Brad and Angelina are following me. First it was Jaiper, then Udaipur, now here. So far we’ve been unable to connect. Their guards don’t know they are expecting me. I have two extra beds in my place where they can stay, but they are missing out. They are having to stay a couple blocks form me in this dive.
That picture was taken at dawn . I turned around and photographed this. I assume it’s their view from one of the upper stories.
And this must be like their room. Actually, it’s Mahatma Ghandi’s room in the house in Mumbai he used to stay in. He had a practice of spinning yarn. That spikey thing in the back is one of his spinners. The more you see how India is and imagine how India was, and the way Britain was, the more you realise what an amazing man he was, and how amazingly his path worked.
With all the overnight sleeper bus travel, especially with the kids, they had laundry to do. Fortunately, Mumbai has the world’s largest commercial laundry. 5000 people live and work here. This picture only shows half the place.
Mumbai is growing on me. It has everything, almost, in an Indian kind of way. It’s a poor man’s New York. It is the real capital of India, just as New York is the real capital of the US. Everything is here. Dreams are made and broken here. It’s got unbelieveable problems and unbelieveable opportunity. It’s growing and crumbling at the same time. There’s high art and nearly stone age slums. There’s high culture and tribalism, modernity and ancient twisted karma. Like any of the major cities of the world, it would take decades to discover it all, especially for the foreigner. I could easily imagine living the New York lifestyle here. For a few hundred thousand dollars, you can buy a seriously upscale condo, fully appointed with marble floors and the works, in a fashionable neighborhood. Renting such a place would set you back about $700/mo. Servants are about $5/day each. I know because I’ve asked about it and talked with foreign residents. It’s less if you don’t want this view of Chowpatty Beach.
Speaking of Chowpatty, it’s a happening place after dark, especially from about 9 to 12. It’s crowded with people walking on the beach or along the promenade. The young couples are very cute. There are food stalls with great food and snacks, and bars and clubs on the road. There’s a little breeze, so it’s nice to go out there when it’s cooled down a bit. It’s still a little warm here, usually about a muggy 90 degrees during the day.
One of the things about Mumbai I think affects my attitude, is there are no autorickshaws allowing until you are out in the burbs. It really helps the air be cleaner, gives the city a modern feel I hadn’t seen yet, makes the streets quieter without the constant tuk-tuk-tuking of those 2-stroke engines, and don’t make the traffic even more chaotic. There are also no bicycle rickshaws, much less people propelled rickshaws or animal carts. It makes Mumbai look like the kind of city we are used to. You almost can think less about the poverty. The places I go are like midtown Manhattan.
Last night I went to an English language play. Tonight I’m going to a chamber music concert. Maybe tomorrow or the next day I’ll take in some Indian classical music, which I’ve only seen once since I got to India. Like New York, you could do something five times a night and never keep up. I think, like New York, about a year of it would be about all I could take. But I’m thinking… thinking. Property values here are skyrocketing and are expected to continue to do so for the next few years, especially in upper middle class and upper class areas, as the country develops. With property values falling in America and the dollar sinking like a stone… I’m thinking. A 390 day CD here yields 8%. It may be the new land of opportunity, if you have money. Ah, if you don’t, you can live under some plastic. It’s like America that way, only worse.
Or maybe I’ll go treat HIV people or something.
Just keep thinking, Butch. It’s what you’re good at.