Bye-Bye Bombay...

Mumbai (Bombay), India

August 25-26, 2007
N 18°57.250
E 072°48.667

When we arrived in Bombay a little over a week ago, Abbas advised us there isn’t a lot to do in Bombay except eat and drink. Abbas and Zainab ensured us we would hit some of the best places in Bombay, but at the same time enjoy proper meals in the comfort of their home. After six nights in Bombay, I have to admit, we ate our way through the city just like Abbas promised!

Night clubs were on the agenda as well. The night life in Bombay is buzzing with activity as all the hipsters hit the clubs to drink, dance, gossip, and listen to thumping house music. The women are beautiful; all immaculately dressed, with perfect hair, and sparkling jewelry — as if they just left the set of the latest Bollywood movie.

Below is just a sample of the food we enjoyed during our visit. This doesn’t include the fabulous breakfasts and lunches we ate at home, all prepared by Abbas and Zainab’s cook, which were outstanding. We both loved all the food; however, I think Marc’s favorite part of eating in India was eating his meal with his hand (right hand only) and not using utensils. I have to say—I enjoyed it too.

Dining:
Bade Miya, located in Colaba—we hit this place around 11:30 PM the night we arrived in Bombay. The popular take-away place is located on a small dark street (more like an alley) that has a few tables for walk-up customers, but the majority of the customers eat on the trunk (or boot) of their car. Smoke from the grill, placed right on the sidewalk, filled the air as horns honked and people piled into the area looking to score their late night fix of tika.

A waiter takes your order and then tosses a few newspapers across the trunk before returning with plates of tender chicken tikka, lamb, and mutton. The dinner isn’t complete without mint chutney on the side, spooned over the meat, as you use the piping hot roomali roti to scoop up the tasty treat. This was one of our favorite meals in Bombay, for both the atmosphere and the food!

Samrat, located in Churchgate—we experienced this typical Indian vegetarian restaurant that serves Thali the day after Sana’s big birthday party. Different dishes, such as Chana Masala and Aloo Palak, are served in multiple small metal bowls. As soon as a bowl is empty it is refilled, and then refilled again, and refilled again, until you just can’t eat anymore. The place was packed for Sunday brunch as everyone scooped up the all-you-can eat dishes with an endless supply of roti and naan.

Trishna, located in Fort Area—this restaurant specializes in seafood and it really is some of the best seafood I have ever had. We started the meal with spicy prawns, dipped in mint chutney, and accompanied with onions and fresh lime juice.

The second course, a grilled, or possibly baked, white fish, was the star of the show. The white, flakey fish was crusted with pepper and what tasted like crushed coriander seeds. The flavors blended together perfectly, with the fish melting in our mouths. If we used forks, someone might have been stabbed in the hand; instead the one with the fastest hands got it. I would actually say this was the best fish I have EVER had!

I was still in shock over the fish, enjoying the peppery taste in my mouth, when the next course was delivered. A large, cracked crab tossed in butter, garlic and cilantro was shared among the four of us. The large crab legs had loads of sweet meat that we picked out with our fingers.

Yes, we were all stuffed to the at this point, but one more dish was delivered to our table—a traditional Indian prawn curry. The curry was served with roomali roti and naan depending on our preference—I preferred the roomali roti, Marc the naan—to each their own, right?

This is definitely the place for seafood; everything is fresh and has an Indian twist to the recipes. The restaurant was packed with locals and everyone ordered the famous specialties.

Kareem’s—this small kebab joint is located along restaurant row in Bandra West. The various takes of tandoori here are top-notch. Similarly to Bade Miya, the place serves great, consistent food in a very low key atmosphere. This was our last meal in Bombay, and it was one I will remember for a very long time.

Nightlife:
Like I mentioned, we hit several of the hot night clubs. Many of them, like New York City, are places to see and be seen. Here are a few of the places we enjoyed:

Indigo, located in Colaba—the bar of this place gets packed early as the tables are filled with diners enjoying the latest European cuisine. There are two bars, one upstairs and one downstairs, that each has their own charm. The lounge upstairs has couches that make it comfortable to sit in a group and gossip over a Belvedere martini. However, the main action is definitely in the bar downstairs, where people stand at least five deep, making a serious challenge to squeeze through to the bar for a drink.

Starwood inside Taj Mahal Palace—hip place located inside the beautiful Taj Mahal Palace and Tower. Even if you don’t stay at the Taj, a visit is a must, and you might as well grab a drink while you are in there.

