Part I - A Whiz-Bang Trip to the Land of Bollywood

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  Mumbai (Bombay), India
Friday, March 7, 2008

I thought that I wouldn't get a chance to see the famed "home of Bollywood." With only 1 week of vacation during my fellowship, and with me living so far away, I figured that I'd have to just come back to India another time to see Mumbai. However, as luck would have it, I got just that opportunity during my fellowship's week-long midpoint retreat which took place at the end of January. The retreat brought us all back together after having adapted to life for 4 months in our various parts of the country. We spent 3 days in Mumbai and then flew to Bangkok, Thailand for 4 days. Now you're probably thinking that it seems somewhat impractical for AJWS to have flown all of us to Thailand and back within a period of 4 days. I agree, but they technically had to take us somewhere out of the country because they had required us to get Tourist Visas which only allow us to stay in India for 6 months at a time, and, after much deliberation, it was decided that Thailand was the "least unsafe" country within relative proximity to India. Even though we did only have 3 days in Mumbai and 4 days in Thailand, the trip was fantastic and gave me a glimpse into what Mumbai and Bangkok are like, not to mention a cool new stamp in my passport.

Now, onto the beginning. Getting to Mumbai was a 2-day affair. Sharon and I took a 24+ hour train journey from Lucknow to Mumbai that wins the prize as the longest train trip I've taken in India so far. The ride, although long, wasn't too bad, since we only had to take one train (unlike a couple of our fellow "fellows" working in more remote parts of the country), and it was basically a straight shot to Mumbai from Lucknow, though of course there were lots of stops along the way.

Beach in Banda, Mumbai

Because AJWS made the decision about going to Mumbai kind of late, all 2nd and 3rd AC seats were sold out on the train we needed to take, so we got the luxury of going 1st AC class. Now, I don't know where I got this idea, but for some reason I was expecting 1st AC to be the lap of luxury, and I was convinced that our fellow 1st AC passengers would be from among India's rich and famous. However, later I realized that it had been pretty absurd of me to think this, since why would any member of India's elite take a 24 hour train ride, no matter how luxurious, when they could fly to Mumbai in a an hour and a half?

Anyway, Sharon and I met up at the Lucknow train station on the evening of Wednesday, Jan. 16th. We found our train (called the Pushpak Express) and headed for the 1AC coach. Since I've only traveled on 2 and 3AC class, I had no idea what the seating/bedding arrangement of 1AC was like, but I had a suspicion that we would get our own cabin. I was partially right. The 1AC coach contained 3 separate cabins, each with 4 beds inside. The beds were still bunk-style, like 2AC and 3AC, but they seemed a little wider than the 2AC beds, and were covered with a red sort-of padding instead of the typical blue plastic that covers the beds in all of the other classes. In addition, our cabin had red carpeting (though it didn't seem like it had been cleaned in a while) and a small table that lifted up to reveal a sink underneath which I did appreciate.

Sharon and I settled into our cabin and unloaded the snacks, reading material, etc.

Laundry Drying on the Beach, Mumbai

that we had brought for the journey. We were in the cabin by ourselves for a while before an old man came in. He asked us in half-Hindi, half-English which beds we had, and we told him that we had one top bunk and one bottom bunk. As I expected, he asked us if we wouldn't mind taking the 2 top bunks so that he and his wife could have the bottom ones. We considered for a minute, but then, as usual, we agreed and told him that we'd take both top bunks when we went to bed. The man thanked us and then left our cabin, though we expected that he'd be back shortly with his wife.

However, when the train got going and the conductor came to collect our tickets, the man and his wife has still not shown up. Maybe they'd realized that they were in a different cabin? After we'd been traveling for about an hour, and just as we began thinking that we might have lucked out and would have the cabin to ourselves for the whole trip, the conductor came into our cabin and, without saying anything to us, sat down on one of the bunks and started counting and tallying tickets. We figured he just needed a place to sit while doing this "official" business, so we didn't say anything. However, soon a few other men who were friends of the conductor came by our cabin, and the conductor invited them right on in to sit and chat. After a while, there were about 5 men, including the conductor, sitting in our cabin and chatting. Then the conductor ordered chai for all of his friends and they sat in our cabin drinking their chai, chatting and joking in rather loud voices.

Synagogue, Mumbai

While it was awkward to have 5 Indian men having a "tea party" in our cabin, they weren't bothering us that much, so Sharon and I didn't say anything and just hoped they would soon go back to wherever they had come from. Eventually, after about 2 hours, the train pulled into a station and the conductor and his friends got off.

