Struggling with my jet lag the main task today was limited to relocating from my first night Mumbai airport area hotel, to the second of three hotels down at the south of the peninsula on so called 'ritzy' Marine Drive opposite the ocean. My illusions that this would be a simple 20 minute drive in an auto-rickshaw were soon dashed. Through chaotic, jammed and ear splittingly noisy, pot holed streets we struggled for 45 minutes at walking pace, or not much more, to a connecting railway station. Long lines to buy my 20 cent ticket and a fight to actually board the train after having determined with some difficulty the correct platform.. Not easy when half the passengers are hanging out of windows and doors. Despite the sardine like conditions and choking heat, everyone seems friendly, helpful & good natured about it all. Lots of help is offered if one enquires as to travel directions platform number, entrance location for example. Travel congestion, crowds noise and heat seems to be the facts of life that everyone seems to accept quite stoically here in . It remains to be seen if other cities on my itinerary function similarly. Anyway, even if my 20 minute journey did take 2 1/2 hours, it was a gentle baptism into the Indian rail travel challenges that I will surely confront in the next 90 days.
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| View from the co-pilots seat... |
Somewhat surprised that Mumbai is a lot more run down than I had imagined. It was my expectation that the recent string of years of strong economic growth would have 'lifted all boats' so that the general appearance of property and infrastructure would appear to be be in better condition and appearance. I look forward to discussing this with educated business type Indians that I may meet on trains etc.
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| The start of a heavy two hour downpour... |
Weather today: a hot & humid 30C, overcast, with a major monsoonal down pour that lasted about 2 hours between 4 & 6pm.--lucky to have ducked that one, as it was my jet- lag recuperation siesta time!
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