July 14, 2009

Hi all,

The adventure continues. Pete and I leave Mumbai tonight for Goa. The past few days have been interesting ...

Bollywood: While we were still in Delhi, Pete and I decided to check out a real Bollywood film. As we went into the theater, there was a bag search and pat down. Guess who forgot to take out her camera before going to the movies? I asked the guard if there was any where to store my camera and he said sure, around the corner. I left Pete and headed around the corner where all I saw were makeshift stalls selling cigarettes and gum. I asked the man behind the counter if there was a storage facilty. Yep, he said. Where? Oh, right here. Great. I did leave the camera but was definitely worried about the fact that the guy checked it out before taking it. (Everything was fine in the end). The movie itself was great -- dramatic, silly, and tons of dancing and singing. And, just when we thought the movie was over, there was an intermission.

We had an uneventful train ride to Mumbai but when we got off the train ...

Slumdog, no Millionaire: Pete, the world traveler, said let's find an Internet cafe and look up hostels, something I thought had already been taken care of. Pete led the way and took us on a tour of the slums of the city. It was by far the worst thing I have ever seen. Imagine a landfill with muddy roads, a constant traffic flow of taxis, cows and dogs, beggars, naked children, homes built literally in the gutter, men "showering" on the sidewalk, noise and the worst smells imaginable. Add to that some "tension" been the two of us. We eventually took a cab and got a hostel behind the Taj Mahal Hotel, which was one of the sights on December's terrorist attack. We had tea at Leopold's Cafe, which was also a target of the attack. There are two large bulletholes left in the front window as a reminder.

Mumbai is pretty gross so we went for a day trip to the Karla Cave, something Pete had heard about.

Three (Million) is a Crowd: Karla Cave is in Lonavla, about a 2 1/2 hour train ride from Mumbai. Our train was barebones -- wooden benches, metal luggage racks and broken windows. We were about the only people on the train when the journey began but slowly it filled up. First, people had seats. Then, they started sitting on the luggage racks. When those got full, they stood in the aisle, sat on the floor, shared seats and hung out the train doorways. All the time, men were rushing through the aisles to sell hot tea and candy. Outside the train, it was peaceful and goregous. Huge mountains and lush valleys with rushing waterfalls and monkeys. Because of the rain there was a light mist along the mountain tops. We eventually made it to Lonavla and one rickshaw ride later we were at the base of a mountain, where we climbed stone steps to the top and there was the cave, a Buddhist temple dating back to the 1st Century B.C. It was amazing -- stone carvings of the Buddha and elephants, huge rounded arches and pillars. Just beautiful.

Without a Paddle: Getting back took 5 hours (not worth explaining) and by the time we were in Mumbai, the monsoon had hit. I've never seen rain like this. Just constant -- like walking through a shallow river while someone dumps buckets of water over your head. Of course, Pete and I were the only two idiots without a umbrella. Thank goodness for quick-drying shirts and pants (the same cannot be said for bags, scarves or shoes).

We're on the midnight train to Goa so, much more to come.

Love, Alice