Then we really did get the cabin to ourselves, so we spread out a bit. I ordered dinner on the train since I'd done a very good job of cleaning out my fridge before leaving and thus, didn't have anything left to cook and bring for dinner.

Around 11pm, Sharon and I were getting ready to go to bed when we pulled into a station and two men, one around 50 and one younger, maybe in his 30s, came into our cabin. I was a little disappointed, since I thought that we weren't going to have any more "cabin guests" for the rest of our journey, but we came to terms with the situation and continued getting ready for bed.

Sleeping was a bit difficult, however, due to the awful, guttural snoring/snorting sounds coming from the older man in the bunk opposite mine. I have kind of grown to expect a bit of snoring on any train ride I take in India, since it's a common occurrence. But, I was hopeful that this train ride would be snore-free, especially because there were only 2 other people in the cabin with us (rather than 50 people, like in the other classes). The snoring first woke me up after I had just drifted off the sleep. I decided to put in my headphones, hoping that my music would drown out the snoring sounds.

Synagogue, Mumbai

It kind of worked, and I think I went back to sleep for a bit. The second time, I was woken up by Sharon mumbling something in an attempt to make the snoring man wake up. I also chimed in and asked the man to please change positions in hopes that his new sleeping position would make him less prone snore. That seemed to work for about 10 minutes, but then the snoring started again. So, in conclusion, I had a hard time falling asleep on the train, though I did get some off-and-on sleep, and figured that I could sleep the whole next day, since I'd still be on the train.

In the morning, we pulled into the station at Bhopal and, to my relief, the two men got off. For the next 12 hours, Sharon and I really did have the cabin all to ourselves, and it was definitely nice! We read, watched a movie and did work on the sessions we were leading at the retreat. We also spent time looking out the window at the changing landscape. We passed farmland, tropical areas complete with palm trees, and even some huge mesa-shaped sand formations that reminded me of New Mexico. We also observed people we passed and came up with theories as to how and why people dressed differently in the areas we passed through, as compared to people in Lucknow.

We reached Mumbai around 9pm, about an hour later than scheduled, though I was impressed that for such a long journey, we were only 1 hour off. When we got in, we called Becca and SharOn, the 2 fellows living in Mumbai, since we had planned to have dinner with them and Anna, our program director.

Synagogue, Mumbai

They told us to meet them at a movie theater in Colaba, the touristy part of Mumbai, which was conveniently close to the train station.
We went to eat at a loud, crowded restaurant that looked like it could be in any touristy city and oddly-enough reminded me of places I've eaten at in Puerta Vallarta, Mexico. Since we hadn't seen Becca or SharOn in 5 months, we had a lot to chat about over dinner. It was great catching up and sharing experiences of how we've adapted to life in India. After dinner, we said goodbye to Anna and took a cab back to Becca & SharOn's apartment in Banda where we'd spend the night. It was late, around 11pm, so there was minimal traffic on the road, though I soon learned that this was the only time Mumbai streets weren't completely clogged with traffic.

Becca & SharOn's apartment was really cute! It was located on the 2nd floor of a walk-up apartment building and had 2 rooms, 2 bathrooms and a nice modern kitchen set-up. We were all tired, Sharon and I especially, so we chatted a bit more and then hit to sack. Luckily, the next day was a free day until around 6pm when we were scheduled to meet up with the rest of the fellows for an opening-of-retreat Shabbat.

I woke up the next morning and, luxury of luxuries, was able to go on the internet from their apartment! I definitely miss having Internet at home, and will be even more grateful for it when I get back to the states. I was checking my email, and it just so happened that my friend Aditi was online too, so I talked to her for a bit and asked her for suggestions for what I should see Mumbai, since she'd been there before.
In a little while, 2 of the other fellows who had just come in from Hyderabad met us near the apartment, and we all went out to breakfast at a place called "The Bagel Shop." Now, I don't know about the other fellows, but I certainly hadn't had a bagel since I'd been in India (which was a big change from last year at JOI, where we had bagels at least once a week), so I was pretty excited! The menu included exotic things like goat cheese, avocado, etc.

Group with cute man at Synagogue, Mumbai

And since avocado is one of my favorite foods that I've been missing here in India, I was tempted to get it. However, I was a bit skeptical that it would actually be available since I had definitely not seen avocado anywhere else I'd been in India, and in many places in India, like in many countries where I've traveled in Latin America, it seems that every restaurant has at least a few things on the menu that are perpetually out of stock. Indeed, I was right...no avocado in stock. So, I got a bagel with chive cream cheese instead, which was still a big treat!

