Mumbai

The flower delivery guy, in the local fishing village

Well, I am in India, Mumbai to be precise, and by the sounds of it, currently in a much warmer situation than England. Bloody typical, I ALWAYS MISS THE SNOW!!! It is currently in the low 30's (Celsius), and the locals are complaining how cold it is. I have seen numerous hats and sweaters. Crazy. This is just about perfect for me, although I know things will only get hotter until I am able to get up into the mountains (and can make use of the 4 season sleeping bag, down jacket, thermal underwear and beanie i brought with me).

So my experience of India so far has been, fr

ankly, less than typical, but still fantastic. I am staying with friends of a former boss, a lovely family living in the northern area of Mumbai. When I say 'less than typical'' its because of things like them having a cook, a cleaner, a house boy, a gardener and 2 drivers. Now, that may seem like a lot, but the cleaner is the daughter-in-law of the cook, and the houseboy has been part of the family for 4 years and is almost like a son. It doesn't feel like 'master' and 'servant', but more like 'boss' and 'staff'' and I haven't felt uncomfortable.

The lifestyle they lead though, is different to what I will be seeing in the rest of my Indian trip. I have been to The Club twice now, swimming in the pool, and for a wine tasting evening yesterday, and while is does have a certain Raj era feel to it, 80% of the members seem to be Indian, so at least some things have changed.

The neighbourhood where I am currently staying, has more expensive property prices than Manhattan apparently, with lots of swish apartment blocks, all with guards on the front door. In contrast with this, is, well, the real India, which is very close indeed. I went for a ramble around the block this morning, ostensibly to get a hair cut, but also for my first solo taste of India (I have been very lucky to have been driven everywhere with the family up until now). So I did find a barber, armed with a plastic stool, a small box with

his equipment, and a shaded spot on the pavement. For 50rs (75rs is a pound) I got a haircut, a shave with a cut-throat razor and a head massage - al

l from a guy who didn't speak any English and was probably illiterate. I had a view of road one side, packed with cars and auto-rickshaws, all following the standard road policy of complete anarchy (lanes/lights/indicating/stopping etc all seem to be optional), OR, the view the other way was over some waste ground that was frequently used as the toilet by the local market sellers. And less than 10 minutes away from the apartment.

Here is a photo of my new favorite barber...and the view

My new cut, modeled in my bedroom

This contrast between rich and poor, is something that I have never seen more clearly (I thought Kazakhstan was bad...at least most of the people in the village were roughly the same). I am going to see the famous Dharavi slum tomorrow morning - then finally take my first train downtown and finally see the sights of Mumbai (was given a car tour, but not the same as on foot), before attending an art show in the evening. And HOPEFULLY buy a bus ticket to my next destination - Aurangabad, stopping off point for the Ellora and Ajanta caves and Daulatabad fort.

This has been rather long and boring, sorry! A few other things I have done since I have been here... with less rambling I promise!

Flew kites on the beach

Ate sugar cane (it IS sweet, but easier to just suck on sugar cubes)

The local flute/whistle seller walks around playing on one- lovely sound

Drank from a coconut

Went to see a 3D film (journey 2- one of the kids in the family is 11).... ticket cost about 3 pounds

Went to Dominos Pizza