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February 12, 2005

Mumbai Post Office

Our visit to the Mumbai Post Office is India in a nutshell.

We had to mail home a few items, so we headed to the main post office in Mumbai (formerly Bombay).

After seeking out the "new" part of the post office by climbing a few sets of stairs in a large concrete building, we found the international postal section. The office was a large room, never been painted, with few lights but lots of old warehouse windows.

We presented our goods to the customs person who asked us to fill out a form, but kept taking the form out of our hands to ask us something that we didn't (yet) fill in on the form. Finally, between the three of us, the form was filled out and stamped on all copies in triplicate with carbon paper.

We provided our package to the package-wallah, a person who for a fee, boxed up our stuff for mailing. For about 20 minutes, we watched this man create a box out of scrap cardboard, tie it with twine and then wrap the package with muslin. After wrapping the package with muslin, he used a large needle and string to sew each of the sides of the package together. The corners were then sealed with black tar/wax and pressed with a metal stamp. We added our address to the package. At this point, the customs person came over and added a prominent purple stamp to the front of the package. We then moved to the next counter where the postal staffer added, of all things, a bar code sticker to the package so it could be tracked on its long journey to America. We were given a receipt of the bar code.

It was at this point where we realized that India is just like this process, slow, quaint, doing things the way they have been done for years and years no matter what is in the way, but when least expected, modernization pops in.

(I sure hope this package gets home.)

Note: We are now in Goa, relaxing on the beach. We'll be updating the blog with more of our adventures in Rajasthan soon!

Posted by Matt & Robin on February 12, 2005 09:50 PM
Category: India
Comments

I can't wait to receive the package at the house. Hand sewn? How cool is that? I know it is our nature to want things quickly, but I kind of like hearing things are done the old way....Great story!

Posted by: amy on February 15, 2005 01:32 PM
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