The Journey Back to Bombay...

Mumbai (Bombay), India

August 23-24, 2007
N 18°57.250

E 072°48.667

The road from Agra back to Delhi was a life-or-death obstacle course.

At one point there was a cement truck that dumped its contents across the road, later a truck load of bricks was strewn about the highway, then our driver avoided the still smoldering frame of a farmer’s truck; next, three kids who had just crashed their motorbike sat there in shock—they appeared to be bleeding; there were farmers on tractors, multiple camel drawn carts, dogs (dead and alive), rickshaws, and bicycles. In addition, there was non motorized traffic consisting of men, women and children randomly darting across the highway, all seemingly oblivious to the traffic on the busy thoroughfare.

The 200 KM trip, or 124 miles, took nearly five hours of constant horn blowing and brake smashing travel… for those that don’t want to do the math that’s an average of 25 miles/hour.

As we got closer to Delhi the three lanes of traffic turned into four. Cars straddled the lines; tuk-tuks drove on the shoulder as did the smaller cars. It seemed to be complete chaos a total free-for-all. We weaved our way through the bedlam and made a few stops at some of the tourist highlights in Delhi such as the Red Fort, the Lotus Temple and the India Gate before finally arriving at our hotel.

We decided to live it up a little in Delhi and booked a night at the Intercontinental. Our room, which was on the 27th floor, looked out over the city of Delhi, the train station and the main business district of Connaught Place. The view of the train station was amazing. Watching the platform hum with activity was hypnotic; filling to maximum capacity, and emptying moments later as the train pulled away. Thousands of people just kept pouring into the station, almost materializing out of thin air; it was like watching ants cover a sugar cube.

The next morning, after reading in the local newspaper about India having the second highest number of traffic fatalities in the world (China is #1), our driver picked us up with his new wife to take us to the airport. His wife, who was visiting Delhi for her first time, comes from a remote village in northern India of only 500 people. Apparently, she was so exited about the day’s events she woke up at 4:00 AM in anticipation of making the journey to the airport to see the planes and meet her first Westerners.

-------------------------------------

We finally landed in Mumbai around 12:30 PM and set out for home in a taxi. As you know, home is where our backpacks are, and they were still at the Merchant home.

The traffic through Bombay was pretty thick in the middle of the day and the 20 KM journey took us an hour and a half. The wealth in Bombay is apparent during the day as various high end cars such as Porsches and Mercedes zipped by, we even saw a Bentley cruising down Marine Drive. Of course, at the same time, there were plenty of hawkers selling anything from magazines to newspapers to replicas of popular books such as “Freakanomics” and “The Secret.”

The three days in Agra and Delhi went by quickly, but we were happy to be back in the comfort of the Merchant household. After the Delhi run around, we definitely felt more at home.

THE Wonder of the World...

Agra, India

August 22, 2007
N27°10.370
E078°02.480

The alarm went off at 5:30 AM. We had been looking forward to the sunrise at Taj Mahal for a few days and hoped the weather would cooperate and deliver a clear sunrise. We met our guide and driver at precisely 6:00 AM and headed directly to one of the newest Seven Wonders of the World.

Our guide asked us to keep our heads down as we walked through the entrance of the red sandstone gate and then moved us into position. We could hear the oohs and aahs of other tourists around us who were already admiring the white beauty.

We were told to open our eyes. We slowly lifted our heads and gazed toward the massive white marble structure nearly 300 meters away. The sun was poking through the cloud cover and provided a glistening sheen against the white. The symmetrical structure had two towering minarets on each side, slightly angled outward, in order to prevent them from collapsing on the main structure in the event of an earthquake.

On each side of the main building was a red sandstone building, also shimmering in the early morning sun, providing a balance to the radiant white marble. As with other incredible sites we’ve seen during our travels they are nearly impossible to describe in words. The only thing we could say when asked what we thought was… “Wow!”

Walking closer to the architectural marvel, we snapped pictures and listened to our guide tell us about the history of the Taj Mahal. The structure, which was built over 350 years ago, is constructed of white Indian marble and inlayed precious and semi-precious stones. The stones were carved into intricate designs such as lotus flowers, with each petal individually carved and various colors of stones. Several versus of the Koran were engraved in the arches of the massive structure. The level of detail, especially when it was built, is truly amazing and is one of the reasons it deserves to be included as one of the Seven Wonders!

