India Day One

India! What a country...

My plane was delayed, but I had the uber exit seat. The window seat with no seat in front of it. Awesome! I watched a movie, and took a nap. The drink cart came by and I asked for a gin tonic, the man gave me two mini bottles of Gordons London Dry Gin (my personal favorite) and two mini tonic waters! I mixed myself my drink, and settled into some Psych on my laptop.

Dinner was served, and I ate a delicious vegetarian curry with beans and rice. The air hosteses all wore sari's and spoke in Hindi, it was a real taste of what I was in for!

We landed at mindnight, and I skipped imigration to go find somewhere to sleep in the airport. I figured Ill tackle Bombay in the morning. But after an hour of exploring, I found that I couldnt find a way into the departures area (where it would be easy to find a nice corner to sleep in) that still allowed me to get out in the morning. I decided to just go for it and enter India. Immigration was a snap, I as usual invented a fake guesthouse for my form, and walked on! I changed some Euro's to Rupees (I no longer carry dollars) and got a taxi to Colaba, where I had heard there was a cheap Salvation Army Hostel.

I was happy that my driver didnt speak English, I was pumped up from adrenaline and sleeping most of the 4 hour flight that I just wanted to look out the window not talk to anyone. He didnt know where the hostel was, so we wandered around and asked some other drivers. We eventualy found it, and I got dropped off! It felt SO good to have my pack on and be walking down a dark lane in a new city alone. I thought it might be intimidating, but I dug it. I walked up the the hostel and it was locked down, a slightly drunk English guy walked up and the guard opened the door and started yelling at him, apparently the “Christian” hostel doesnt allow people who drink, smoke, or stay out late. The guard kicked him out, and I decided to skip that one... Shelter, the Christian hostel that Im going to work for in Amsterdam has a no smoking or drinking policy on its grounds. Completely understandable. But no smokers or drinkers? What is their purpose?

I wandered on, and smoked just to spite the hostel. It was after 2am at this point, and every guesthouse I found was charging over 9000 rupees. ($200) which is insane. I wandered and wandered. On every corner where groups of people sleeping, on tarps, in pipes. Huge rats ran all over the sidewalks, and I loved it. I got to a gas station that looked more like a campground. I counted 15 people sleeping in rows between the pumps. I planned on joining them, but I was still to pumped, so I kept walking.

I found a sweet spot next to some abandon food stalls, where I would be out of sight but still close to the road (where there might be people if I was going to get robbed) I decided to sleep on the street once again, but as I was walking to my spot a taxi driver walked over. We chatted about prices, and he told me he would take me to another area of town with cheaper places, I didnt like that idea... But there was a hotel next to us so I ducked in to check it out, it just had a dark door, and I rang the bell. A sleepy Indian boy opened it and ushered me in. (its about 3am now) He showed me a room, and as soon as I clicked the light on cockroaches scattered and I saw a few bugs scamper off the bed. It had a tiny tv in one corner, and a fan that was badly in need of new bearings. The paint was pealing and the mirror on the wall was in rough shape. I turned around and told the boy “its perfect!” It cost 900 rupees (easily 2 days budget outside of Mumbai) but it was the cheapest I could find, and probably a better option than the street.

I put on shorts and a tshirt to sleep in, and slept like a baby.

This morning I woke up to no bugbites, and the busy Indian noise and the smell of something delicious blowing through my second floor window. I got dressed, packed up and slung my bag over my shoulder. I payed the boy with a 1000 rupee note, and he said he didnt have change, I didnt even say anything, I just looked at him and nodded slightly with one eye closed. He stared back, I stared back harder. A minute passed. He reached under the counter and pulled out a box without breaking out stair, and handed me 100 rupees. I smiled and thanked him, and hit the street.

I stood on the corner just watching, a western guy my age was doing the same across the street, but I had no desire to strike up a conversation as usual... His Bob Marley tshirt and baggy pants and dreadlocks indicated he was a carbon copy of so many people I have already met on the road, and I set off to find some Indians to talk to!

I wandered around, the streets very different from the night before. I stumbled upon the Gateway To India, a giant concrete archway on the waterfront, I walked around it and got accustomed to how touts operate here, they are much more intense than Thailand.

I walked over to a group of western girls, and asked if I could sit next to them, they all looked like they where about to cry and said “only if you promise not to ask to take a picture with us...” I agreed, and sat down. A group of Indian men approached and asked for pictures with the girls, I stood up and told them to leave, they did, and the girls smiled at me. I walked on, and a group of students came up and asked to take pictures with me, I agreed and posed with them. More gathered and pretty soon a line had formed! I took off for a big shady tree.

I sat down under it, and started chatting with a man trying to sell me giant balloons, after I declined, we started talking about other stuff, and soon enough a group had gathered. There where 3 balloon salesmen and me, joking and laughing together. A masala tea vender came over with his carafe and poured us all tea, amazing tea!

