Antalya to Mumbai

Well, before we tell you about Mumbai, which used to be called Bombay, I will finish off with tales of Antalya. Antalya is such a beautiful place, hot and sunny, full of ancient ruins and all up against a dramatic backdrop of stunning mountains and the turquoise Mediterranean Sea. Prices here are exorbitant though. While accommodations are very inexpensive, food, water, and tourist stuff is very expensive. We stayed in a pension called Sabah in the old city. It was a clean room, with shared bath down the all which was also very clean. The family who ran it were very friendly and helpful and the food there was very good.

I found the most amazing little hidden away cafe where I spent the most luxurious day reading a book in the sun by the sea. The cafe was basically a serious of rickety old decks built out the side of the cliff, hanging over the water...so the view was beautiful, the breeze welcomed, and there, no one bothered me all day. I just sat in one of the Turkish bean bag chairs you see everywhere, and read my book. Nate stayed in the room...not sure why. He was struggling a bit with allergies there, so I guess needed a break.

Carpet selling here is a huge business, and more than i realized, a world wide Industry. I met a man who I spent a few hours with learning about the industry. Basically, it works a little different then what i described earlier. Some villagers raise sheep and sell the wool to other villagers who buy it and dye it using natural vegetable dyes. They then sell it to weavers who make the rugs following the commercial patterns they buy, designed by professional carpet designers...the carpets are sold to wholesalers who sell to retailers.

Mumbai

We arrived safe and sound after a very long day. We left Antalya at 8:30 am and arrived 23 hours later. We had to stop in Istanbul and Bahrain. In Bahrain we were not allowed to leave the airpot and had a 5 hour layover, so Nate programed his computer so we coulod play a sort of homemade boggle. we did that - had fun - and left hte middle est at midnight. As we boarded the flight, I realized i was one of only a few women on the plane, and Nate and I were the only white people.

I slept well on the flight...put my little eye shilds on and some earplugs, and before we took off i think I was asleep. Having shared with Nate a few things about what to expect, I think noone or nothing can really prepare you for India. The flight was a bit of a teaser though. Nate and i laughed as over and over agin on landing the stewardesses had to scream at the Indian men to sit down and buckle up. They kept getting out of their seats! It was hillarious.

We took a cab to our hotel (I got ripped off by the pre-paid taxi stand guy) and slept for three ore hours, then headed out for a walk about to find the famed Gateway to India and buy tickets to Elephanta Island. Unfortunately, by the time we walked the 20 minutes walk, and then looked around for about another 20 minutes we were both so hot we had to go into the nearest overpriced restaurant to cool off in the air conditioning. I had been warning Nate about the heat and humidity, but it has taken me even by surpise...what the heck was I thinking coming to India in the summer. No wonder the damn tour was on sale!! Noone in their right miond would come here on purpose. It is so hot that we were both soaking wet withing minutes, and the pounding dehydration headahes set in within an hour. So we sat in the reataurant, ate food, drank an beer and walked back to our hotel. Elaphanta Island will have to wait for another trip. Back in our hotel room I took a cold shower, a tylenol, and then headed out to the internet cafe. At east it is airconditioned in here.

Now, let me describe the internet cafe...tee hee

I am in a small room that is about 6 feet by 6 feet. There are six peopl in her including me and six computers. we each have about 2 feet of space. I have to keep my elbows in when typing! India is like that. There are just so many people here...there is no room for anything. As we drove from the airp[ort, Nate got a taste of the indian way of driving....it is so very terrifying you just have to laugh. I won't reiiterate much about that, as I described the street sof India in my last blog....what I will say was I was expecting Mumbai (Bombay) to bit a bit more modern and clean. But, truly, it is just as filthy and hot and crowded and noisy as Calcutta...so, I wonder...what is it i love so much about india?

I guess it is that everything is SO DIFFERENT that the simplest things become novel, funny, and amazing. People watching stretches you, as you must endure the tens of thousands of people on every block...many who live in the streets. The smell is mostly foulk, but it makes you appreciate so much where you come from. I love the colour of India...even in poverty, the women are colourfully dressed. The constant honking of the cars becomes a symphony...a language really...cars communicating with each other, and with the hords of scooters, people, and bikes.

I will try now to upload some pictures of Turkey...not sure if this computer will take my memory card, but I will try. Lots more tomorrow as we are off to the worlds largest slum...