We strolled around the grounds for a few hours admiring the intricate details of the building as the sun continued to rise, slowly providing more light, giving us different perspectives of the building. Our guide was great. Not only did he provide historical details, but he knew where to take all of the best pictures. We posed for so many pictures it felt like we were at Prom; A Night at the Taj.

When we thought we had seen enough, we took one last look at the white glow from the other end of the plaza, and confirmed we had indeed seen something special. Witnessing the site early in the morning afforded us more photo opportunities without throngs of people in our pictures. At times we almost had the place to ourselves, relatively speaking.

The other sites in Agra, such as the massive Agra Fort and its beautiful red sandstone, were very impressive. However, they just don’t compare to the great Taj.

The Delhi Run Around...

Agra, India

August 21, 2007
N27°10.370
E078°02.480

Our plan was to get to Agra in order to enjoy the Taj Mahal at sunrise on Wednesday morning. Since we arrived in Delhi at 10:30 AM on Tuesday we figured this wouldn’t be a problem. We did our research in advance and knew of two ways to make the trip from Delhi to Agra—train or local bus.

Managing our way through the throngs of people in the airport we found our way to the tourist desk, the one recommended by Lonely Planet. The woman at the desk advised us a local train left the New Delhi station at 11:30 AM, 12:30 PM and 1:30 PM… perfect! After a few minutes of pidgin English regarding our destination with the cab driver we headed off to the New Delhi station, a little skeptical that things were going a little too smoothly.

The parking lot of the New Delhi train station was packed with cars, taxis, tuk-tuks and hundreds, if not thousands, of people. We saw the entrance to the train station and streamlined to it; ignoring the pleas from the homeless and hawkers. Perfect, we’ll make the train, no problem. At least that’s what we thought…

When we got to the entrance a man in a clean, white shirt (looking very official) asked us for our ticket. We politely explained we needed to buy one. He led us to an entrance that said “Do Not Enter” and said “that is where the tourist ticket office used to be, but now the tourist bureau has moved to Block N, about 1 KM up the road.” The man explained he would be happy to help us, a tuk-tuk within the walls of the train station is cheaper than one outside, he told us. Marc started to get in the tuk-tuk, but then kind of snapped, feeling he was getting the run around from these guys and his two or three buddies that had now gathered.

I was a few steps back and wasn’t really sure what was transpiring. All I heard was, “this is total bullshit” and Marc turned to me and told me to follow him. We quickly made our way back to the entrance of the train station. This time there was another man in a white shirt “guarding” the entrance; he explained since we were not Seikh we couldn’t enter to buy tickets from the local’s counter and the tourist ticket office was closed. Again, we were told we would need to visit a tourist office down the street. This was a slight variation to the first story, but we were getting the idea that we weren’t going to be allowed to enter the station. The man led us to back to the same group of tuk-tuks. Marc was furious at this point, realizing this was most likely a scam and reluctantly told the driver to take us to Block N. It was now close to 11:45 AM and our chances of catching an afternoon train were slipping away. We were never allowed into the New Delhi train station to investigate ourselves.

The tuk-tuk driver dropped us off at Block N, whatever that is, and we walked into the office with a hand painted sign out front that read “India Tourist Bureau.” As soon as we walked in a young man jumped up and was ready to help us. Marc looked at the kid and said in his most rude American accent, “I don’t have a lot of time so let’s make this quick.”

We sat down in the air conditioned make-shift office with walls about six feet high, a computer on the desk, and two chairs waiting for us. We explained to the kid that we needed two train tickets for Agra today. The kid told us the next train was at 1:30 PM; however it left from the Old Delhi train station (45 minutes away), not the New Delhi train station where we were. This is when Marc started to lose it; having flashbacks from his days at Visage Mobile. All we wanted was the next train to Agra… why are we getting a different story from everyone we talk to? We knew why, but it didn’t make us any less frustrated.

The kid appeared to check a few schedules on his computer before making a phone call with our request. He asked the “person” on the other end of the phone to call him back with information on two tickets, supposedly on any train, any class. We made idle chit-chat for a few minutes before the guy picked up his phone again (which didn’t ring). He explained there weren’t any seats available on any trains for the day. He went on to tell us that he doubted there were any seats available on the train for the following day. Oh crap... this was supposed to be easy and now we began to see where this was going.

Marc, his voice still elevated, asked about a bus. The kid told us the buses aren’t safe and he wouldn’t even take one himself. We were in a bind… we pre-paid for two nights at a hotel in Agra and we planned on seeing the Taj at sunrise—one of the best ways to see it (sunset and full moons are also nice). We asked for our other options since this was the “India Tourist Bureau.”

