Although it has been less than a week since my last blog I
feel like there are too many things to fit into this blog.
Some less important things are that I can know
eat with my fingers…almost masterly (well I don’t drop food all over
myself now).
I have had a stomach upset…but not fatal (was
bound to happen) and I have been told the story of the death of the
nightclub in
Bangalore.
Actually this is important. First I should point out that a nightclub in
Bangalore
has a slightly different meaning as it
refers only to seedy nightclubs, not bars which
we might call nightclubs. In short dancing is banned in all public
places where people are wearing skimpy clothing
because strip bars complained about being shut down.
So I went to Mumbai on the weekend. Mumbai is very very very very different to
Bangalore.
When people talk about a culture shock when they go to
India they were talking about this.
The weather is hot…too hot, the first thing I did was strip
down to a Tee shirt (whilst some locals gave me dirty looks).
The other thing is that in Mumbai you are a tourist. That
is to say that the people in Mumbai know you’re a tourist.
In
Bangalore
you are considered still as an outsider but street merchants see you as
either an expats’ son or someone who
has come over for a long time to work. So in Mumbai you
are hassled a lot more and offered lots of things (mainly illegal).
Once I stepped out of the hostel to be offered drugs
immediately.
Despite all this though Mumbai was a really
great experience. Although I did not get to star in my first Bollywood
movie
(a gapper was in as an extra last year), I got
to see some of the sights, like the gateway to India and the Taj.
I even ate at the Leopold. I felt very touched
that it was still packed and that the recent attacks have not damaged
business too much.
The signs of the attack are very visible in
the 4 spots (although the train station the least). The Oberoi and the
Taj have closed part
of their building to the public whilst there
are still bullet marks in the Leopold (hidden not very successfully by a
couple of posters).
The Marathon itself was also great…although hard as I did have minor stomach issues (I won’t go into detail).
Luckily I was only put into the 7km dream march. This is essentially a parade charities all over India, used to
gain attention and raise money. Everyone was cheering each other on (I got danced around) and was good to get to
know everyone in Dream a Dream and see Mumbai. (Mumbai though is huge!...I don’t think I’ve nearly explored it).
I do regret not taking a tour of the slums…but perhaps next time (when it is even deeper into winter).
But for me the real marathon was always going to
be the 24 hour train journey. It did not start promisingly.
There were rats all over the train station and I
was being covered in Mosquitoes. However it was fine.
It was as comfortable if not more comfortable
than the Hostel (Salvation Army…no showers + marathon -> not
perfect).
The best thing though was to talk to everyone
from Dream a Dream. There was a lot of emotional bonding and
questions about marriage (not with each
other…I mean in general). I think I could do it again (although not
soon).
The train is also a good way to explore India. It is not so
much the things that go on outside the train, although it was
fascinating
to see the difference of develop in each area around India, but
what happens inside. (Great photos outside though).
Inside you see how people are so open and friendly for a
supposedly conservative country, how people deal with the crowd,
and you also see the darker side of Indian culture.
On the train there are many beggers, most with
deformities. After about 10 hours of the train journey
(I had been asleep for 8…but not really, very
cold, jumper needed) I asked Sonali if this was because the
disabled aren’t cared for so beg, or because
they are made disabled…unfortunately it was the latter.
A group of people castrated men also came on the train. Unlike the
other beggers they did not come up to me.
Their history I don’t quite understand. I believe that it goes
back to a war when men left behind at forts were castrated
so that they didn’t rape the women. So now there has been a
tradition that they kidnap slum children and take them into
their brotherhood. They are not governed by any laws in India
but on the other hand they are not protected by any law,
as the government don’t want to completely recognize them. This
means that now they are abused by the police.
This however also means that when they ask for money they ask
in a slightly different way, as they can ask with the threat
that they will take your bag and your baby without being
punished, or maybe they will just curse you. I see myself
as fairly liberal, although I am aware that some English
people may be completely freaked out by them, so this is
why they didn’t approach me. So for once being a westerner
helped…probably won’t happen again.
So I think that is all (well it definitely isn’t…but it is all I will write for now).
Will xxxx