After breakfast, we walked back to the apartment, taking the "scenic" route so that we could see the ocean. I have missed living on a coast, so seeing the ocean was definitely refreshing, even though there was a not-so-pleasant smell emanating from the rocky beach area. Along the way, we passed a coconut seller who was hacking off the tops of coconuts to sell as drinks. Though they sell coconuts to drink in Lucknow, I have felt that walking around the street with a coconut in Lucknow would earn me too much unwanted attention. However, since I was in Mumbai and feeling like a "true tourist," I took advantage of the opportunity that vacation allows and bought a coconut to drink.

When we got back, the other girls decided they were going to hang out in the apartment for a while. I really wanted to see a bit of Mumbai, so I decided to branch off and meet up with some of the other fellows who had arrived that morning and were doing some "sightseeing" in the touristy part of the city.

Talit drying on the line at the Synagogue

It was around 11am, and I hailed a taxi outside of Becca & SharOn's apartment, thinking naively that there wouldn't be much traffic at this time of day and that it wouldn't take me more than an hour to reach the area where my friends were. Well, I was wrong. After inching forward through gridlocked streets while breathing in diesel fumes for over an hour and a half, I finally arrived at the restaurant where my friends were waiting for me. It was great to see all of them after so long, and we caught up a bit as we walked down the street, perusing the rows of tourist trinkets, clothes, shoes, etc. being sold by sidewalk vendors. As we walked around and I got to check out part of the city, I found that Mumbai reminded me more of a European city than of anywhere I'd been in India, mostly because of all the old gothic architecture left over from days of British rule.

We decided to go see the old Mumbai synagogue next. I hadn't really had any contact with Indian Jews or Indian Jewish culture since arriving in India, so I was curious to find out what an Indian synagogue looked like. The synagogue was located down a small alley near the touristy part of town. It was a large 3-story structure painted bright blue on the outside and had a sign that said "Keneseth Eliyahoo Synagogue." There was an older man in a guard's uniform sitting outside the entrance, and as we went to go inside, the man stopped us and asked if we were Jewish. We all said yes and told him we were here on a fellowship sponsored by a Jewish organization.

Synagogue, Mumbai

That seemed to satisfy him enough to avoid the need for a more rigorous security check, and he welcomed us inside. The main sanctuary was located up a long flight of stairs. On the wall next to the staircase, there were lots of photos of rabbis and benefactors from Israel, Europe and American who had visited the synagogue. It seems that the synagogue has a lot of international support. The sanctuary itself was beautiful. It was painted white and blue and had a raised platform in the center with chairs on it (the bima), and rows of benches lined up around the edges of the room. There was a pretty stained-glass window at the front of the room, over the arc area, and many elaborate old light fixtures. There was also a balcony, probably for the women who attended services, since Indian Jews followed orthodox practices that mandate the separation of men and women during prayer.

When the five of us walked into the sanctuary, we were greeted by a very cute old man who we found out was the official caretaker of the synagogue. He told us that his family was descended from the original "Bnei Israel," the Jews that had come over to India centuries, if not 1000s of years, ago (there's still much debate about when this group of Jews came to India and where they came from - some say Iran/Iraq). We asked if they still held services at the synagogue on Friday nights and he said yes, of course. It would have been a fun cultural experience to have attended services at the synagogue that night (even though I would likely have been relegated to the balcony), but because of the jam-packed nature of our retreat, it seemed like it wouldn't be possible.

Lily & Sammy outside Synagogue, Mumbai

We spent a while talking to the cute old caretaker and he showed us photos that people had taken with him at the synagogue and mailed to him from all over the world. We decided that we should have a photo too, so we took a group shot with our new friend and got his address to mail him a copy when we get back to the U.S. Before we left, I decided to ask the man if he knew where we might be able to get Challah for our Shabbat celebration that night, since I figured that he would know better than anyone. He told me that there was a kosher bakery that made Challah for the synagogue, but it was located pretty far away. However, he also mentioned that a fancy hotel nearby had a bakery that sold Challah from the same kosher bakery that supplies the synagogue. Since the hotel was close-by, and since we thought it would be nice to bring good, fresh Challah to share with the group that night, we decided to check it out. We thanked our friend and wished him a "good Shabbos" (now, how do you say that in Hindi??) before heading out on our "quest for Challah."

On the way over to the bakery we passed by India Gate, a huge arch much like the one in Delhi that overlooks the ocean. It just happened that they were setting up for some sort of music festival that week and were rehearsing a number for later that night...a black dancer with dreads was performing a street tap piece while accompanied by tabla music, now how's that for a meshing of cultures? The dancing was awesome and I wanted to stay longer, by my friends reminded me that we had to get back to meet up with the rest of the group soon and had to accomplish our Challah mission before leaving.