This is when Marc really started to lose it. The guy told us the only way to get to Agra today was by private car. Marc looked through the kid and asked how much it would cost. When the kid reached for his calculator Marc scolded him and said, “You know exactly how much it will cost, put away your calculator, I don’t need your act!” The kid was shocked and tried to explain there were taxes and he had to add up the cost. Marc replied, “Then you’re not very good at your job.”

The price (derived without the calculator) pissed Marc off even more. He tried to get up and say he was going back to the train station, but he knew he would probably only go through the routine for a third time. We quietly discussed the pros and cons of staying in Delhi for the night and trying to take a train in the morning. We will be out the money for the room, we will have to pay a lot more for a room in Delhi, we will miss sunrise, etc.

Reluctantly, feeling totally screwed because we’re tourists, we agreed to a private car. Our driver would take us to and from Agra (200 KM away), drive us around in Agra, provide a guide for the Taj Mahal and Agra Fort and take us to any other sites we requested. Fifteen minutes later we were in “our” car and on the way to Agra, feeling totally defeated.

We’re fine paying a little more for entrance fees into sites as a foreigner, we expect it, maybe even paying a little more for a train ride, but we do not like getting five different answers from five different people and succumbing to paying more because we aren’t given any other options. We actually showed the kid a section in Lonely Planet that warns travelers to be wary of train station scams. One example outlined our exact situation. The kid read the section, looked at us and almost apologetically explained that we need to understand things work differently here (India). Yes, we obviously understand.

We were still furious when we got in the car. However, after two hours into the five hour drive, we enjoyed the scenery along the road including camels pulling carts of sugar cane, cows wandering aimlessly among the traffic, dogs sleeping in the middle of the highway, and bicyclists recklessly darting in and out of moving cars, tuk-tuks and buses.

When we got closer to Agra our driver pulled off to show us Akbar’s Mausoleum. The sun was just setting; the rays striking the sandstone ancient structure, perfectly illuminating the various shades of red. We both took a lot of pictures and enjoyed the park like setting within the mausoleum walls. Monkeys, deer, peacocks and chipmunks roamed around the lush green lawn that extended out into a row of trees. As we strolled through the grounds we realized if we were on a bus or train right now we wouldn’t be here at sunset…

The incident in Delhi became a distant memory and we were again reminded that the Universe is perfect and there’s a reason for everything that happens.

Bombay Behind the Scenes...

Mumbai (Bombay), India

August 20, 2007
N 18°57.250
E 072°48.667

Even though our friend Abbas was very busy with last minute party preparations, he still found time to drive us around and show us his city. He guided us around the Queen’s Necklace, the waterfront drive along the Arabian Sea. We strolled by the Gateway of India, enjoyed a glass of refreshing sugar cane juice at a famous location and browsed the many shops along the Colaba Causeway. However, on Monday, when Abbas had to return to work, we found ourselves on our own and plenty of Bombay left to see.

We planned to take a walking tour through the Colaba area and catch a few of the remaining sites; however, when we were approached by a man claiming to be a city guide offering a tour we thought we would take advantage of it. We jumped in a cab near the Gateway of India with a promise from our guide—to get us back by 2:00 PM for lunch with Zainab.

Our guide started the tour by taking us to see the Jain Temple which provided some excellent photo opportunities for Marc with its silver doors and intricate paintings. From there we headed to the Hanging Gardens where the majority of the city’s water is collected during the monsoon season. Next, we stopped at the Dhobi Ghat public laundry basins where over 200 people work to wash, dry, iron and fold laundry every day for smaller hotels, laundry shops and restaurants. The colorful hotel and restaurant uniforms blew in the wind as they hung to dry in the hot Bombay sun.

We then took a ride through the back alleys of Bombay; our guide explained that it’s an unfortunate but very real part of the city. It’s rumored over 3 million men, women and children, most unaccounted for by the government, live in shanties with tin roofs and tarpaulin canopies for protection from the sun and rain. Young girls with babies in their arms came up to our window, touching their fingers to their mouths, with a forlorn look on their faces. As always during our travels, we wanted to help, but know simply giving money will likely only sustain a lifetime of begging.

Before heading back to the ritzy Colaba area, we ventured through one of Bombay’s Red Light Districts. Several working ladies stood in doorways that led to make-shift rooms with probably little more than a bed based on their size. Our guide told us there are over 100,000 prostitutes in Mumbai. The shocking stat he shared with us is that 35-40% of the women are HIV positive.

