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Published: March 5th 2010
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Mumbai in one word, CRAZY.
There are so many many things i could say that we have seen inthe past 3 days here. So many crazy experiences, each just 3 steps from the last. This is by far the largest and busiest city i have ever been to. The traffic is war like and always throbbing with volume. The honking never stops much like the cars and motor cycles. I have never said this about a city but i would never ride a bike here. Walking is a physical and mental test on its own and i am impressed that i haven't seen any fatalities yet.
This place is teeming!!! People, animals, sounds just pour out from every crevace, corner and balcony. The architecture here is the most beautiful and articulate of anywhere i have seen in person or photographs. The hardest part is there is not a bit of drip coffee!!! There are contortionists in the middle of the sidewalk, vendors selling everything you can imagine at all times on all corners, and cows blocking the flow of massive traffic jams.
The food is AMAZING.... it is always as hot as i would make for myself at
home and more delicious than i imagined. 12 hours of jetlag threw the first 2 days off but we are gettin used to the switch and manage to stay up past 5 pm now. The flurry of input is a test of my ability to keep track of what is going on around me and just as we begin to get used to this bustling megatropolis, we are heading by train to a small town 100 km away to visit world heritage rock caves carved by hindu, buddhist and jains in the 2nd-6th century AD.
It was less than 5 minutes off the plane and outside of the airport before a man stuck his head inside our taxi and made a smoking motion, smiling and saying "Hassish??!!" The answer is of course no. I get offered weed or hash once every 20 minutes but aleays from older guys with open sores and crooked smiles. Yeah right... even if i were looking it wouldn't be from these guys.
There seems to be very little crime here in the way of theft but instead it is "legalised" in the form of everything being a scam. The game is finding the
least scammy scam around then haggling yourself into it begin barely a scam. You get used to it faster than you think however. The traffic signals seem to be functioning on each corner but they appeear to only be a suggestion at best. Cars and buses are moving in many directions all at once with small groups of pedestrians making their way through the complete chaos once there are 20 or so of us, enough to push through and not get struck down. It is always a delight actually.. its like frogger but more fucked up.
I could say more but my thoughts are somewhat scattered. After our trip to the caves we head south the beaches of Goa to lay out and calm down and hopefully relax. Trains are booked, all we have to do is find them.
Best wishes from Jenna and I
Watch out for zombies!
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beetboxer
Ladventure of Brian and Jenna
Pictures to come soon... i forgot my transfer cable!