Apollyon's Adventures in
India.
I am writing this for myself; I am fully aware how irksome other people's holiday experiences are.
With this in mind I have tried to include philosophical musings and humorous insights among the places and people I met to make these series of (mercifuly non-sequential) daylogs interesting and useful to E2 readers. (Just be thankful that you don't have to look at my photos.)
Mumbai; or as the locals call it 'Bombay'.
Hot; rainy; sweaty. In a word: 'damp'.
I am visiting India with my friend Sanket. He invited me along as a 'shield'; the principle being that if I am there his family can’t berate him in Hindi. Apparently there are more words for 'skinny anglophile' in Indian than in English.
I have been welcomed completely by Sanket's friends. One of whom, Meethil, picked us up at the airport, gave us mobile phones, money, some food, did our laundry and found us a hotel. Oh yeah and let me use his computer so I could feed my E2 addiction. The guy is pure gold. He works as a freelance professional wildlife photographer
The first few days in Bombay were spent shopping. I know, I was disappointed too. I mean the shops weren’t cheep and the shopping could have been done very easily in London. More annoyingly the shops were all around the museum district. The alleged reason for the shop is that Sanket didn't want to go back to his Mum and Dad with the same clothes he left them in. The problem is that over the last two days he has bought one long sleeved t-shirt from Benetton.
The real reason he is taking so long is that the nice clean western shops remind him of London and leaving them takes him back to Bombay and everything he went to London to escape.
I did however manage to drag him to the Gateway To India, (a monument built just so Queen Victoria could walk through it) where a 'Buddhist' (nudge nudge wink wink) tried to charge me for a blessing.
Piece or orange string: 50rs
Flower from roadside: 50rs
Teaspoon of sugar: 50rs
Mumbled mantra: 50rs
Having a grumpy Indian friend who can tell a monk to piss off in Hindi?
PRICELESS*.
*200 rupee is a good meal.
forward to August 11, 2006