Wednesday, February 16, 2011
It’s been 6 days since we left the sheltered Santa Ynez Valley and began our adventure across the world. It began with a sedentary 15 hours, in a trans-pacific flight to Hong Kong that consisted of two meals, three movies, and a numbing nine hours of attempted sleep.
After the flight, we had a 14-hour layover in Hong Kong, giving us the perfect amount of time to step out, stretch our legs, and get a quick peek of what the city is all about. After eating some delicious dim sung, taking a walk down Nathan Road, and riding the ferry across to the island of Hong Kong, it was time to take the express train back to the airport.
A 6-hour flight and there we were, Mumbai, India; dirty, crowded, and hectic. The first thing to be noticed was the thick haze that covered the entire city. I don’t know if it was dust, clouds, or pollution, but it never went away during the 2 days spent in the city. The next thing that caught our attention was the way driving worked. First, lanes don’t have meaning. Next, traffic signals “are only suggestions,” as our friend Sunit would say. It is quite hard to describe the way the traffic moved, or didn’t, but to drive in that city without breaking out in a full sweat would be a great feat. This was one of the many indicators that showed that the city was over-populated by about 15 times.
The next indicator was most likely the slums. Stacked and stuck together were thousands of mud-brick 10 by 10 cubes topped with sheets of corrugated metal. These huts were everywhere and we would see anyone from businessmen to construction workers walk out of them.
Despite the many slums and over population, the people were neither starving nor full of resentment, which is what usually comes hand in hand with poverty. Instead we were greeted with smiles and hellos from all the happy and healthy people.
During our stay we visited many attractions. The first place we saw was Dhobi Ghats. Basically, it is an area full of cement pools filled with water where special laundry men do most of the cities laundry. From hotels to airlines to hospitals, this place was literally laundry central. Another destination of ours was the home in which Gandhi would stay whenever he was in Mumbai. This place was filled with the history of Gandhi’s life, and was a great way to learn more about the man that has so influenced the whole of India and even the world.
Soon enough our time in Mumbai was spent, and it was time to get on a one-hour domestic flight to the city of Jodhpur. The most notable thing about this desert city is the giant, impenetrable fort that overlooks it. The Mehrangarh Fort is amazing. The amount of time put into every nook and cranny of this beautifully sculpted fort is mind-boggling. The outer walls were full of intricate designs made of carved stone, while the inner walls had the same, but made of marble and gold leaf. The rest of our day in Jodhpur was spent wandering the streets of Old Town and waiting in a tiny tailor shop while my mom got measured for a new pair of jodhpurs.
Next Stop: Jaisalmer Desert Fair and Leopard’s Lair, Bera
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