Mumbai
It's all change today. Jaz left for Heathrow this morning, and we're off to the airport in a little while. I'm sad to be leaving India and losing our companion of the last few weeks. I think we'll be back in India soon enough though, though I doubt I'll ever get the place out of my system.
Nothing much to say about the last few days, because we willingly lapsed into tourist mode and went to Palolem beach in Goa. This is a paradise beach resort catering for European trade. Lovely, relaxing, but nothing to right home about. The local dogs and cows relaxed on the beach whilst we swam, ate western food and got ripped off buying crap drums. We stayed in a beach hut; James and I think we've had a preview of what Thai islands might be like.
This morning, James and me headed across town to fulfil the promise we made to kids in the Emmanual Orphanage at Thekaddy - to buy them a replacement for their busted guitar. We headed past stinking Crawford Market to the packed SV Patel Road (no the first time we've had a diffucult time finding a place - taxi drivers in Mumbai don't seem to know the place at all). We went to Singh's musical intsrument merchants and bought an acoustic guitar, strings, strap and tutorial booklet for the kids. We hope that and the tambourine will accompany them when they sing their hymns; even if it takes them a while to master the instrument, their music teacher should be able to help them out. We just hope that once the shop has shipped it, the guitar gets there in one piece! I don't know if we've done the right thing, especially after Jaz rightly pointed out last night that I was only giving to beggars to appease my conscience, when I felt low.
As we headed back across town it occurred to me that I should list some of the things that I associate with our trip across this sub-continent. Here we go:
Red Paan stains and chalk Hindu welcoming patterns on the pavement. The smell of rotting fish from Crawford market. Spending almost a solid month in Indian transport and not seeing one accident! The orange earth and green jungle of Periyar and Masinagudi. Insistent street traders, crowing tailors and grumpy rick-shaw wallah. Fabulous temples and esoteric faith. The colour of the street food and willingness of anyone to help out a confused Englishman. Mile after mile after mile of slums waiting for the monsoon to reduce them to a pile of corrugated iron and rubble. Knowing that after the monsoon they'll be reconstructed in a matter of days.
2 comments:
We'll chip in a copy of Shiftwork for them to learn. Yeah, we're well generous ;).
Played our first gig without you on Monday night. It was pretty rock n roll, though strange to look over at the kit and not see you there. I'll email you about it later.
Thom
Cheers man, I already checked the blog. Glad Kerry is setlling in well. Pass on my regards to all in the band, keep the good ship Gresham on course!
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