows what it means. After each stop more people boarded, spaces became smaller and the burning stares became stronger, and just when I thought that more people could not possibly fit in, even more boarded the train – repeat times two. Although it was obvious that I was "one of those kids that's not like the other" I felt calm, safe and fortunate. It was just an experience for me, but for thousands of working class citizens it was simply an ordinary commute to the city. The temples, caves and monuments were wondrous and amazing, however my experiences with people is what I cherished the most from the voyage.
I arrived at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus built in 1903, (formerly known as Victoria Terminus, 1996). This was another site of the terrorist attacks in 2008 (again thankful for my early departure a month before the events.) The day before, I went to an internet café and contacted a few people on couchsurfing.com to see if they wanted to meet up for a tour of Elephanta Island. I met the wonderfully friendly Nidhi (Jakhodia). We met at the Gateway to India where the ferries idled in the water with their red and white trim, if Santa built ferries they would look exactly like these. We puttered across the Arabian Sea taking photos and getting to know one another. Once we arrived on the Island, we took an ornamental train to the park's entrance which led us up an infinite staircase, flanked with various makeshift booths that offered all kinds of trinkets and souvenirs at outrageous prices.
We made our way up to the "real entrance" of the caves and had to pay another fee to get in (something that the ticket booth in Mumbai neglected to mention). The double pricing was in effect here as well, and my friend Nidhi tried her best to get me in at the Nationalist price but to no avail, extra Karma points to her for trying – she did manage to get me a Sprite for local prices though, she is one tough negotiator.
The caves were built around the 6th century. I say built because they were all carved out of the mountainside by hand with rudimentary tools. I can't impress upon you how much work that would have taken given the size of the caves and the intricacy of the embedded carvings. Please take a look at my album to get an idea of what I mean. There were several large hall-type caves supported by pillars and guarded by statues of the Hindu God Shiva, in various representations. Nidhi is an amateur photographer, and we spent most of the afternoon pointing our lenses at all of the caves treasures.
When we ran out of things to shoot, we made our way back to the ferry for the trip back to Mumbai. A much welcomed breeze followed us on the boat as we talked about traveling and world views. We disembarked around supper time and decided to eat at an Italian restaurant, the place was packed and decorated with art deco-style posters. I enjoyed spending the day with my new friend, we still keep in touch via Facebook to this day.
She invited me out for tea with her friends that evening, but unfortunately I was leaving for New Delhi very early the next day. In hindsight, I should have spent more time socializing instead of trying to cram in more activities. Live and learn, no regrets here.
I roared off into the pitch black night reflecting on the great day that I had and was excited about my morning trip to New Delhi to meet an old friend whom I had not seen in 20 years.
Another night and no relief from the humidity, 12 a.m. 32 C (felt like 40 C) – time for another cold shower without drying off before hitting the sac. The bedsheets were incredibly starchy, fortunately I had packed a sleeping bag liner and mini pillow which served me well throughout the trip.
I arrived at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus built in 1903, (formerly known as Victoria Terminus, 1996). This was another site of the terrorist attacks in 2008 (again thankful for my early departure a month before the events.) The day before, I went to an internet café and contacted a few people on couchsurfing.com to see if they wanted to meet up for a tour of Elephanta Island. I met the wonderfully friendly Nidhi (Jakhodia). We met at the Gateway to India where the ferries idled in the water with their red and white trim, if Santa built ferries they would look exactly like these. We puttered across the Arabian Sea taking photos and getting to know one another. Once we arrived on the Island, we took an ornamental train to the park's entrance which led us up an infinite staircase, flanked with various makeshift booths that offered all kinds of trinkets and souvenirs at outrageous prices.
The caves were built around the 6th century. I say built because they were all carved out of the mountainside by hand with rudimentary tools. I can't impress upon you how much work that would have taken given the size of the caves and the intricacy of the embedded carvings. Please take a look at my album to get an idea of what I mean. There were several large hall-type caves supported by pillars and guarded by statues of the Hindu God Shiva, in various representations. Nidhi is an amateur photographer, and we spent most of the afternoon pointing our lenses at all of the caves treasures.
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| Even the monkeys don't drink the local water. |
She invited me out for tea with her friends that evening, but unfortunately I was leaving for New Delhi very early the next day. In hindsight, I should have spent more time socializing instead of trying to cram in more activities. Live and learn, no regrets here.
I roared off into the pitch black night reflecting on the great day that I had and was excited about my morning trip to New Delhi to meet an old friend whom I had not seen in 20 years.
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