Bombay here we are

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Hi all
Well thank goodness I listened to Maurice by going to Heathrow 2 hours earlier it took us 31/2 hrs from checking out cases in to going thru the scanning process. What a nightmare it was. Anyway I was a little nervous about our flight with Air India as I had many side looks when I said we were travelling with them, but we really couldnt fault them at all. The seats were great, the food was good the service was good, the plane was clean TV's worked (Air Emirates tvs didnt work going and 3 different air phones!!) the flight was very smooth and the staff were very plasant. We landed
in Bombay with no problems at all the airport was very quiet perhaps because it was a Sunday and everyone was more interested in the cricket than the Connerys arrival. Deveesh and his dad fetched us from the airport. We travelled through Bombay and it was really an eye opener. Deveesh's family: great granny lives at home, then Deveesh's parents, then Deveesh and his brother Atool and their wives and children. Deveesh has one little girl Jaanam and his brother has a little girl and boy. Lovely children and they get on so well with each other. The have 1 cook 2 drivers and 3 servants. Grandad - Deveesh's father is a medical doctor and has his surgery at the side of their house. He is in his sixties now and is semi retired - his surgery hours are 3 hours in the morning and then 3 hours in the evening. He sees on average 80 to 90 patients in the morning and the same amount in the evening. Deveesh and his brother have their own factory they make oygen cyclinders for patients to carry about with them. The 2 wives Vimi is an artist and Greesham (our friend) is into advertising for a children's TV channel. Granny or Mama is head of the house that means she is the boss of evrybody. She is a wonderful caring lady and has welcomed us into her home with so much hospitality. She is a lovely person with a very strong personality. She is very loving towards her 2 daughter-in-laws and treats them as if they were her own daughters. Mama has her own dressmaking business below the house as well. She has 3 gentlemen who sew for her. She has spoilt us with wonderful food. The cook has been with them since the age 0f 7 and is now a married man with 1 daughter. We have had some amazing curries. Fortunately they themselves dont eat their curries very hot so Maurice is enjoying the curries. We have tasted foods and fruit that we have not tasted before hand. Both Maurice and I have experienced seeing how some of the beautiful materials are made. I decided to have an outfit made for a formal dance coming up at Christmas time in London. We saw how they draw the pattern on the cloth and then how they actually do the embrodray stitching. The machines put our fancy sewing machines to shame they are the basic of basic machines and the wonderful work that is made from them is unbelievable - something you have to see to believe. I was measured up and the pants and top was made in less than an afternoon without any alternations having to be made. There is one small point I worked it out we will have 4 weeks before the dance so it will be major dieting when we get home. Anyway Bombay is something to see to believe. We have never seen so many cars in our life. There seems to be all the cars in the UK all squashd in Bombay. The buildings differ as you go along. Many look as if they need a good scrub down but then then the humid weather is the cause of that and I would imagine it would be a continous process to keep them clean. There are some places called chauls which is were the poor live - there can be up to 10 people living in one room with a curtain to divide the room. There is an incredible diversity in Bombay the rich and the poor, the different cultures. Deveesh lives in the newer part of Bombay. We went to South Bombay yesterday and you can see the change in the buildings - the British style is quite dominat. The traffic was something to see to believe. Deveesh's driver was incredible. The Indian people are extremely patient people - I'm afriad I wouldnt suggest any SA or English to try driving in India as they wouldnt be able to compete with the increble patience these people have. They are a very placid nation. We have been taken to the local markets where we have seen vegetables and fruit that we didnt even know existed. The markets sell everything from a toothbrush to a gold necklace. Of course you check the auth

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Comments

[Carmel]

Hello Ma en Pa
Hello Mom and Dad, have printed off letter will read at home. Hope you both are having a lovely time. Miss you loads Carmel