Goodbye Mumbai, Hello Dehli

Goodbye Mumbai... Hello Delhi!

Today was the last day in Mumbai.  We began today with a long and adrenaline-filled bike tour through the streets of Mumbai.  With the exception of vacation last year, I had not ridden a bicycle for over a decade, and I was a bit nervous – especially to be traveling in Bombay traffic in which no cars obey any sort of traffic laws.

Caption: This image is deceptive, as it appears as though the cars are in lanes.  99.99% of the time, the cars are not in any sort of lane; rather, they weave in and out, honking their horn as they please.  This also goes for motorbikes, bicycles, and pedestrians.  The streets = perpetual chaos.

Back to the bike tour.  We began this trek at 5:30a.m. and ended at 10:45a.m.  We traveled all across the city and saw various facets of industry, common marketplaces, and other religious sites.  Below are pictures from the tour:

Caption: A common occurrence: cows on the street.

Caption: The oldest Christian church in Mumbai.

Caption: Men assembling the daily newspapers for delivery.

Caption: The famous and beautiful Mumbai Train Station.

Caption: Entering Crawford Market – where many fruits, vegetables, and meats are sold daily.

Caption: The Jama Masjid of Mumbai – one of the largest mosques in India.

Caption: Mumbai’s coastline

Caption: A man on the beach wall

Caption: Beautiful urban gardens on our tour.

Caption: Look Ma – one hand!  This was taken while riding…

We concluded with a breakfast in a small shop and traveled back to the hostel to pack and leave for our afternoon flight to Delhi.   Although I found myself excited to move on to another city in hopes of escaping trash, overcrowding, and poor infrastructure, I noticed a bit of sadness as I packed my belongings for the airport.

Caption: Awaiting the bus outside our YMCA Hostel.

Before we traveled to the airport, we made a stop for lunch at a delicious BBQ Grill restaurant with OSU Alumni.  We had great conversation with them, heard their perspectives on India, and connected as Buckeyes.  OH!

Finally, we were on our way to the airport. We made it in time for our flight (barely – it’s hard to coordinate a group of 20 people flying!) and arrived safely to Delhi.  I finished the day taking my first rickshaw (car with 3 wheels) and dinner in a McDonald’s.

Caption: View from the rickshaw.

Caption: My first rickshaw ride!

Caption: Sometimes, there’s nothing better than chicken nuggets and French fries!

So long, Mumbai.  Delhi, I hope you’re as interesting and educational as Mumbai has been!

Extremes

Today has been a day of extremes and contrasts.

I began my morning with a quiet run around the streets of Bombay with Eddie.  The city was just waking up, as it was approaching 7'o'clock.  Because of the sheer amount of people, poverty, and lack of infrastructure, a number of people sleep on the streets.  Also rampant on the streets were stray dogs and cats, not yet awake from their evening rest.  As the run progressed, more and more Indians emerged to sweep or rinse their street-vending area; or they emerged to wash cars, likely used for a rickshaw business.  The ownership of personal space and business was striking in these moments, as the city, which appears to be so dirty, is personally kept-up each day.  Over the past few days we have remarked about how the city just needs a good power-washing.  Obviously, that is not the top priority of the country, nor is that part of how these people know and experience the world.

We began our morning by eating at a quaint, European-inspired café.

Caption: It looks like cafés at home!

Caption: We had egg sandwiches, pomegranate-lime juice, and banana bread.  It was delicious!

After this breakfast, we took the train system to Dharavi, the slum known from its portrayal in the 2008 movie Slumdog Millionaire.

Caption: On the train to Dharavi!

We were fortunate to take a tour of the slum with the local NGO: Reality Tours and Travel.  This tour was incredibly instructive in deconstructing my ideas of what a slum is like, who lives there, and why it exists.  Before I go any further, it was not disrespectful for us to take a tour through the slum; this was not poverty tourism.  Rather, it was an educational journey that helped make us ambassadors promoting Dharavi to others.

Caption: From the train station to Daharvi: the apartments above the greenery (not the tall ones in the far distance) were our first glimpse into the slum.

The Dharavi Slum covers about .75 square miles, and it is home to 1 million (officially) to 1.5 million (unofficially) people.  About a third of this population is composed of permanent residents of the slum, as it has been their family’s tradition for the past hundred and some years.  Another third of this population comprises transient workers – men who come from small villages to earn money for their families back home.  The final third of this population is made of entrepreneurs looking to make it big with their business ventures.

I realize this last statement might sound shocking or misplaced.  Yet the Dharavi Slum produces billions – let me repeat: billions – of money for the Indian economy each year.  Without this slum, the economy of India might not survive.  Why?  Many items are recycled and turned into raw materials again here, like plastics.  Other “trash” is stripped of metal and wiring to be reused.

Caption: Materials for recycling and conversion into raw parts.

