Mumbai

After a 33 hour train ride, I arrived in Mumbai on Friday morning. It is a rare event, an Indian train was actually on-time! Josiah and Joe, however, were not. Rather than sit at the train station and wait for them, I braved the "local train" (like a metro) on my own. After all I had done it a couple times in Calcutta.

It was 5:30 in the morning, so my ability to realize my lack of intelligence was, well, lacking. I looked up and down the platform, wondering which way I needed to walk to get to the station. If my brain were working, I would have realized which way the train came in from, and been able to figure it out, but I was too tired to realize that I had no idea what I was going to do. There just happened to be some nice ladies standing by the train who happened to also be going to the same "local train" stop as I, and they helped me!

I was very excited to be re-united with my American friends...this excitement wore off quickly, due to their persistence in reminding me that they grew up with TOO MANY sisters, while I am not used to having brothers. They won't stop picking on me!!!!! So I told them I was going to complain on my blog...

We spent the day (Friday) touring Mumbai. We walked a lot...and of course the guys made fun of me for being short and having to take 3 steps for every 2 they take...

We saw "India Gate," the "hanging gardens," 

 and walked past the "Taj hotel" and some other places that were bombed or shot up back in November. 
That was rather sobering...but in case anyone is worried about my safety, fear not, we went to all the "dangerous" places yesterday. Today we are just going to the "red light district," to visit some friends there.

Don't worry about me, I have 2 body guards :). The first time we got in a taxi, I was back seat, in the middle, feet on the bump. I sat there because, well, I am short, but with my feet on the bump, my legs look as tall as theirs. This also protected me when the freaky-looking cross-dresser who tried to reach in the window...


Our train ticket seats (for the 6 hour trip to A-bad on Monday) also have me sitting between the guys. I don't mind because that is a $2 train ticket, and very low class, so I will be safely sitting between my body guards...see it's not all bad having them around. I even get my own room!