People (part 2)

Raj didn't know me but I became his target. Tall and white amongst a sea of Indians (and other tourists) at The Gateway of India, he began talking to me in English - which at this point in my day seemed like a miracle. He asked if I was interested in going out to Elephanta Island, just offshore, to visit the artifacts there. I wasn't just then and told him so. Undeterred he went on to tell me about the amazing 10 stop Mumbai city tour for a mere Rp 1800 (about $50)which included transportation and admission, etc, not to mention his vast knowledge of the city, it's inhabitants and history.

There were several things on this list of his that I found to be intriguing so with the rest of the day to kill I agreed. Why not? But first I said I needed some coffee. And so off we went down the street to a local cafe packed with neighborhood residents for the sweet and creamy Nescafe they serve here in the name of coffee. I have grown accustom to this beverage for two reasons: It's boiled so it kills the wildlife and it's caffeinated so I am mildly satisfied. This drink was Rp 10 (about a quarter).

Once in the cab (all the cabs here are the same....millions of them) we found out way to the first attraction, the huge outdoor laundry that Raj said was called Super Duper Fast Laundry or something like that. Haha. Whatever. Still it was intriguing. There were dozens of stone or concrete rectangular vats in row with men hovering over them hand washing clothes. This is their profession. This is where they come to work every day. The clothes are picked up at homes and brought here, washed, line dried, ironed and then returned that same day. Incredible? I thought so, but that's how it works. I saw some of the men swinging clothes again and again onto the vat walls in something that I recognized as kind of a spin cycle.

We then went to the Gandhi residence. This is where he used to stay when he was in Mumbai. The outer structure has been preserved as well as his sleeping quarters and library. The other rooms have been apprehended in order to tell the story of this life and death. Pretty amazing stuff, some I knew and a lot I didn't. I have a great deal of respect for him and his humanitarian accomplishments. One room had a series of amazing looking dioramas which depicted key events in the life of Gandhi with life like miniature dolls, complete with thronging crowds and angry authorities. Probably the most compelling moment for me was when I came across a copy of the letter he as written to Hitler. It was not presumptive in the least however it conveyed his own thoughts about the course of action which was about to engulf the world. He also wrote one to Roosevelt.

Then it was off to the Hanging Gardens, a place for reflection among locals who go there to walk among the plants and topiary. There is a few cool things there for the kids too like a giant shoe house. Now for the strange and unusual. The Parsis consider it to be religiously imperative to have their dead eaten by eagles. You read that correctly. And so here at the Hanging Gardens ...i wonder if that's where the name comes from...they hang their dead on hooks in order to allow the eagles to feed upon them. True. There was just beyond the trees a tower in which this took place. Of course the general public is not allowed viewing. There were however dozens and dozens of eagles circling above all screeching in happiness at being provided another set of meals. Once the bones are clean they are removed and taken and dropped into the sea.

Afterwards Raj took me to the Jain temple up on Malabar Hill, the richest area in Mumbai. Here there are homes over two hundred years old, and the architecture is amazing. These are few and far between however and the rise of uber-multi unit high rises has taken over the skyline. Many of these people were found in the temple the afternoon I was there - or at least it was the wives. Raj told me they come and pray through all the stops, a bit like a rosary only these are little areas with little gods in them, while their husbands are hard at work during the day. True enough there were no men in the temple itself but only women. I had to remove my shoes in order to enter but was told that taking photos was okay (I felt a little shy like I was talking in church or something).

Then Raj stopped by a place called the Mumbai store. He brought me in, handed me off to the overly kind and impressed shop keeper and left. Uh oh. After I got a bottle of water (it could have been anything, ANYTHING for me, his new friend from the US) he began showing me hand knotted silk carpets and wall hangings. All of them were beautiful to the extreme and all of them were soundly outside my price range. However this guy, like Raj, had found a target and wasn't about to let me out without something 'free of charge' whatever that meant. Anyways, I ended up getting a strikingly beautiful wall hanging as well as a silk scarf. I probably paid less than what I would if I had bought them in the US and since this is vacation and I am supposed to spend money I am okay with it all. It's part of the adventure.