GOA

Goa was a wonderful place to get away from it all. We stayed at Coconut Creek, a wonderful hotel 2 min from the beach. Linnea enjoyed playing with the sand and to our surprise was very courageous going in the water and playing with the waves. We build several sand castles, swam in the ocean, relaxed, at well, and enjoyed the sun. Maybe next time we go we will have more on the markets of Goa, but this was our vacation to relax!!

Matheran

Matheran is a hill station where people originally went to escape the heat, but now it is also a way to escape from the noisy dirty city.

It is a two hour drive from Mumbai and if you encounter a road blockage like we did, and have an aggressive driver, you get to drive against traffic on the highway just like in an action Hollywood film!!!

This hill station is one of the few that restricts any type of motor transportation and therefore one must walk up for 45 min to the little town. Horses are the main modes of transportation and are for rental if someone would not like to walk. Some horses are retired racing horses and so if you decide to walk, you need to make sure you stay on one side of the road so a horse does not run you over! We decided to walk on the railroad track. Linnea enjoyed pretending to be a train.

Matheran is known for its monkeys. They are everywhere and one must be careful not to carry food around with them or they will take it away from you. We did not encounter any problem with the monkeys and Linnea was told to be careful because they were very curious.

We found other animals on our 3 hour long walks in the woods. The scenery was beautiful especially since we were still in Monsoon season and it was all still very green.

Ganesh Charturthi Festival

Ganesh is an elephant-headed God of wisdom, son of Shiva and Parvati. On a special day in August or September, Ganesh's birthday is celebrated. It is a 7 to 10 day celebartion, which ends by immersing the God into water (the ocean). Ganesh's idols are made out of plaster and can be as small as a foot to about 10ft high! It is decorated with beautiful bright colors. They are either kept on a special table at home or in a special tent on the road. Here is a video clip of the drumming and decorations of a house near us as they welcomed Ganesh's idol into their home.

Here's a picture of another one on the road also near our house. People are allowed to come and do prayers all day long.

One of our school members who celebrates Ganesh's birthday, invited us to see the immersion. As we arrived at the house we were told to ask for a wish when talking to Ganesha. At first Linnea was not sure about it, but once we were at the beach she asked for her wish.

At the beach, there were many other families doing their immersions. Immersions occur on different days according to the families numbers. This immersion was on the 5th day. The 7th and the 10th day are the most crowded and we were adviced to stay home to avoid the heavy heavy traffic. At the beach, families continue to bless the family by circulating fire, dancing, drumming, chanting and fireworks. The family was nice enough to let us be part of all of the blessings, dancings etc.

This video clip may take a while to load, but it is a great summary of what this festival can look like. Half way through this video, you will hear someone chanting in Hindi, come back next year. Linnea knows this chant and enjoyed saying it whenever she saw a Ganesha

http://www.geobeats.com/videoclips/india/mumbai/ganesh-chaturthi

Spices

Nothing I say will be new to you when it comes to the word “spices” in India. They even have an airline called SpiceJet. Do I need to say more?!

As you walk around the street there are definitely some bad smells, but they are quickly taken over by the spicy scents as you walk by food stands. As I battled the stomach bug, I was recommended not to eat spicy food. That was easier said than done. I prepared a Maggi Chicken Noodle soup, which to not much of a surprise had a very spicy kick to it. Crêpes, pasta, KFC, McDonald, popcorn and even ice-cream, if not chosen carefully, can give you a spicy surprise.

Crazy Traffic

Traffic here is heavy. There are many cars, Rickshaws and taxis going around Mumbai all day. As you drive on a 3 lane street, you realize that between the Rickshaws and taxis, they’ve created a 7 lane street. Just when you think not one more car can fit in the lane you are in, a small taxi or Richshaw will sneak into that spot between you and the other car. No hesitation, they just pull right in. That’s why you need to keep your hands and head inside the Rickshaw at all times, to avoid another vehicle coming and taking it off.

Right of way….hmmm… I think it is basically the first one who gets to the street has a right of way. Even if your Rikshaw is turning onto a main road, it will try to just sneak in before the other cars. You are thankful when the other cars accept this aggressive driving and slow down. We are still try to figure out which red and green lights to take notice of and which ones are there to be ignored. I’m glad I have a driver to deal with that madness. I would like to learn to drive here someday, but I'd be afraid of being the one knocking over this bicycle guy carrying all his eggs!!

