1st January
Hi there. New Years Eve was interesting. We walked around Mumbai all day (shall send you all yesterdays email too) and then made our way back to the hotel.
After getting first class train in at 78 rupees - around one pound, we found out the second class was far more interesting and only cost 7 rupees around 5p!
Had a bit of fuss getting a train, where it said on the notice board a whole list of locations including ours, so Jason and I hoped on. Then found out we were in the 'Ladies only carriage' some of the kids were screaming with laughter. Jason got on another carriage (which turned out to be the baggage carriage!) where he was told that this train didn't stop at any stops it was the fast train. He collected me because I am a LADY and we went to read the notice board again. Turns out it says. This train will not stop at........then lists all the stops!
Our train read. This train stops at eight stations!! Weird logic.
I ran to try and catch one just leaving. It was moving, but Jason couldn't catch up, so I hopped off again. Feeling very silly for that one. I also got the ladies carriage again. So Jason couldn't have got on, even if he was speedy Gonzales. Otherwise he said he was prepared to be a LADY and hop on at the last minute.
Well we eventually got back to Khar road station and dodged a few cows and saw lots of excited individuals in their best clothes, ready to see in the New Year. - Oh yeah, forgot to mention yesterday that we saw a kid shitting on the railway platform and its mother mop up after it.... lots of people live in shacks near the station. They walk across the railway tracks a lot!
Went back to the hotel and got ready to go out again. We decided to go to the fashionable part of the area called Bahdram. Hopped in a rickshaw, which I swear nearly rolled over on a huge bump in the road! Wow it was busy in Bahdram. But it turned out to be the equivalent of
Oxford Street, with loads
Of shops, McDonalds, Pizza Express, KFC, but not an Indian restaurant in sight!! We walked through the night street market, where every stall owner invites you to look at their goods - rather annoying after about fifteen and when you can't buy a thing for being careful about backpack weight. Walked for ages until we came to a vegetarian restaurant that was heaving with locals, so we thought it must be good. Had something called Paratha, which was like a flat and deep fried cheese and garlic flavoured toasty x 4 (I chose the flavour).
I tell you what, the food is great, but I am just not hungry; the heat and drinking lots of water means I don't want to eat. So I couldn't manage all the food. They had fantastic cocktails though. But it was all non alcoholic. So Jason and I had a Non Alcohol new year.
Caught a rickshaw again back to the hotel........... or so we thought. He didn't really know where we meant and dropped us off around a corner. Luckily we knew where to go because we saw the train station! 14 rupees - around 12p for the ride. Oh and a rickshaw is like a moped with a two person cab on the back, its open to the elements. Great fun.
Looked for a bar, but there aren't any where we are staying, so we saw New Year from the window of the hotel. Absolutely fantastic fireworks display and also an impromptu one from the locals. Well I am just glad we weren't in the street. They put the equivalent of a guy faulks dummy on a seat in the middle of the road and we wondered what the thick line of red things was that they were laying in the road. About a hands width and ten metres long. Leading from the dummy. Well we found out. While a few of them still fussed with the dummy, some one lit the line of red and a huge number of firecrackers went off in a line. But they weren't little things. They hits all the cars on their way down and didn't light the dummy, So these individuals then decided to light something underneath it........... It was a huge firework rocket.. The sort that make a big sparkling ploom in the sky!!! Well it was not pointing upwards and went off down the street with a lot of sparks. Not satisfied they did a couple more!! Nutters. Then all the cars and rickshaw were driving around the Guy Faulks inferno - it wasn't small.
We thought the beeping of horns was bad during the day. Well they went on for hours and all of them.
All good fun. We came into town again today and have decided to go to Goa, which is about 800 miles down the coast. We are going to get a train and share a cabin with six people. We all have bunk beds and a couple of windows to look out of. 12 hours train journey. It took us a few hours to sort this out at the train station, but a very helpful train Manager, took us under his wing and helped us out with the whole thing. His tip was 50 rupees or 70p. Lucky really, cos there was quite a lot of stuff to do. He showed us the platform we would leave from and explained that when you go first class, two of you are locked in a cabin with no windows!! He said it was no fun and it was a bit like being in a prison. Hhhhm always listen to an indians advice. Every one of them has tried to help us out so far. They all like to stare at foreigners too. I think Jason and I are a rare thing in the area we are staying.
Some nice woman had a massive argument with a taxi driver when he was going to charge us too much and she told him to put his meter down, which it appears is cheaper. He shouted a lot at her and then we decided to listen to her advice and she said we could catch a bus; it was much cheaper and not very far.
Well we are off to Goa on Wednesday at 6am. Not booked a hotel yet...... gonna see if I can do that now.
Happy New year everyone. XXX
Hannah and Jason the explorers.
