Namaste

Yoga originated in India and its main goal is for the yogi to reach a state of peace within his mind and body, no matter the external circumstances. The ultimate goal is nirvana, or a state of higher consciousness from reality, although I think most Americans who practice yoga (myself included) practice it for the physical aspects. Now I know why Indians cultivated this practice - you need some kind of spiritual escape from the heat, humidity, poverty and chaos all around you here. And Bikram yoga (aka hot yoga, practiced in a room heated to 105 degrees) is just normal yoga in India since with the humidity factor it basically feels about that hot here. Mumbai is steamy.

In many ways, Mumbai reminds me of Bangkok. Both cities have steamy, humid, tropical climates. Both are overpopulated metropolises with a huge difference in living standards between the rich and the poor. Both are on the hippie backpacker trail. $1 is roughly equal to 40 rupees. When I was in Thailand in 2004, $1 was roughly equal to 40 baht. The cuisine in both cities is heavy on curries and spices. I find it interesting that countries with moderate climates, such as the US, UK, Western Europe generally create bland foods while countries with hot, tropical climates have spicy, flavorful cuisines.

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Just one more observations about Dubai: everyone speaks English in Dubai, which makes sense because only about 15% of the population is native UAE - the remaining 85% are service workers from India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Philippines, Malaysia and China, with a small percentage of Westerners thrown in. The 85% foreign population is basically there to serve the 15% uber-rich-beyond-your-imagination Emiratis. The Emiratis distinguish themselves by wearing traditional Arab clothing - white dishdashahs for men and black burkas for women, having flashy cars and often have servants following them around dressed in pajama-like uniforms.

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Mumbai's redemption has been its chai (which by the way, just means tea here, so if you want Indian chai, you have to ask for masala chai, otherwise they will assume you want English tea since you are a firang) - the cafes and restaurants brew it from scratch with their own concoction of spices and whole milk (other than the modern Western cafes, which serve you a lame teabag and tiny pot of milk). It is sooooo heavenly that I've been having at least 3 cups a day.

The food, if you go to the right places, is also amazing. Last night I went to the Cream Centre, a popular Mumbai snack restaurant across the street from Chowpatty Beach. You can either risk getting food poisoning by getting chaat (snacks) for 50 rupees at the stands on the beach, or you can get hygienic versions in the modern, air-conditioned Cream Centre for 100 rupees (which on the one hand is double the street price, but on the other hand is still only $2.40). In every country I have ever traveled to previously, I have always tried the street food, but in Mumbai I've stayed away after seeing the unhygienic conditions of the street stall vendors and also having been warned by people who have previously traveled to India (most people appear to be afflicted with stomach problems the first three days upon arrival). So far I've been fortunate, even though I've been drinking the tap water (not sure what I was thinking, but after doing it once I figured, well it's either going to make me sick or not, and since I didn't get sick the first time might as well continue to drink it). Anyway, had the most amazing thali meal (a vegetarian feast of tiny portions of various dishes, served with rice and bread) for just over 200 rupees, about $5. My tastebud horizons have definitely been widened with respect to Indian food here, although my mouth totally rejected some of the things I've been served (such as chaas, which is Indian buttermilk. The locals drink it as a beverage...ICK. Sorry, that's an acquired taste that I don't think I can acquire. Masala milk was also rather disgusting to me - milk flavored with rosewater and saffron and other spices...tasted like milk with curry and perfume to me).

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I finally watched Sex and the City and loved it. I don't care that it got bad reviews - it was a fashion feast for the eyes and seeing the SATC girls on screen again was like seeing long lost friends. Although Big's character in the movie was one-dimensional and SO not Big...but I guess they had to make it that way in order to have the happily ever after ending that are a chick flick requisite.

Going to the movies in India is a bourgeois privilege - it is something that most Indians scrambling by on $1/day cannot even fathom. Going to the movies here is an experience in itself. Inside you get to see the middle and upper classes, which is such a far cry from the lower classes you walk by on the street. There is assigned seating and a price differential for the better seats. If you can't see because the person in front of you is too tall, you can request a cushion for your seat. Before the movie starts, you are required to stand up for the Indian national anthem. They have an intermission halfway through the movie (which I found annoying). Waiters come to your seat and take your order for snacks. People talk on the phone inside the theater during the movie (OMG. I almost slapped the girl next to me who talked on the phone for a full five minutes despite the fact that I kept shooting dagger eyes at her).

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India is in this very strange time zone where it is 12.5 hours ahead of San Francisco. So when it is midnight in SF, it is 12:30 in the afternoon here...weird, how do you decide to be in a half-hour time zone different from the rest of the world?

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Other than sleeping accommodations, Mumbai is absurdly cheap. You can get by on $10-15 a day taking cabs and eating like a king (not including accommodations, which are ridiculously crappy and expensive). My 2 star hotel in Mumbai cost just as much as my 4 star hotel in Dubai, except that my hotel in Dubai came equipped with a pool, gym, spa, the softest slippers, bathrobe, fruit basket (not just a welcome fruit basket - a new fruit basket every evening during the turndown service), complimentary bottled water, complimentary 10 minute relaxation massage at the spa, complimentary welcome drink, uber-helpful concierge and complimentary private car to the airport. My hotel in Mumbai comes with jack, is in a dilapidated building with a rickety old elevator that I am scared to get into so I climb the five flights to my room, AND even though I reserved a room with my own bathroom, my own bathroom happened to be in the HALLWAY, not my room...and the damned owner refused to discount the price, despite not giving me what was promised. Oh well...the perfect masala chai served every morning was worth it, I suppose.

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In Mumbai, drivers don't use their left/right blinkers. Instead, they honk as if to say: "hey buddy, let me in" or more likely: "get the hell out of my way sucker unless you want to crash." Mumbai must be the noisiest city in the world - a non-stop irritating assault on your ears. EVERYONE honks ALL THE TIME. They honk at pedestrians crossing the street (j-walking is just part of daily life here), they honk when they want to turn, they honk when they want to change lanes, they honk when there is traffic, etc. It rattles my nerves. Also, they don't use the lanes here. Drivers just drive in the middle of two lanes or whatever lane they want. Yesterday my driver even went the wrong way on a one way street so that he could cut across an alleyway. Getting on the road here is basically voluntarily putting your life at risk.