We asked what India is doing about the HIV rate, but didn’t get a straight answer. However, he did confirm Bill Gates recently spent time in Mumbai and donated at least $100M to help with AIDS prevention. We hope more measures are put in place to reduce the rate of HIV and, more importantly, help protect the young ladies forced into the sex trade.

We thought about this sobering fact as we headed to Victoria Train Station to admire the beautiful architecture—it’s nearly a mirror image of the Victoria Station in London and helped move our thoughts away from the poor women and children in the streets.

After a three hour tour our guide returned us at exactly 2:00 to the Merchant’s for lunch— a tasty prawn curry, rice and salad. Making us realize how blessed we are for not only having food and shelter, but to have wonder friends to share a meal with.

We managed fine on our own for the day, but it is really great to have friends to show you around their city!

You Say it's Your Birthday...

Mumbai (Bombay), India

August 19, 2007

N 18°57.250

E 072°48.667

We landed in Mumbai around 10:00 PM local time on Friday night and immediately began seeing the sites of Bombay. Our friend, Abbas Merchant, whom we haven’t seen in six years, was patiently waiting for us at the airport and ready to show us a good time. After dropping off our backpacks at his home and meeting his wife Zainab we headed out to grab a bite to eat. We also talked about the big event scheduled for the following day, their daughter Sana’s 1st birthday party.

The planning for the party started two months ago; renting a hall, picking a theme and creating a guest list. A final invite list was whittled down to 150 guests, all receiving invitations customized with “The Little Mermaid” theme. Party gifts, chalkboards with “The Little Mermaid” and Nemo for younger kids and CD cases for older kids, were personalized for every child attending.

The cake was ordered, “The Little Mermaid” theme, of course, and color coordinated with the decorations in the hall for the evening. Styrofoam cut-outs of Nemo, Little Mermaid as well as hundreds of white, blue and green balloons added to the theme of the event. The stage was decorated with a blue background and cutouts of dolphins, seahorses, turtles, jellyfish and sea plants. A big sign read Happy Birthday Sana. There were plenty of events for the kids including caricature drawings, tattoos, games and a magic show. Everything was perfectly coordinated by the party planner with Zainab’s occasional assistance.

We arrived at the private Cricket Club at 8:00 PM, with the guest of honor herself, and made our grand entrance into the CK Nayudu Banquet Hall. The entire family, dressed in beautifully color coordinated outfits, greeted their guests as they arrived. By 8:30 PM the hall was teeming with grandparents, parents, friends, kids and nannies, all mingling and talking in groups, while sipping fresh watermelon or pineapple juice and munching on chicken sate or corn curd. Everyone treated us like family; welcoming us to India, introducing themselves and chatting with us throughout the evening.

The children were all very well behaved, especially as the night wore on; playing games, watching the magic show (which Marc participated in) and running about playing tag. After the scheduled entertainment concluded it was time to cut the cake! Sana cut the cake in a ceremony where everyone from the family took a bite from the eldest member of the family to the youngest, similar to a cake cutting in a wedding where the bride and groom feed each other.

After dinner it was close to 11:00 PM and most people called it a night. The party was an absolute success with fun had by everyone at all ages.

Marc and I were shocked by the size of the party, larger than many weddings at home, and definitely larger than our wedding. We were very happy to be a part of Sana’s birthday celebration and experience a special celebration in a different culture.

And the party just kept going…. On Sunday the entire family arrived at the Merchant household. This was Sana’s birthday according to their religious calendar; however, celebration begins at sundown the night prior.

Sana was dressed in a traditional birthday outfit for the religious ceremony with her family. All of the women were clad in traditional Indian dress of vibrant colors and meticulously placed sequins. They placed their scarves on their heads, placed a pinch of sugar to Sana, Zainab lips and one for themselves before they rotated foil wrapped coconuts clockwise in front of Sana; as everyone jubilantly sang and clapped “Happy Birthday” to Sana.

I took my turn with the coconuts before we all made our way to a traditional Indian meal at a local restaurant. The birthday celebration continued throughout brunch as everyone talked about how it seemed like just yesterday when Sana was born. The entire family was beaming with pride at the youngest member of their family.

The “official” birthday celebration ended shortly after lunch when everyone, pretty much in a food coma, was ready for a big long nap… except for the birthday girl, of course! Sana was still wired from all the stimulation over the past 24 hours from celebrating her first of many birthdays to come.