Sunday 9th December
My day began as it had started. In fact, night had blended into day: I arrived in Ahmedabad at 04.00, waited for a few hours in a comfortable waiting room at the station, and then boarded the train to Mumbai at 07.00. The carriage was already packed with people, all of whom were stretched out on their bunks, covered in the blankets and lying on pillows that are provided free of charge in all classes above the standard sleeper class (the one which I had been in on the journey from Udaipur to Ahmedabad). It's a small perk, but it makes a lot of difference - at least to me - and I'd rather pay a bit more for extra space and comfort.
Apart from reading, listening to music and sleeping, there isn't much else to do on these trains, much like trains the world over. My bunk on the top of the row also lacked a window, so I didn't see much of the outside world as we travelled the 500kms or so to Mumbai. In fact, I had passed through the entire state of Gujarat without seeing anymore than a railway station waiting room and a couple of platforms. Funny that.
The train finally arrived at Mumbai Central around 19.00, making it exactly twelve hours since I had got on the train at Ahmedadbad, and a full day since I had started the leg of this trip in Udaipur. Well, at least I was where I wanted to be. I felt I had made good progress, finally getting onto the second half of the two-page map in my guide book.
In fact, I was now exactly half way through my time in India, with just over a month of slightly more than a two month period having passed. I had been in India for five weeks but it felt like longer, as I felt as if I had been through so much in that time.
I left the station and didn't have to go far before a taxi driver approached me with an offer to take me to the part of town where many of the budget hotels were located. I ignored him and walked out to look for a taxi of my own choice. The first guy asked for 450Rs to take me on a five kilometre trip. Based on the advice given in my guide book, I told him that I would pay no more than 80Rs. When he told me his price I muttered the classic line: 'Do you think I'm stupid mate?'. That told him. I also told him to let me out, at which point he dropped his price to 200Rs. It was still too much and there was no way he was going to get any of my money.
I got a more reasonable offer of 100Rs from an older taxi driver, and he didn't have any of the usual chat on our way to the hotel on Marine Drive. After a marathon 24-hour train journey from Udaipur to Mumbai, via Ahmadabad, I was very happy to get to the Bentley Hotel. It seemed like a good enough area to stay in, with a promenade lining the seafront which curved its way along the city skyline. It was the first time that I had seen the sea in India. I would be spending most of my time for the remaining part of the trip near the coast. After getting some food, I crashed out, happy that I was at last on the second page of that map. I had come a long way in the last few days and I was happy to have made good progress south.
