FIRST AND LAST DAYS OF THE EMPIRE
We have survived 32 days travelling in India and are soaking up one last day of the frenetic life on the streets of Mumbai. It’s seemed like about twice as long as a month, as the intensity of experiences here just pushes the limit of comprehension. The amazing thing is that millions of people here survive these rough, dirty, and unforgiving streets for their entire lifetimes, maybe never even experiencing clean air or water, not to mention the joys of education and opportunity in life.
As I have read numerous books on poverty and India while travelling here, and I know that India has already changed me. I wouldn’t trade the experience for anything or certainly another month in an office back home. Every beggar that has gazed deeply into my eyes or even grabbed my arm in desperation will haunt me forever. Every smile and enthusiastic “Hello, what country are you from?” from kids just desperate for a better life that they can see on the horizon will always echo in the back of my head. The incredibly friendly middle class that you meet and chat with on trains or in cafes. Everyone. They all have a fire in their eyes, but they still have to deal with the realities of an overburdened and impoverished country of a Billion people still rife with corruption and nepotism. I am confident now that they will rise and that this place will be very different by the end of my lifetime.
As for Mumbai: Did you ever see the movie Logan’s Run, with its post-apocalyptic vision of Washington, DC in decay? Well, Mumbai has an extensive collection of colonial era buildings built by the British (well, by Indian laborers I’m sure) in the late 19th and early 20th centuries that all appear to be in varying states of decay. However, as we have seen in India, it appears that 95% of the infrastructure is in decay while 5% is being rebuilt and renovated. Finally it appears that the post-colonial India is finding its own way, and a unique way that no longer relies on the guidance of outsiders. Even here in Mumbai, some of the buildings are being restored along with some lovely gardens in the interior streets of Colaba, the somewhat touristy district that we are staying in in South Mumbai. Local architectural preservation and neighborhood groups are getting organized around restoring a more livable Mumbai. Of course, with 18 million people living in a vast sprawling and polluted mess, there is endless work to do, but a new metro is being built and they have concrete plans for the first two lines of bus rapid transit, including dedicated bus lanes. Now you have to understand that the idea of dedicated anything on a street in India is more than novel. It’s unbelievable. Unfortunately Mumbai also has the disastrous elevated freeways built right through the “center” of the city so ubiquitous in America, but there are so many more pressing issues that clearly starting with some new bus and rail infrastructure is the best approach to help the most people soon. But I diverge into transportation planning policy again….
We left Delhi on the overnight train to Udaipur last Monday and arrived relatively fresh to the semi-arid city of Udaipur, in Rajasthan. Rajasthan is kind of quintessential India, as it has palaces, forts, elephants, monkeys and lively streets and alleys all surrounding a nice lake and hills that make it quite enchanting and even romantic. We watched a wonderful performance of native dance at the local cultural center and best of all, rented bikes to get out in the countryside a bit. It felt so good to be moving on a bicycles again, not to mention being able to see things at a slow pace and away from the more touristed centers of town. Having a boy hitch a ride for quarter mile on my bike rack will be one of the funniest memories of the trip. He just jumped on and off and we all exchanged hellos and thank yous.
The kids are great, especially when the interactions are real and not involving forced begging or touting. All you need to do to get these real interactions is get a few hundred yards from the tourist centers (ghettos) that exist in every know hot spot, but it seems especially in Rajasthan.
Everyone says that we will look back on our time in India with positive and longful eyes, and I am certain that is true as you just can’t help but be mesmerized by the vastness and depth of the culture, land, and people. However, I will not say to anyone in the future that asks “Oh yeah, India is a joy to travel in and I would highly recommend it!” No way. The realities are that it is incredibly difficult to travel here, the rewards are slow and deep, with little tangible joy at many places. The museums, temples, and other sights are not always that great or have other major difficulties associated with them. But most of all, the people and streets can drive you insane; in a very short period of time. I’m not sure that Cheryl will ever recover from her frustration at the men here. First of all, there are thousands of them, everywhere, all the time. And always, always, always staring. Staring for a long time, and right at you, everywhere, and all the time. You get the idea. It’s been much harder on her than me and if you search the web for blogs of female solo travellers, you will find similar sentiments. Many describe complete emotional break downs (as I’ve even seen with some tough men traveling here).
And India can take it’s toll on your health and well-being too, as exercise is either impossible due to the air, traffic, or safety, but mostly the traffic and general lack of space to recreate. We did find a nice park and rose garden in Udaipur which and we walked the morning circuit with some of the few locals with the time or inclination to exercise for recreation.
Now I’m not saying any of these things are impossible as you can jog, bike, hike, and walk all over India. But it’s not easy, and it seems to me that there are much better places to do these things in the world. And besides, you almost feel silly even worrying about such things in a land of such immense poverty. So you can add guilt to the list of limitations on activity. Good thing we did this at 40, and not 60.
So it comes back to the people. As the land is often compromised, the people are what make a journey to India. And it is the people that I will remember.
But that’s it. We fly out at midnight to Bangkok and Surat Thani in the Southwest gulf of Thailand. It’s a short flight to Bangkok with a 5-hour layover, so we’re looking forward to pretty much a sleepless night, but that’s o.k. since the thought of a beach, clean water, and a new culture is definitely getting us excited. We have over 2 months planned to explore SE Asia and hopefully, this won’t be the shock of Vienna to Delhi, but as we are learning, every place is different than you expect. Way different. And this is why we travel on.
By the way, has the Christmas holiday season started yet? We would never know.
Rich
Tags: India, Mumbai, Travel, Tag Index
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