We just returned from our excursion to Mumbai. I am sitting at the computer and I am trying to stay awake. We both woke up around 4 am to some god awful smell in our cabin (Michael thinks is was coal from outside). By 6 am we gave up trying to sleep; just as well, we were scheduled to report to Indian immigration at 6:50 am. Everyone on the entire ship had to go before Indian officials and get a yellow card stamped. Uhhh, we already did this in Cochin. Since Mumbai is in a different state, I guess they have different rules. Since the bombing at the Taj Hotel in Mumbai, security has been tightened. Military personnel are on the pier and on top of the buildings surrounding the ship with guns/rifles/AK47s.
Again, the weather was a factor. Hot, humid and slightly overcast. At least the air conditioning worked on the bus. I was the escort for this tour. Our guide spoke excellent English (lessons are taught in English in private schools and most educated people attend private schools and speak English). Mumbai is a crowded, dirty and interesting city. The architecture is gothic, colonial and believe it or not, has the second largest collection of art deco buildings in the world (after Miami). Again, buildings are not maintained and look like slums or were falling apart. Our guide said this is due to the fact that apartment buildings have rent controls and apartments are passed from generation to generation, and therefore, the landlord cannot increase the rents so there is no money for outside building maintenance. She said the interiors were very nicely fixed up. Fact, fiction, propaganda – who knows.
The sights were interesting, but the facts about Indian life and Mumbai that our guide told to us were more fascinating. One of the things I do when on a tour is take notes about things I find interesting. So I will present these facts (as told to us by our guide and not verified) in no particular order.
There is still a four caste system in place. Discrimination is based upon which caste you belong to and the color of your skin. For women, this is especially important. Light skin women have better matrimonial options (95% of all marriages are still arranged). In fact, they go so far as to avoid the sun so as not to tan and even bleach their skin. People avoid the beach during daylight hours. The water at the beaches in Mumbai is polluted.
Mumbai lives by trains, buses and taxis. It is common for people to commute three hours each way by train from the suburbs to the city for work. The trains are built for 2,000 people, but usually carry 5,000. You cannot carry a lunchbox or bulky bag because there is literally no room to move. People are packed like sardines. Women wear scarves that wrap around the throat. They have to remove them before getting on the train otherwise they could be strangled! A certain percentage of cars on a train are dedicated for women only. Being packed so tightly, it is for safety reasons they do this.
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Mumbai is the financial and commercial capital of India, yet there are cows roaming the streets! Beggars are everywhere; mothers with babes in arms, barefooted children, cripples. The street vendors are very aggressive. Our guide said 64% of the population of 18 million people lives on the streets or in hovels or shacks with no services of any kind. We did see several McDonald’s restaurants, but didn’t see any other western chains.
The places we visited were the Gateway of India, Prince of Wales Museum, Marine Drive, and the Victoria Terminus (train station – very beautiful architecture and huge). We also stopped at the Mahatma Gandhi Museum and Memorial, which was his residence between 1917 and 1934. There is a famous letter housed there in which Gandhi asked Hitler to refrain from war.
The most interesting stop was the dhobi ghats or the laundry. Maybe you have seen this on TV on the travel channel, but it is hard to believe this is the 21st century. Each morning, laundry from all Mumbai is brought here to be soaped, boiled, beaten and thrashed. After being aired, pressed, folded and wrapped, the clean bundles are returned from where they came. There are over 4,000 workers (uneducated and poor) and 700 concrete tubs laid out like a maze. The water is manually pumped in and out, and the water is used over and over again. We even saw people bathing in the water used to wash your linens. It stretched as far are the eye could see. People do not have a washing machine in their homes because they are prohibitive expensive, electricity is expensive, there is water shortages, and labor is cheap -- so it is more cost efficient to send it out.
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Again, the weather was a factor. Hot, humid and slightly overcast. At least the air conditioning worked on the bus. I was the escort for this tour. Our guide spoke excellent English (lessons are taught in English in private schools and most educated people attend private schools and speak English). Mumbai is a crowded, dirty and interesting city. The architecture is gothic, colonial and believe it or not, has the second largest collection of art deco buildings in the world (after Miami). Again, buildings are not maintained and look like slums or were falling apart. Our guide said this is due to the fact that apartment buildings have rent controls and apartments are passed from generation to generation, and therefore, the landlord cannot increase the rents so there is no money for outside building maintenance. She said the interiors were very nicely fixed up. Fact, fiction, propaganda – who knows. The sights were interesting, but the facts about Indian life and Mumbai that our guide told to us were more fascinating. One of the things I do when on a tour is take notes about things I find interesting. So I will present these facts (as told to us by our guide and not verified) in no particular order.
There is still a four caste system in place. Discrimination is based upon which caste you belong to and the color of your skin. For women, this is especially important. Light skin women have better matrimonial options (95% of all marriages are still arranged). In fact, they go so far as to avoid the sun so as not to tan and even bleach their skin. People avoid the beach during daylight hours. The water at the beaches in Mumbai is polluted.
Mumbai lives by trains, buses and taxis. It is common for people to commute three hours each way by train from the suburbs to the city for work. The trains are built for 2,000 people, but usually carry 5,000. You cannot carry a lunchbox or bulky bag because there is literally no room to move. People are packed like sardines. Women wear scarves that wrap around the throat. They have to remove them before getting on the train otherwise they could be strangled! A certain percentage of cars on a train are dedicated for women only. Being packed so tightly, it is for safety reasons they do this.
Mumbai is the financial and commercial capital of India, yet there are cows roaming the streets! Beggars are everywhere; mothers with babes in arms, barefooted children, cripples. The street vendors are very aggressive. Our guide said 64% of the population of 18 million people lives on the streets or in hovels or shacks with no services of any kind. We did see several McDonald’s restaurants, but didn’t see any other western chains.
The places we visited were the Gateway of India, Prince of Wales Museum, Marine Drive, and the Victoria Terminus (train station – very beautiful architecture and huge). We also stopped at the Mahatma Gandhi Museum and Memorial, which was his residence between 1917 and 1934. There is a famous letter housed there in which Gandhi asked Hitler to refrain from war.
The most interesting stop was the dhobi ghats or the laundry. Maybe you have seen this on TV on the travel channel, but it is hard to believe this is the 21st century. Each morning, laundry from all Mumbai is brought here to be soaped, boiled, beaten and thrashed. After being aired, pressed, folded and wrapped, the clean bundles are returned from where they came. There are over 4,000 workers (uneducated and poor) and 700 concrete tubs laid out like a maze. The water is manually pumped in and out, and the water is used over and over again. We even saw people bathing in the water used to wash your linens. It stretched as far are the eye could see. People do not have a washing machine in their homes because they are prohibitive expensive, electricity is expensive, there is water shortages, and labor is cheap -- so it is more cost efficient to send it out.
Happy Belated Birthday! Sounds like this one will be one to remember! We have enjoyed reading your blogs. You missed your calling as a travel journalist. As you write, we are there with you and seeing what you are seeing.
ReplyDeleteKeep it up! God's speed as you continue on.
its crazy how you can remember all this stuff!
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