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Published: January 12th 2007
after approximately 17 or 18 hours of travel i arrive safely in mumbai. i managed to sleep the majority of the way since i slept mere hours for the few nights prior to my departure. i thought i had pre-arranged an airport pick-up to a luxury hotel room for my first night as i was arriving after 11 pm and knew i would be rather exhausted and wanting some creature comforts. with time in vienna in between flights i checked my email to discover that this reservation had been cancelled due to overbooking. so thus the indian experience has truly begun....arriving and landing was actually quick with only small lines through customs and baggage awaiting me. there was a "hotel booking" kiosk still open and we found a hotel 10 minutes from the airport in the range i wanted for the night. after waiting 20 minutes for the pickup, i was told that the transportation broke down en-route and i was upgraded for the same price and the transportation was already here for a different passenger. we arrived 15 minutes later. i was so excited for a hot shower and comfy bed. the hotel appeared lovely. my bed was indeed comfy and the sheets were actually clean yet the rest of the room was rather grimy and by no means a room in its suggested class. i slept well and woke up early to arrange my transport to pune. i inquired about the train as i thought the bus took twice as long. since i only inquired about the train the man at the travel desk assumed i was only interested in the train. i discovered most of the commuter trains to pune had left for the day and the afternoon train was most likely sold out with the possibility of the "tourist quota" seats which were only available from the station downtown and a good hour away. i knew this already and was prepared to travel to the station for departure however i thought he would be able to arrange my seat. after 20 minutes or so he finally asks if i would be interested in the bus. i thought the bus took 6 hours versus the 4 on the train so i didnt inquire about it and he didnt mention it assuming i was only interested in the train. the bus leaves every hour on the hour and is suppose to be only 3 hours thus actually shorter than the train. ok, he arranges me a seat on the noon bus. the bus stop is only 15 minutes away. i go upstairs to the restaurant where there is a lovely buffet breakfast. i pick up a plate and i hear "sorry madam, this breakfast is chargeable" and i reply "does that mean, not included", "yes madam, not included ". ah, yes the indian vernacular..how sweet the sound. i enjoy my first sweet hot chai of this journey, how yummy!!
i was told that i can travel to the bus stop with the 11:30 airport drop off shuttle, which actually didnt leave until 11:40, being the bus stop is outside the airport entrance. i have never seen so much traffic and we arrived to the airport at 12:40, 40 minutes late for my bus. i was not encouraged to take my own taxi at an earlier time due to the severity of the mumbai traffic, i considered it but thought it would be fine since we were so close. the driver stops at this random corner in the middle of alot of traffic and motions for me to get out. his english is extremely poor and he cant explain why he is stopping here. i find a passerby who speaks english and he tells me that the bus stop is down the road and the driver is saying that he cant stop there. i manage to convince the driver to take me the whole way and the bus stop is indeed down the road and there is also indeed a place for him to pull over and let me out of the vehicle. the next bus is scheduled to arrive in 5 minutes.....45 minutes later the bus arrives. it takes another hour to reach city limits where the 3 hour journey first begins therfore basically it does turn out to be a 6 hour journey from mumbai to pune. as we get closer and the beautiful trees of pune appear, my heart sings and i am so happy to be here. i have missed the times in which renate (my friend who i was staying with for the night) was to check for me, so i sat outside the ashram waiting for her to walk out as they would not let me just run in to find her until i properly registered. i knew her basic schedule and would only have to wait a bit. i saw a few friends and grounded into the pune love. here comes renate...
we were together last in july during the internship training in miasto. we hopped in a rickshaw and went to her place, sat for tea, went for dinner and slept really well. the next day i searched for my own room...prices in pune have just about doubled or tripled. i found something in my budget that sounded lovely and made an appt to see it yet it was rented before i arrived for my appt. everything else was more than i wanted to spend. crashed with renate for 3 nights and spent my first 2 days trying to find my own place while passing through the ashram connecting with old friends and many locals who remember. a beautiful reunion. so much gratitude. finally, i find a place. a bit more expensive than i want yet close and clean. it is available tonight. the group starts today. i drop my things off in the morning and head to the ashram. we have a lovely and large breathing group with powerful energy and an abundance of opportunity for new growth and experience as part of the supporting team. a long day. i am really looking froward to heading home and settling into my place. i arrive to find the room i was promised rented by mistake and the available room is more pricey. what to do...i take it as there is much more demand than supply during this high season. it is clean and it is inside a full flat with a kitchen. so much has already happened in these last 4 days....the indian way!!!
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penelope
non-member comment
ah
you made it there is no place like a familiar home adn a cup of tea to remind of teh simple virtues. i love you congradulations