Bombay, Bombay

The journey yesterday was a good one- I got up at 4 to do a good Ashtanga practice before I left Mysore. I got a rickshaw to the railway station which was a beautiful journey in the early dawn. Mysore railway stetion is pretty nice, it was my first train journey in India and I couldn't find my carriage so sat in a horrible smelly one in the dark until a couple of old guys (laughing at me of course) ushered me off to the air conditioned splendour I'd actually booked. Which was nuch nicer and even had a light on- because when you travel budget in India its really budget. The carriage was quiet but for a couple of businessman, I shared my insect repellant and we talked about what its like travelling in India on your own, and they agreed that its ok, as long as you don't do anything stupid like agree to massages with rickys...! The journey to Bangalores interesting, you go past all these paddy fields and shanty type villages. lots of people up early and running off to work and school carrying their lunches and looking well turned out. It was warm on the train despite the air con. Surprisingly, the toilet on the train was cleaner and a damn sight more pleasant than anything on a British Rail train- it just goes straight down onto the railings, so no rank smelling water slopping around. When it approached Bangalore it was vile- piles of rubbish everywhere and pollution was visible in the air. Intelligently (not) I got a rickshaw for the 17km trip to the airport and arrived feeling like I'd just smoked 40 woodbines. But I love rickshaws! They're so much fun to nip around in and I really did get a good view of all the municipal buildings in Bangalore. Saying that though I don't really like Bangalore or its vibe- its manic but not that interesting to me. Anyway, I had to wait awhile before I could check in and so I unpacked my rucksack to try and repack it and make it smaller whilst drinking an iced coffee. For once I didn't have my usual audience- they entire airport was glued to the cricket on TV...
The flight to Mumbai was fantastic- Kingfisher Airlines are wonderful- like an Easyjet flight because its very cheap but you get fed and watered and films too, although I was too transfixed by the landscape to bother, I got a window seat. Started to read 'Shantaram' too as its set in Bombay.
When we got in I was amazed- I was off the plane, had my rucksack- and was escorted to a cab by a security guard who carried it for me and told the taxi driver he'd recorded his registration number and knew where I was supposed to be going and made lots of notes about it- all within 10 minutes...! I'd been steeling myself for the confusion of Bangalore but 8it all flowed like clockwork. There was a long a long ride to my budget hotel, the New Bengal, which was clean and comfortable, and I was amazed...

Bombay is without a doubt the most beautiful city I have ever seen. Take Barcelona, take Florence, Cape Town and Amsterdam all together and they are not a tenth as stunning. The air was damp and cool and the colours glowed as if Cezanne had painted the whole thing. The ground buzzes. I felt excited just being there.... The whole city is on the hugest scale and far far far bigger than London- taxi rides can take forever. It was a relief to be in cool fresh air again- the sky was darkening. Theres a kind of Parisian post-coital glamour to the place.The architecture you can get lost in. Scottish Baronial cam classical cum Moslem cum Gothic - you walk down shaded Romanesque cloisters to gaze up at colleges with fantasy rooves surrounded by trees as old as the buildings. The whole place vibrates. I felt ridiculously excited just being there. Theres a darkness there unlike Mysore. Mysore is like the simple individual who pays its respects and does its duty whereas Bombay feels like its rebellious smoking, drinking, erotically charged drop out of an older sibling. I couldn't wait to be out in it....
So I showered, got dressed- finally cool enough to wear jeans, heels, and a scarlet heavy cotton wrap and jewellery. Feeling suitably attired I headed for Leopolds, the bar where a lot of scenes in 'Shantaram' are set. I got a taxi there with a nice guy in a beanie hat who had incense burning under his picture of Krishna and I couldn't stop going on about how beautiful I thought the city was, so he drove slowly and pointed out the landmarks.. Leopolds was good- busy, touristy, lots of mirrors. I was hoping to meet a gay Jewish heroin dealer who I could have a cynical nihilistic jaded chat with, but that, alas, didn't happen, so I made do with having a beer with a couple of Irish girls fresh out of volunteer work in Tibet. It was a good night and I slept like a baby.
This morning I woke up and again couldn't wait to be out in it again. So I did 20 minutes of practice, showered, dressed and was out taking photos of buildings by 8.30am. Took myself for a walk to the Gateway of India which was covered in scaffolding although there was a romantic mist over the sunlit morning of the Arabian sea. Then I went to the Taj hotel for a coffee and a croissant, looked at all the people breakfasting in their Lacoste t shirts, squash rackets next to them etc, and looked out to the central courtyard through the window which looks exactly as I'd imagine Heaven. Went to the ladies room and was handed fresh towels and some lady that lunched admired my Chanel lipstick. I smiled and was so glad I ended up not giving it to Scott for Christmas after all, he got the potato masher, (when it comes to Chanel, Vairagya disappears into thin air) sorry hon, if you're reading this...!
I must return one day.
The train station at Lokmunyatila was good - I sat in the ladies waiting room and there was a bitch fight! Slaps and shouting! So I did the Indian thing and stared and stared and stared whilst eating my grapes, exchanging shocked glances with the old ladies there.. The train to Nasik was fun- air conditioned and a good journey. I read and looked out the window. Simone and Tracey texted me to see where I was and I read more. So great the way Indian train tickets state your age. Never fails to stimulate debate on what exactly you are doing, unmarried and wandering Asia on your own.... honestly, sometimes being here feels like I'm appearing on trisha. Theres nowhere a conversation won't go it seems....
Got to Nasik, argued with about 10 rickshaw drivers until I managed to get a taxi into town. Nasiks another different vibe, lots of garden suburbs, lots of Miami stle art deco '30;s buildings. Its ok. There now, waiting to go the 25 kms to the ashram. This will be my last entry for a few days as no outside world there... I hope I cope with being in the same place for so long. Think I'll miss the rickshaws more than anything...