Additionally, many residents have embroidery and textile businesses that contract with big-name, branded providers.  We saw luggage fashioned and branded; shirts sewn and labeled; clay pots being formed and dried; hides of sheep being tanned and formed into leather purses, belts, etc.

Caption: Dharavi from the rooftop of a small apartment

Now, to the living conditions of these citizens.  Yes, it is a slum – so, yes, it is dirty and has an odor.  However, the sense of community prevalent was quite contrary to my preconceived notions.  We saw the school where all children are required (by law) to attend.  We saw the neighboring behaviors of those living near one another, children playing in the streets, and bartering going on in the main marketplace.

Caption: This image is from the pottery area of Dharavi.

This slum was not the depraved image of disparity and sadness I anticipated.  This is not to discount the gravity of the citizens’ situations, as they are living in poverty and less than sanitary conditions.  Leaving this experience, I have a greater understanding of and appreciation for the livelihoods of the people in this community.  It is a necessary economic engine for the country, and it is a vibrant community for those who live there.  If you ever find yourself in Mumbai, please take three-hours to tour this slum.  It is an experience you will not forget.

Back to the day of contrasts.

We exited the slum and had our air-conditioned, chartered bus waiting for us.  We took this to the other side of Mumbai – the Beverly Hills area.  We stopped at a hipster-esque restaurant that served Angry Birds desserts!   Then, we traveled to Meboob studios where Bollywood films are produced.

Caption: Angy Birds desserts – how cool!

Caption: The sign outside the Bollywood studio!

Because of the connections of our overall tour guides (who own and operate IndoGenius), Nick and Meeto, we were able to walk onto the set of a film!  It was really cool to behind-the-scenes of this major entertainment and cultural industry for India.  Although we were not filmed and did not see the primary movie star on set that day, we learned about the industry and its prominent place in the national imaginary.  As it was explained to us, Bollywood films have a typical make: man meets woman in a slow motion, dramatic scene; woman and man like one another; they fall in love; and they sing songs and dance throughout the entire 2.5 hours.  This construction does not vary, as many Indians use the cinema as a time to escape the world and remove themselves from the realities or harshness of society.

Finally, we concluded our day with a talk at the home of a famous Indian fashion designer, James Ferreira.  He invited us into his home and discussed his efforts to save the historic Portuguese district of Mumbai.  The historic district is nestled within the city and captures the architecture and style of the Portuguese when they lived in India.  In addition, the district is one of the few majority Christian (and Catholic) areas of Mumbai.

Caption: Image of the streets leading up to the Portuguese district.

As James explained, the property value on the homes is incredibly high.  If the homes were to be torn down and high-rise apartments erected, the owners could make $50 billion easily.  However, the preservation of the homes and historical tie to Portugal is important and is the cause for which James fights.

Caption: the inside of James’ Portuguese-inspired home where we chatted for the evening.

In this day of contrasts and extremes, I observed beautiful downtown living, a fanaticized entertainment industry, and the poor conditions of those in slums.  It is a lot to process.  Yet this again points to the diversity of India I discussed yesterday.  Sure, this diversity is present in every society.  What is striking is the inclusion of all of these things in such a visible fashion in the same city.

I hope that tomorrow is just as insightful!

Welcome to India!

I'm in India. Holy cow, literally and figuratively.  Because yesterday’s post was incredibly text-y, I’ve tried to make this visually stimulating.  SO, today we:

      Learned about India in a morning orientation of the country and the activities for the week.

 Caption: Part of our orientation included receiving turbans and scarves.

      Went on a scavenger hunt around the city of Mumbai (which my team won!)

Caption: This is a sampling of the British-infused architecture we saw on the scavenger hunt that pervades Mumbai; this photo is from a library.

Caption: More beautiful architecture.

Caption: There were a few giant, beautiful trees within Bombay.  This is just one.

Caption: The famous India Gate – marking the official entrance into Mumbai from the water.

      Had lunch in an Indian restaurant.

     

      Caption: At the lunch restaurant.

       

      Toured the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) and heard a lecture on the Indian economic system from a professor at the Indian Institute of Trading

Caption: Bombay’s version of the Wall Street Bull!

      In late afternoon, we went on a night tour of Mumbai, which included a:

Caption: Snack of Indian street food – this tasted like fried rice krispies!

Caption: Tour of Chowpatty Beach - the popular hangout location for many locals.

Caption: Visit to Banganga Tank, a sacred Hindu location known for its spring that cleanses the sins of those who dip in it.

Caption: Walk through a Jain Temple

Caption: View of the coast of Mumbai at night (akin to looking at Manhattan) from the Hanging Gardens

Caption: Visit to the Haji Ali mausoleum, although I took this photo earlier in the day

…and a late dinner around 11p.m. concluded our first full day in Mumbai.  Amid all of that busyness, I’ve made a few initial observations on India.

