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The other Bombay

Wednesday, May 23rd, 2007

After being sucked into Goa decided that I would spend my last few days in India back here instead of trying to race around Kerala and Bangalore. I’ll save them for another time. In the mean time, here I have done a little shopping (and I mean Little) and lots more walking around. The first time here I was fairly overwhelmed by the people and that was all I saw – lots and lots of people in my face all the time. This time I’ve been able to see past that.

Now I see tree-lined avenues hugged by beautiful old buildings. Some of the buildings have these quaint little verandahs pegged onto the upper floors. I now realise that I have been staying amongst beautiful buildings such as the State Library, the Mint, the Reserve Bank, Society of Natural History, various Banks, impressive squares with fountains in the centre and just the building across the street or on the corner. At street level you don’t get to see much that is interesting but when you get a chance to stand back and look up – there it is.

I’m glad I found this other Bombay.

Sucked into Goa

Tuesday, May 15th, 2007

For those who thought they wouldn’t bother checking previous posts again, I added some pictures to the previous post. It pays to occasionally check back as I sometimes add more pictures later on (usualluy because I can’t be bothered uploading pictures every time I am on-line).

Before even arriving in India I had no intention of going to Goa – I knew it is a tourist spot and has all the attractions that I can easily find at home. I arrived thinking – just 2 days. It is now 1 week since I arrived and finally I have set my day for leaving – tomorrow. It’s just so easy to stay. I suppose if it were in full swing of high season I would find it easier to leave, but at the moment everything is winding up for the monsoon that is due any day now. There are a few tourists here and there, stragglers, the long-term stayers that have been here for a few months and intend to stay a few months more. The feeling is very relaxed and even vendors don’t hassle too much. I had a nice peaceful wander around the headland where the path is lined with folded stalls and just imagined what it would be like to walk there during the peak season – yeesh!

I’ve met some nice people here, mainly other solo travellers. But I know I have to get moving again otherwise I will hide here the rest of my time in India.

Malika

Ellora 1

Fishing boats

Cutting away at Mountains

Monday, May 14th, 2007

Aurangabad – India’s answer to Mt Isa – climate-wise. It was hot and dry. I arrived about 9am and took a rickshaw straight to a hotel and booked in. Even before I got to the hotel I had rickshaw and Taxi drivers hassling about going to Ellora or Ajanta and giving prices. After booking in I went to my room and hotel staff were calling to ask if I wanted to book to see the caves.

After settling in I wanted to go to the post office to send some books to La Plata. So I ventured outside. On my way out the hotel staff asked again if I wanted to make some arrangements to see the caves. I started walking towards the Post Office and a few rickshaw drivers started bidding against each other over taking me to the caves. In the end I got one to take me to the Post office and Ellora for less than $9.00. That was about 4 hours of his day. The caves were interesting – similar to Elephanta, just lots more of them. They didn’t catch my attention as much as the family of huge monkeys that were roaming about above us.

I decided to spend another day in Aurangabad to look around but I didn’t get too far – I desperately need a decent hat. It was just too hot to do anything during the day. The next day I was out of there. Bus to Poona, then another sleeper bus to Goa. During the trip to Poona we passed through a few showers and very few people in the bus closed their window – it was so nice and cool. Kids were squealing with joy at getting wet. The Monsoon is not far off.

Ellora 2

Aurangabad

Looking around Mumbai – Bombay

Tuesday, May 8th, 2007

Just gotta love those antibiotics! Within 12 hours I was back to my normal self. Sorry I’ve taken so long to put in the next installment – I’ll put in extra time over the next few days. I have just been doing and seeing lots.

As soon as the antibiotics started to kick in I went out in search of food – none of this vegetarian c**p though – I was after meat! It can be quite difficult to be a meat eater here in India. After searching one side of Colaba causeway I was about to give up and go into a “Tourists” restaurant when I was saved by rasta guy. He led me across the road into hectic restaurant full of locals and helped me decide on a mutton dish – the menus in restaurants here are enormous!! We chattered away while I ate and he offered to show me around the next afternoon.

Now I’m a bit out of whack as far as remembering what happened on what day so I won’t bother writing according to date.

The next day I found a nice little restaurant that serves Shira, a sweet thick semolina style dish. It is the closest thing to porridge I have found here so far. Then I went over to Elephanta Island for the morning. Saw lots of monkeys and had a look at the caves there – but not before running the gauntlet of stalls that crowd the stairway up to the caves. The thing that tires me the most here is having to fend off the stall vendors and taxi drivers. They are at you constantly wherever you go. There is no such thing as sitting on a bench to quietly watch everything around me. I can understand why some people would prefer to spend their Mumbai visit locked away in their room.