We chatted for an hour or so, and then I took off to find internet. My search was in vane though, so I decided to head to the train station and get out of Mumbai, its just to expensive.

I was bargaining a price with a taxi driver, and an India man who spoke perfect English politely informed me that I shouldnt work out a price in advance, all the taxi's here use meters. I asked him about the train, and after a few minutes of conversation (I had waved the taxi on) we agreed to get coffee.

We sat down and he told me he was an unofficial tour guide, but the best one in Mumbai. I listened to his pitch and told him I wasnt interested in seeing the tourist sites, but he was good. He promised to take me to a cheap hotel and then to the train station for a ticket, then if I wanted for a tour of Mumbai. I agreed. He took me to a hostel with a HUGE dorm, bunk beds for 60 people maybe. All Indians, and I got a bed for 200 rupees, then we went to the train station by bus, and I got my ticket for a sweet price. I liked this guy, he was legit any my internal alarms where silent. I agreed to pay him 1000 rupees to take me around today, and it was so worth it.

From the train station we went to a huge flea market where he knew every vendor. He showed me where he bought his ice pick that he used to kill a taxi driver that pissed him off, and where to buy knuckle dusters. I stepped into an antique shop/stall and laid eyes on a beautiful medium format camera. My guide stepped in and the owner instantly ran over to hug him, and because I was friends with his friend, he gave me a sweet price on it – thats right Im the proud owner of a 1940's Japanese medium format (or 35mm) camera. Now to find film...

We kept exploring, back alleys, cows, kuma satra carvings (my guides personal favorite item...) We stopped for lunch at a little cafe, and he ordered me garlic naan and a vegie curry. It was INCREDIBLE. All he wanted was a bottle of rum, which he finished off before I even had the naan in my belly. He went to eat what was left of the curry, but couldnt because it was to spicy. I smiled inside at the fact that for me it wasnt hardly spicy at all – thank you Thailand!

We got a cab to our next stop, and on the way my now drunk guide threw up out the window, he said the curry was to oily for him... But the rum MIGHT have been to blame.

We went through some more slums, and then to where all the clothes in Mumbai get washed. People beating shirts and pants on stones in the scorching sun making pennies, in the shadow of a billionaires new home, with a 36 car garage and three heli ports on top.

Then we headed to some more cool places he knew, I told him I didnt want to see the main tourist sites... Im fine if we skip Ghandi's house and the hanging gardens. I wanted to see people, life, locals. The REAL India. And that we did!

We saw a 3000 year old pool of water, and he told me the story of Rama and he and the other Hindu gods made this pool. We stopped for some drinks, and after he was drunk again he started telling me his life story. This man has been to 14 countries, he is very well educated, but has been on the streets for the last 2 years because he is an alcoholic (at least he knows it! Thats the first step right?) He says that he used to be Christian, and we had some awesome talks about the Bible. Now he considers himself nothing, he eats beef and HATES Muslims, as I soon learned. He also told me story after story of him killing people who pissed him off, and I believe him. He introduced me to uncle, the man who owned his favorite bar, then at the jukebox I introduced him to Radiohead. Then we headed to the red light district just as the sun was setting – the last stop on my sweet tour. We cruised up and down as he told me statistics. You can find girls from 5 to 55 from 50 to 500 rupees (the price MAX there is ten dollars...) He told me the process for finding child prostitutes, and how it all goes down. Its very similar to Thailand, just cheaper, younger, and more in the open.

We headed back to where Im staying, and he got in a huge drunken argument with our driver. They finally resorted to screaming at eachother in Hindi, and the driver stopping in the middle of the road and kicking us out. Turns out the driver was a Muslim, and my guide hates them. We tried to hail a new taxi, but each prospective driver had to undergo a religion interview by my guide, and because we where in the Muslim district – it took a while. I just stood there and smiled apologetically to the drivers.

We eventually made it back, and went to an internet cafe where he insisted to be my friend on Facebook, I thanked God that I had set up a fake Facebook a few months ago, complete with loads of people I dont know as friends. I said goodbye, and by this point he was super drunk again, he got in a fight with a tailor on the street and threatened to slit his throat with a beer bottle, I smiled and the man and I shared a knowing nod when my guide wasnt looking.

Now Im sitting at a coffee shop, and I think Im going to end my night with a bollywood film at the theater down the street! After I sneak back to the internet cafe and upload this blog of course. There is NO wifi here...

Day one in India has been awesome, so far I love it. Tomorrow Im kickin it in Colaba, and then heading north to Ahmedabad on the night train. Then to Rajasthan for the remainder of my time. I plan on getting a wool coat tailored in Delhi, and then I fly to England! Im so looking forward to that. So much!

Culture shock hasnt been a issue yet, not sure if it will be. I can see why this place has the rep it does though... its nuts.