Arrived In India
Current Location: The ResortMalad (West) on the beach.
staying here until Feb. 2
Next Stop: Manor, India
Estimated Time of Arrival: Feb. 2
Next Internet: Probably Vapi or Surat
ETA: Feb. 3 or 5
1) Mumbai > The Resort (Malad W. India) 30.4 km
The Resort
Jan 31, 2007-Feb. 2, 2007 The start of my bicycling trip
Jan. 31, 2007
I can't escape my old job. While in Malaysia's KL International Airport, their in-house television was airing a program from KRON-TV, my old job that I left in October. The show was "The Know Zone", with Don Bleu and Soledad Obrien. I didn't work on the show, but it aired on KRON when I was working there and I saw a list of names I had almost forgotten.
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Arriving at the airport gates
I arrived in Mumbai Jan. 30th around 10pm, and was sorely disappointed!!! I was expecting to be mobbed by adoring fans outside the airport gates, but was only met by taxi drivers waiting for passengers. Perhaps that only happens when you leave and they know you have extra Indian currency you won't use. I was secondly disappointed when none of those drivers were mine. While standing alone, I was approached by one man who asked me which hotel I was waiting for. Later on, I was approached by another man who said, "my taxi driver was over there, come with me." While still under the watchful eye of the police I went a little ways with the man, talked to the taxi driver who folded the sign with "my name" (which I never saw). The driver made a call and said the hotel was full, and that he would take me to another hotel. Despite the objections of the two persons, I went inside the airport and made my own arrangements. At the last moment, one of the men gave me his cards, which showed that he worked for a hotel that he was going to take me to. Classic bait and switch, but I still made my own arrangements.
I spent my first night at the Imperial Hotel, arriving around 11:30. Not the best place, but close to a citibank ATM, and the next day I woke at 4am to ready my departure as soon as possible.
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| From India |
Next Day: Get My Bike
Not until I reached Malad (west), where Firefox Bicycle shop is located, did I feel like I wasn't being swindled in that big-city way. Everyone was friendly from my first moment in India, but in Malad (w), everyone seemed less concerned about money. At 7am, while waiting for the bicycle shop to open, I sat at "My Cafe" next door, and had a refreshing "Sunset Cooler" (cranberry juice, orange juice, a splash of lime, and ginger ale). Very nice people and great food. The bicycle shop took great care of me, and even framed a picture of me on their bare wall. I got rid of 1/3 of my gear in San Francisco, another third of my gear in Los Angeles, and now my bike is still wobbly, but manageable. I'll make any necessary changes tomorrow.
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| From India |
I'm currently staying at "The Resort", in Malad (West) along the coast. Now I'll take advantage of this plush resort. On the ride over, I was cheered on by everyone but the dogs. Taxi drivers would halt traffic just to chat with me while I'm riding my bike. Young and old would wave and welcome me to India. Of the few people that didn't wave, they certainly stared and smiled. I'm tired of writing, so farewell. I'll post pictures later.
(and music videos inspired by India)
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reinvention of India's national song maa tujhe Salaam by A.R. Rahman (TRT 4:43) |
Egypt Nari Nareen by Hisham Abbas (TRT 4:24) |
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India promotional video (TRT 1:01) |
Iranian/American The Promise by Vas (TRT 4:28) |
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Mission Kashmir - Bumbro (TRT 4:57) |
England Within You, Without You by The Beatles (TRT 2:53) |
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"Mujhse Dosti Karoge!" by Roshan, Mukerji, Kapoor. (TRT 4:35) |
performed by Siddarth, Harini music by A.R. Rahman (TRT 5:14) |
posted by Rick Anderson @ 1:49 AM
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