Up a bit

OK, things are picking up a little. I guess the first shock has passed. I still think Mumbai is a horrible place and want to get out asap, but at least I saw a couple interesting things today. I guess I also got somewhat more used to the thought that it’s a cultural experience even if I don’t like it. Even if its only purpose is to convince me that Edinburgh is fantastic, it’s good.

An average building in Colaba, the better district

Today I went exploring a bit more in the morning. I checked out a Church of India Christian cathedral – rather underwhelming, but it was interesting to see Western architecture adjusted to the local conditions, you don’t often see a church with open windows and ceiling fans in Europe. After that I went down to see the Victoria Train Station, which is pretty impressive from the outside. From the inside it’s a mess, like everything here. Basically, if people can reach it, it’s a mess. The nearby post office building was pretty nice too. I set off towards the waterfront, walking through what is marked on the map as parks or patches of green, and in fact is big fields of dirt and rubbish with some sad remains of grass, and tons of people playing cricket. The waterfront made me realise just how polluted this area is. It’s a beautiful cloudless day, yet all buildings in the distance seem like they were behind a misty veil. At least generally this part of town is a little bit cleaner than the rest. A bunch of guys walking the same way really wanted to take a picture with me, that cheered me up a bit. I got a picture with them too.

A bookshop

After that I went back to the travel office to get my tickets, and since it was almost midday and the heat became more and more cumbersome, I decided to check out the nearby Prince of Wales Museum. It was actually quite ok, I got to see some interesting sculptures and had a chance to learn a bit about the iconography of Indian religious art. I spent the better part of the day there, had my lunch in the cantine barrack that is the museum cafeteria and chatted with some schoolgirls who sat by my table. After that a little more general exploring, and I made plans to go to the Elephanta Island tomorrow.

Victoria station

OK, now time for some less desperate observations than yesterday.

There is a policeman sitting in front of each better shop and restaurant. Generally there is a lot of police around. It’s a stark contrast with Singapore. Singapore is an extremely clean and ordered police state with no police in sight, while Mumbai is a complete mess and chaos with dozens of policemen everywhere.

A photo ID is required to do anything in here, from booking a hostel or a train, to using the internet in a cafe, to getting an audioguide in a museum. Also, everyone who checks my passport seems to think that my surname is Antoni.

Green spaces

There is a lot of seriousness over small and petty things, especially in trade. The vendors don’t just want to sell stuff, they are dead serious about their shit and preach its value to anyone who will listen. It’s fascinating to see a balloon seller who gathers a small crowd to prove to them (with some real agitation!) that his balloons can get soooo big!

Something is missing in this picture, do you know what?

Staying with vendors, I’ve been offered hashish several times on the street, always with the compulsory ‘pssst mister, hashish?’ They actually do the ‘pssst’.

Prices are great, and I just paid for my trains – three weeks of traveling around India costs one third of a return ticket Edinburgh-Derby. British rail companies, you suck.

Cricket is Very Serious Business

I did a little test on my initial impression of the people and their seriousness and general agitation levels. I smiled at them. In Europe when you smile at someone on the street, even in passing, usually they just reply with a smile. In Sumatra not only that, they immediately chat you up. In here they just look at you, mouth tight, and walk on. The Land of No Joy.

Pretty much everything worth seeing here is colonial. I know that I’ve not explored anything yet and modern Mumbai isn’t exactly the best example of old Indian culture, but here, this is my impression. Every building that looks good or at least vaguely nice, has been built by the British. Moreover, in most cases it looks good only from where it can’t be reached, because often at the bottom it’s either covered in mess, tents or shabby makeshift barracks.

Following that, I’m very far from being europocentric, I think people should have their ways and I wrote already what I think about colonialism, but here I’m starting to doubt myself. I don’t think that the Western world’s ways are the only right ones and I totally think that it’s great that people of different cultures can do stuff differently. But I think that some things the Westerners might have gotten right after all – like: don’t piss on the street, especially if you’re going to sleep in it later. Or let dead or visibly diseased animals lie down on the street covered in flies. And general standards of cleanness. I know that it’s a different world here and poverty makes things which are simple for us extremely difficult, but I don’t think it’s responsible for everything. There are public toilets and there are rubbish bins – often empty and surrounded by heaps of rubbish lying on the streets.

My hostel…

Men dress in a boring shirt-and-trousers style here, but women wear really amazing and fancy stuff. Not just saris, there are many beautiful dresses and all sorts of garments, topped with great jewellery. However, it’s just the clothes. I always found Indian girls really attractive, based on those I saw in the UK. I guess all the pretty ones emigrated, at least from Mumbai.

Male intimacy taboos are much more relaxed here – there are many guys walking down the street holding hands, throwing an arm around each other or just generally touching, which is quite uncanny in the West. I really like that and wish the westerners got over the ‘if you touch another guy you’re gay’ thing already.

…is still better than the tents of the homeless right next to it

An interesting fact – in many depictions Hindu gods make a gesture in which the thumb and the third finger of their hand touch, while the other fingers are extended in the air. It’s a blessing, or a ‘do not fear’ gesture. The same gesture is characteristic of Christ Pantocrator depictions, or other depictions of Chirst blessing the faithful. I wonder how those things connect, will need to research.

OK, enough for now. Need to rest again, it’s really easy to get tired here. It doesn’t help that I still can’t sleep – keep waking up ten times per night. Makes me actually remember my dreams, for a change. I really miss my bed now.