British Bombay

Alright, so it's Day 1. We didn't make it into bed till about 4 in the morning last night, and I got up at 7. I know what I was saying about Energy Levels during vacation, but even the Garbz needs his rest.

After breakfast, I just simply needed that extra little snooze, and they practically had to drag me out of bed because our driver was waiting downstairs at 10:00.

Night view from the taxi. Traffic Jam during Monsoon

Mumbai is about as unappealing as the Tourist websites made it seem. Our hotel is next to the airport, and Yado our driver was to chauffeur us all day. I just don't get the protocol. Do we invite him to come along with us for lunch? We dragged him along to an overpriced meal at the Taj Mahal hotel (scene of the bombing some years back). Was I being like Jerry Seinfeld when he "helped" Abu out in the restaurant business. Good-doer Garbz. Maybe Yado would rather have let us be, and enjoyed his own personal excursion. Oh well.

First Monkey sighting in India (@ the Hanging Gardens, Mumbai)

University of Mumbai

My mom and Ghada hit the market after lunch to buy Pashmina Scarves, Bangles, Earings, so it was left to me to ward off the beggars and the vagrants. A swarm of young kids that give you flashbacks of Slumdog Millionaire.

I had hoped to make it to the Elephanta Caves today, as it's really the only day that we had open. But it was overcast the whole day, and the downpours were quite severe, and the seas wild. I'm not so sure any boats were operating. And besides, the journey from the hotel to the Gateway of India took hours literally (for a 30km distance).

Perhaps things would have been better if we were staying right at the heart of town. It just seems that a stroll around our own neighborhood would have been more profitable (pics hopefully tomorrow, when I venture out on foot with my camera in the morning). For after the grueling drive, all you learn is that the best bits of Mumbai are really just the leftovers from the colonial era.