Our apartment view

Mumbai itself is a whole mixture. Of course with the monsoon weather, things seem messier. Buildings definitely suffer from the heat and humidity. Every building shows signs of rusting, paint damage etc. However, there is more greenery than I anticipated, giving a special touch. The old is mixed up with the new, but the new does not look very new. I sometimes feel like we are living in one of those towns you pass by on your drive down to the beach. The slums are all over the place. There are lots of people in the sense that you never find a quiet spot out there and there is always movement, but so far it hasn’t been suffocating and we’ve had our own walking space (just watch out the where you step!!!)

These above picture is our view from the apartment living room. Martin and I fight over out sofa spot because if you sit at one end, you can watch this wonderful view of the ocean. The picture below, is from the rooftop.

Fresh Fruit - Colorful Fruit

There is nothing better than fresh fruit for breakfast or a fresh fruit juice after a morning run. There is a wide variety to choose from and they are very colorfully displayed on the road. It reminds me of the fruit stands on the way to the beach in Ecuador.

Little bananas have become Linnea's favorite and I couldn't ask for a healthier snack.

Coconut water seems to help with things such as acne, liver, intestinal problems, pregnancy and is suppose to good for the skin. I'll be drinking some from around the corner everyday! Will I live to be 100....?

Sacred Cow- Sacré vache :)

"Chillin' at home" "Don't honk, just wait until I move"
"Just waiting for the fruit stand to open"

80% of the population here is vegeterian. Cows are sacred to them and therefore they run freely around Mumbai. Here are some pictures of cows we've found. Our driver will not honk at them, but will patiently wait for them to move so we can continue our way. You will find them in houses, gardens, on the road, basically anywhere.

A story of a little princess…

Linnea’s dream of being a little princess has come true in this country. Already at the check-in counter in Newark, she was called a princess when given her boarding pass. Linnea’s face light up! As we boarded the plane, all the staff said hi to her and tried to play with her. As we waited to take-off, we asked a stewardess if we could have some water in her water bottle. They immediately took the water bottle and brought it back full on a nice serving tray! This was only to prepare her for what she was going to get in India.

As we walk through the streets, it is very unusual to go one block without having someone stop to look and wave at Linnea. At the mall a group of teenage girls raced to take her picture with her phone camera. Yesterday as we sat to eat a crepe, a teenage boy asked if he could take a picture of her. The waiters at the restaurant try to get her attention and play with her. At the Grand Hyatt, Linnea was given her corn by the chef himself. She then fell asleep in my arms during dinner and the waiters built a bed out of chairs and brought a shawl to cover her up. Linnea gets shy and is still trying to figure out why she’s getting all this attention !

The story of the little princess is one of the signs of how people are so kind in Mumbai. They are always ready to please you and try to help in any way. The school has treated us like kings and queens as well. They have taken us out to eat 3 times already and it seems like tomorrow night there are another dinner planned, all drinks and food paid by ASB.

Cheap or Expensive?

Mumbai is overcrowded with a population between 18-20 million people. The city is aware of it and is trying to take some measures. Our school has recently reached their maximum capacity of students. They are looking into expanding mentioning how businesses pay for air space as well as land space. Apparently the school has already reached its maximum height for its structure. There is a 1.5 acre land in front of us, the only problem…. It is worth 125 million dollars!! According to someone, to build a school in Mumbai costs more than building a business in Tribeca, NY.

Talk is our school pays $3000 monthly for our rent. Our apartment is nice, but you could definitely get a better place in Ecuador or even Switzerland for that price! It's a good thing the school pays for our expensive costs while we pay for the cheap way of living :)

Pampering

I went to have my eyebrows done for a dollar! Tomorrow I’m going to get my hair done, with a treatment, a head massage, they will also layer my hair and then relax the top front half so that I don’t have to blow dry it everyday, all for $40. There is a foot massage spa 5 min walking from home, so I’ll be going there sometime this week. I just had a massage from a lady who comes to the house for a mere $8. Nails and facials are also inexpensive and one can be pampered at all times. I had two men working on me at the Nail Bar and it was sooo relaxing.

Once you get to know what is around, you concentrate less on the pollution of the streets and enjoy what Mumbai has to offer. We still have so much more to discover…

Rickshaw's

One of Linnea’s favorite entertainment is a Rickshaw ride. She wants to go on one everyday and merely calls it “a bumpy ride”. Little does she realize that her mom is grabbing on really tight as the driver swerves between traffic barely missing people and cars on the streets, as he overtakes cars, turns without indication, breaks last minute, goes on the wrong side of the road to cut corners etc.
It is definitely very easy and convenient to take one of these rides, but you need to learn to TRUST the driver. They get as close as possible to any car, people or animal on the street, but do manage not to hit them. The “Keep your distance” sign is written on the back of most Rickshaw’s, but most Rickshaw drivers can’t read English!! Still, I’ve haven’t yet seen one Rickshaw accident during my month here!