Wednesday, January 2, 2013

Incredible

Absolutely Incredible.

We actually managed to survive our first day in Mumbai/Bombay, the fourth most populous city in the world. Mumbai is huge! Picture Manhattan in your mind then multiply that by five and you have Mumbai. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mumbai)

Before I left, numerous people were telling me scary things about the city. Don't drink the water. Watch out for bombers. Pickpocketing is awful there. Don't be out at night. Don't travel alone. Don't eat raw food. Make sure to be aware of everything around you. Don't make eye contact with any of the men.

I mean seriously? No wonder I was a mess the week before I left. I was honestly freaking out, and sadly my Mom had to be a witness to it all. Thank goodness she was able to stay calm when I wasn't (not sure what I would have done without her help). And yes, all this advice was taken literally. I am paying attention to the water, food, and my surroundings. However, the dangerous connotations mentioned previously are not portrayed in the daily living in India.

The people are wonderful and helpful (although they do stare a lot. I think it's because we are white, but my Mom would say it's because Tess and I are beautiful). The smells, although overwhelming, are not the worst things in the world. The food.. Oh my goodness.. the food. It is amazing! As soon as my body and stomach settle, it will be much harder to lose that extra fifteen here. Yesterday, we met with a mixed group of people. Some from OK, MI, OH, Asia, India, and Singapore. (They are all here for different reasons, and we are very grateful to have met them. Plus, they willingly answered my five hundred questions on India). They took us to an easy-going restaurant called Candies. I had a Malai Chicken Rotti. Believe it or not, they do eat a lot of meat here. However, the multiple vegetarian options excite Tess. They are definitely more plentiful than the options at the VI dining hall. After lunch, we finally made it back to our hotel, The Executive Enclave, to take showers. They were much needed after many days of travel and wandering around the hot streets of Mumbai.

Fresh and ready to head out, we decided to meet the gang for a movie. Although we never made it to the movie because it was sold out, Tess and I got to experience our very first rickshaw ride! If you don't know what a rickshaw is, you must click this link (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auto_rickshaw). I hate to admit this because I want to say a "culture change" was the reason we chose India. However, the real reason was the auto rickshaw. We googled it months ago and thought they were the most spectacular inventions. Needless to say, they are tons of fun. You get turned around a lot. You have to pull over and ask random walkers directions. You think you are going to hit or get hit every five seconds. Yet, they are incredible! The drivers are not the most educated citizens; therefore, they do not speak much English. Most of the time they act like they know where they are going. Once they realize they don't, they turn around and ask you. That doesn't help us since this is our first time in this metropolis. Getting lost honestly makes this adventure more exciting.

Another thing about Mumbai is the noise. It is constant. Honking is not the same in India as it is in the United States. In the US, you utilize your horn as a form of cursing so that the person can actually hear you. (You might be shaking your head as you read this, but that means you are in denial). On the other hand, in India, honking is simply a form of letting the other  rickshaws, cars, bikes, and/or jaywalkers know you are coming so get out of the way. Our first rickshaw driver absolutely loved the horn. Even when he was fifteen feet from another rickshaw, he would blare the horn. It was quite amusing so I made Tess take a video with her phone (I would have done it with mine.... but, that is a sad story). Besides the yacking rickshaws, there are construction workers, engines, a few sirens, and loud bangs that occur every twenty minutes or so. I would say the noise is annoying, but I was prepared for the unexpected. It just comes with the territory.

The one thing I am excited about India is the fact that I truly believe it will help with my over reacting and over analyzing. All of those who know me, know this is a big weakness of mine. So, why not go to a country where over reacting won't help you and over analyzing will take too long? I guess we will see where I am in five months!

1 comment:

  1. I suppose this is why I have not seen a tripcolor blog started from you yet. I'm glad you guys made it safely (not that I had doubt), and I'm glad you both are already "making the time of it".

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