The hotel that the bakery was located in was gorgeous...I guess it would have to be a high-class place to have a fancy bakery on the premises.

Burritos oarty Mumbai

The bakery was unlike anything I'd seen for at least a few months. They had all types of fresh-baked breads...seeded ones, ones with sundried tomatoes, you name it. They only had one small Challah left when we arrived, so we snatched it up and decided to buy a loaf of another yummy bread to share with the group as well. Bread in hand, we hot-footed it out of the hotel in search of cabs to take us to the hotel where we were all staying.

We made it back to the hotel in time to meet up with everyone who had arrived throughout the day. Then we had Shabbat as a group, which was, in my opinion, a nice way to welcome us all back together. And fortunately the Challah and other bread were a big hit!
After Shabbat, we had the night free, so Becca & SharOn had decided to invite us all to a little soiree at their apartment, since we were all in their city. I went with a few of the other fellows to have dinner at a "burrito place" (of all things) near Becca & SharOn's apartment. However, similar to my ride through Mumbai earlier that day, the streets were again gridlocked and it took us a good 1.5 hours to get to the restaurant, by which point we were all famished. We ordered nachos for an appetizer which actually tasted like nachos, and then we each got burritos that, to my surprise, were really tasty, if not completely "Mexican" in flavor.

After we had all finished, we took auto rickshaws over to Becca & SharOn's apartment where the party was in full swing. In addition to us fellows, Becca & SharOn had also invited some of their Mumbai friends to their party.

Taxis, Mumbai

The party provided a welcome opportunity for all of us to relax after our long journeys, catch up with each other, and meet some real-live Mumbai-ites and expats. Luckily, the ride home after the party wasn't nearly as bad as the ride there, since it was late and the traffic on the road had thinned considerably. Back at the hotel, I chatted with my friends Myla and Leah for a bit before we all crashed for the night.

The next day was chock-full of sessions, so I won't go into detail. All I'll say is that sitting in the moldy, cloth-paneled, windowless conference room all day wasn't my cup of tea. That said, it was interesting to hear about everyone's experiences so far living/working in India and to be able to complain and laugh together about things we've gone through in our various cities. For dinner, we had a group meal at a pretty posh seafood restaurant right next to the old Mumbai synagogue I had visited. While all of us really enjoyed the delicious meal, I felt conflicted about the fact that AJWS was spending their money on a fancy dinner for us in Mumbai rather than using this money to fund some of the programs AJWS is supporting in India, or at least to give us a bit more in our cost-of-living stipends. As a group, we've had many conversations about the relative costs and benefits of international volunteer programs like this one, and especially about how much it costs to have us here in India, so it's kind of strange that AJWS would choose to spend more money on fancy meals for us...just a thought.
After dinner, a few of us went to a bar nearby.

"Artistic" Taxi shot, Mumbai

The bar was open, but was completely empty due to the early hour (it was only around 9pm). But the DJ was there, so we were able to have our own private dance party for a while. We were all tired, so we left before any of the big crowds arrived...but I guess I can claim that I got a "taste" of Mumbai nightlife.

On Sunday, we had more sessions, including an awesome photography lesson from Becca, our "resident" photo expert. She took those of us who chose to attend her session outside and gave us a few pointers about shooting. Then, she sent us all off for 20 minutes to take photos using what we'd learned. I wandered down the street in front of our hotel and snapped several photos of the wonderful, old Mumbai taxis parked in a row along the street. As I continued further down the street, I noticed a lot of Muslim men wearing white caps and all white garb heading in the same direction. I walked forward a bit more to see where they were all headed. It looked like there was a mosque up in the distance, and it must have either been a holiday or time for mid-day prayer, because a huge mass of men in white were gathered in the street in front of the building. I really wanted to take pictures of the white-clad crowd, but, as has often happened here in India, I felt uncomfortable snapping people's pictures since I didn't know how they'd feel about my intruding on their religious gathering. So, I turned back and took a few more pictures down the street of shops, street signs, etc. I definitely need to work on being a braver photographer if I want to get good pictures! All of us "amateur" photographers came back together as a group and Becca shared some of the best photos with us. Then we all headed back inside for yet more sessions.

Early that evening, we packed up our bags, had a quick bite at the hotel and then piled into taxis for the trip to the airport. I'm glad we left almost 4 hours before our flight, because it took almost 2.5 to just reach the airport. We spent most of our trip to the airport sitting in a single-file (and sometimes double-file) line-up of cars on a road that could have been much wider had it not been overrun by pedestrians and bicycles going every which way. The Mumbai traffic is something I definitely was happy to be leaving behind.

Stay tuned for Part II about Thailand - coming soon!

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