Anyway, that afternoon I met up with Mike (the rasta guy) ad e went to the textiles market. As soon as we got out of the taxi the vendors descended on us and gave Mike a hell of a fright. Just seeing that I was with him they were at him just as much as they were at me and he got a taste of what it is like to be targeted – not a happy chappy!! He got quite angry with several vendors and for a minute there I thought he might throw a punch. But in the end sanity prevailed and we disappeared into a textile house to have a chat with the owner.

Afterwards he showed me Marine Drive, The Hanging Gardens (which don’t actually hang, they are high on a hill, so don’t know where the name came from), Dhoby Ghaut (picure below) and then back to my hotel. He recommended a better hotel for me too and got me local prices on it – I moved there the next day. He also gave me tips on the best way to get to Aurangabad. I ended up taking the bus as the trains were full. They have Sleeper buses here – definitely the best way to travel at night, seats would have been awful.

Anyway, other things I saw in Mumbai are the Museum and the Maidans. After a long search I finally found the book for Marcos – It is in the post now!! In the end it is still the hardback one, but at least I paid only half of what I would have paid if I had bought it at the swanky Oxford bookshop – I think half of their price pays for the air-conditioning.

Dhoby Ghaut

Got the BUG

Tuesday, May 1st, 2007

… and I’m not talking about about the travel bug! Yes, I have paid the price for drinking water from a glass rather than from a bottle.

The train ride was long and sleep deprived one. Those twinges turned into all out cramps and cold sweats. After several trips to the train loo I finally acknowledged to myself that I have the bug. I bought an omelette from a platform vendor in the morning, had one small bite and threw away the rest. Dry biscuits are about as much as I could handle. It’s not fun arriving in a strange city when under the weather.

Apart from the bug, main things that struck me were: smoke haze, low leggy looking bushes, a few hills here and there, coffee and chai vendors and beggars at each stop.

My taxi driver took me to a an out-of-the-way guesthouse in Colaba and there I stayed until 9am the next morning. I have been for a few walks each day since, getting my bearings and working out how to recognise different places and shops. Finally today I have managed to catch up on the blog and upload some pictures from Bangkok and Hyderabad.

I found a copy of the book I want to get for Marcos but it is a hardcover – I’m pretty sure you need the paperback one right?, with a plastic cover?!?

Haven’t taken any pictures since Hyderabad so you will have to wait until the next post for Mumbai pictures. There aren’t any from the train ride – next time!!

Finally – Hyderabadi Biryani

Tuesday, May 1st, 2007

Saturday – my last day in Hyderabad. Yesterday I went to the railway station and arranged my ticket (under the carriage ceiling, not above it) to Mumbai. I was amazed – tickets are applied for! So I picked up an application form and looked at it a little dazed. Within seconds a kind stranger offered to fill it in for me. Now that I have watched him do it I feel confident the next one will be a cinch – as long as I know the name of the train I want.

Afterwards I made a concession – I bought a thick, squishy pillow. Just need to get a pillow slip now.

Afterwards, still worried about not having found anywhere that serves the Hyderabadi Biriyani, I called the guy I was seated next to on the plane, Harsha. He was kind enough to offer to take me along with him while he did some errands, we checked out a new shopping centre that had newly opened last time he was home. I thought it would be a good opportunity to check the price of the Bird book I promised Marcos – not there. After that, a drive along the lakeshore to Secunderabad, to the Restaurant that is famous for it’s Biryani. Yum!! Afterwards we had Quarbani ka mitha, a dessert made from fresh dates and honey, also a specialty of Hyderabad.

Harsha dropped me off at my hotel and after a nap to sleep off lunch I went to the MPM mall with every intention of spending time on my blog and getting last minute supplies for the train ride. Only minutes after getting into the supermarket the power went out. I decided to stay waiting – at the expense of blogging – until the tills were operational again so that I could buy everything I wanted. I waited about 3/4 hour as it got hotter and hotter, before finally deciding to give up buying everything I wanted and settling for getting a couple of things from various small salls around he place. One thing you can’t buy – even from supermarkets – here in Hyderabad is yoghurt, of any kind. Apparently people don’t buy it, they always make it themselves.

After checking out of the hotel, I had an early dinner. I managed to find out that Ausralia had won the toss for the Cricket WC final but play was delayed due to rain, before leaving for my 10 minute stroll to the station.

At the station there were hundreds of people milling around at a platform with no train so I decided to have a gander around the place. Next time I looked there was a train and not many people so thought I had better see if I could find out where I was supposed to be. I found my name on one of the carriages and stowed my backpack with just enough time to buy a bottle of water from a vendor on the platform.

While at the station felt a few strange twinges in my gut….

Hyderabad 1