Infrastructure

India is a developing country in all meanings that phrase connotes – culture, demographics, roads, politics, economy.  The in-progress (and still needed) improvements to infrastructure are everywhere.  In Bombay, the roads are in somewhat shabby shape, there is trash lying around the majority of public places, and there lingers a distinctive odor in the air.  Wi-Fi is not readily available in 99% of buildings, and many buildings have some form of construction.  YET, there are apparent changes being made to the city.  Good things are happening here; they just require time.

Sheer Amount of People

While fairly obvious, I was struck particularly by the amount of people on the streets at all hours of the day and all days of the week.  Never once today did I find our group somewhere without a dozen people strewn about our path.  With 20 million residents in Mumbai, I recognize that they need to live somewhere; it’s just a lot to see when you’re used to living in a city with 2 million people, most of them located in the suburbs!

Economic Opportunity

Perhaps this observation was inspired, in part, by the talk we heard at the Bombay Stock Exchange on the current and future economy of India.  However, it becomes readily apparent that there is great opportunity for those who call India home.  The country is simultaneously engaging an industrial revolution, cultural revolution (i.e. gender issues you’ve heard about through the media)

Diversity

Albeit demographically homogeneous (referencing the racialized definition of what Americans consider diversity), this country is incredibly diverse!  Geographically, India has hot deserts, snow-capped mountains, tropical rainforests, jungles, countryside, seaports, and urban cities.  My analogy is that if India were a piece in the Settlers of Catan board-game, it would be highly sought because of its raw materials!  Religiously, there are a slew of faiths practiced here: Hinduism, Islam, Baha’i, Sheikism, Jainism, Christianity, and Catholicism (to name a few).  To my observations thus far, these appear to be practiced harmoniously within the country.  Finally, the stratification of socioeconomic status could not be more striking.  Here, both very rich and depraved poor live within the same city.  They interact on a daily basis – or at least see one another on a daily basis.  Some Indians have remarked that you need to be able to turn off your conscience in order to survive as a higher-level class member, due to the large numbers of poor here.  I wouldn’t disagree with that statement, however disappointing, as I found myself stoic and numb at times.

After a long day, that covers my first of seven in India.

Visa saga

Last week, if you had asked me whether I'd actually be on this trip, my answer would have been "probably not."  Why?  Visas.  The process of obtaining my Chinese Visa is akin to that of walking up an escalator - continually moving but going nowhere.  What follows are the lessons I learned about Chinese culture, bureaucracy, and hospitality.

To submit a Visa for China, many formalities must be followed, including receiving a letter of invitation from the institution, business, or family you'll be staying with.  As I and my colleagues are staying at Wuhan University, we awaited letters from Wuhan staff or admissions.  When we had not received our paperwork three weeks before our departure, we started to get antsy and ask questions.  However we were assured that the papers would come and that we would send the applications to the Chinese Embassy in time for processing.

Okay.  Two weeks before our departure, we finally received our papers and sent them off to the travel agency that was recommended for us by the university - they had aided the Visa process for university students many times in the past, and we were assured that they would help us.  So off our paperwork and passports went to apply for our Visas.

Fast forward to Monday, April 29 (one week before I was to depart), we received word from the travel company that there was an error in sending our passports; they had gone from Columbus to New York and back two times without being dropped off at the Embassy, and they were currently somewhere in route, though we weren't sure where.

Thursday, May 2 – 4 days before I was set to depart for India – the picture was bleak.  Not only did the Embassy not have our Visa applications and passports, the post office was not providing any information on the location or status of our package.  Although I called multiple postal agencies to speak with their customer service, none provided help.  And this clearly translated to me that the package was lost in the mail – doomed.  No more India, no more China.

Later that morning (remember, this is still Thursday), I received a call from the Travel Agent that the Post Office had located our package and would send it to the agent that day.  What wonderful news!  HOWEVER (and this was a GIANT however), it takes a minimum of 2 days to process a Chinese Visa… and as Friday morning was the earliest the package could get to New York, my passport would not be processed until Monday.

My flight left at Noon on Monday from Columbus.

Not taking ‘no’ for an answer, I tried to figure out how I could still board my flight without changing the date of departure, spending extra money, etc.  For Plan A, the Travel Agent suggested that he had a buddy in the Embassy he could try and call for a 1-day processing favor.  This would mean that the Visa would be processed on Friday and sent back to my welcoming arms on Saturday in time for my flight.

Our Plan B was to utilize my 6-hour layover in Newark, New Jersey.  As the Columbus flight was a domestic flight, we thought I might be able to get on the airplane, land in Newark, exit the airport, pick up my passport, and reenter in time for the flight.  This was risky, as the processing timing had to be just right – but it was our only other option.  I called both the Columbus Airport and United Airlines two times that day to ask the same question: “If I’m flying an internationally-bound flight with the first leg in the states, do I need to show my passport to board the first flight?”  The answer to this question (multiple times, mind you), was “No – you will be able to board with a valid photo ID as it is only a domestic flight.”  Great.

Friday rolls around, and it becomes clear that Plan B is the option we’re working.  The Travel Agency said they could not get the 1-day Visa and that they would have someone drop off the passport to me between 3-3:30p.m. to the Newark Airport.  This would be in time for my 8p.m. departure to Mumbai, and it would allow time for check-in, security, and boarding.  Although risky, we went with this plan.

I arrive to the Columbus airport on Monday, May 6 at 10a.m. to begin this journey.  I was nervous, praying that things work out.  As I stepped up to the counter to check-in, the clerk asked for my passport.  I began to explain to her that I did not have it at the moment and that it would be dropped off to me in Newark.  She didn’t care.  She told me that she could not process my flight until I showed a passport.  I shared that I had called United on Thursday and Friday when this was becoming my last hope and that they had assured me it would be okay.  Still, no budging.  She called her supervisor to ask if she could override the passport requirement – and nothing.  Almost in tears, I said “What can we do to make this right?  I must get on this flight today.”  She replied that I must call customer service and have them split my flights, rebook them, and confirm them again.

Great – so glimmer of hope.  I called customer service at 10:10a.m.  I spent a grueling 53 minutes on the phone with them trying to figure this out.  At first, the woman questioned whether or not I understood that I needed to have a passport to fly internationally, and that I needed a Visa as well; this conversation comprised the first 10 minutes of our conversation.  The next minutes were spent trying to communicate who directed me to her and why I thought she could help.  She appeared resistant to the notion that she could do anything; though after another 10 minutes, she understood that I needed her to split my flights.  Splitting my flights was no cake walk either, as she had to drop my seats, rebook them, and finagle me off the waiting list for day-of flights.

On two phones with United at CMH trying to get on a flight…

Once this was all said and done, I was $550 in the hole, as I was forced to pay the day-of fee for a one-way ticket to New Jersey.  She was kind enough to waive my fees for reinstating flights, but jeez – $550 is a lot of money.  As I tried to pay, I realized that I had cancelled my credit card for service in the US and had to call my loving and wonderful (see what I did there? ) husband, Mark, for his card number.  The picture below is of this interaction – United Airlines on one phone and Mark on the other.  Let’s just say that Mark wasn’t too happy about this phone call…

After paying for the flight, I was able to check-in – finally!  Though I was patted down in security and lectured by TSA for using gallon-sized plastic bags to carry non-liquid items, I was thankfully into the terminal and on my way.  I arrived at the gate 5 minutes before we were set to board.  Just in time.

Once we arrived in Newark and were still taxing the runway, I placed a call to the Travel Agent.  This started the chain of communication to let the person know to drop off the passport to me.  A few phone calls and text messages later, I was up outside the terminals and awaiting the delivery… and waiting, and waiting…  Two hours rolled by and I finally received a call from “Jason.”  After struggling to distinguish the difference between a “C” and a “B” – traffic, background noise, and the similarity of those consonant sounds makes communication quite difficult – we realized we were in the same place.

Placing my eyes on this man was one of the happiest moments of the previous two weeks.  I ran over to him, holding my beautiful passport and just smiled.  He asked if I was Sarah Mangia, and I asked if he was Jason.  Yes and yes.  He handed me my passport.  The moment of truth was next: verification that it was mine.  It was – phew.  I signed a paper stating it was delivered, gave him a big thank you, and went skipping off to check-in.

Our BLF Crew at the Mumbai International Airport, fresh off the plane

The rest of the day flew by – literally and figuratively.  I went through check-in, security, and arrived at the terminal with only 2.5 hours before boarding, from the initial 6 hour layover.  My fellow travelers clapped when they saw me, and I gleamed.  I was overjoyed and incredibly thankful to be able to board the flight and begin my 27 day journey to the East.

Circling back to the beginning of this entry, I mentioned that I learned about Chinese culture during this ordeal.  Indeed I did, about pace/time and hospitality/care.  On pace and the timing of the culture, it has become apparent that the mentality of “it will all work out” prevails and helps to maintain a sense of calm in perhaps chaotic or undesirable situations.  Throughout the chaos of the Visa process chronicled above, the general sentiment was that it would work out - it just would.  On hospitality and care, there was not a time throughout this experience that I was not assured that others were doing their very best to help this situation.  In fact, at one point our travel agent offered to get in his car and drive to New York overnight to ensure delivery of the package.  I understand that this can be viewed from a business perspective, that as the customer I deserve a certain degree of service, but I cannot fathom others going to such lengths to help right problems they did not create – i.e. the postal service.

What a beginning to this journey it has been.  I will continue to write and provide pictures as time passes!