Day 16: Bombay or Mumbai? That is the question.

Aug 14

Bombay is the name that the Portuguese gave this city when they founded it. The state government has changed the name to Mumbai, but in the hearts of those who live here, it is still Bombay. It is one of the worlds leading financial centers and is making its mark all over the globe. The city has approximately 16 million people and is the home of Bollywood and also the world’s largest slum. The divide between rich and poor is so apparent, and the poverty is really sad. Bombay is a beautiful city that was built up on 7 islands separated by rivers and set against the ocean.

Zab’s mother woke us up just after 7:00 because she needed to do our laundry! We are spoiled. We gladly accepted her offer though because we were getting low on fresh clothes. I had been able to wash some things in a hotel about a week ago, but these were going to actually be washed! How wonderful. Mother’s are terrific! (I miss you too mom *smirk*)

She also prepared us an amazing breakfast before we went out to see the city. We hired a driver for the day. The traffic was very slow because it was a Monday and tomorrow is India’s Independence Day. Zab’s mother brought us to see the Gateway of India which is a British building made to commemorate the visit of King George. It over looks the ocean on one side and the Taj Hotel on the other side. It is a beautiful location and there were quite a few tourists there.

It was now time to shop! We spent most of the afternoon looking in stores at things much too expensive to buy or at things on the street that were too cheap to bring home. It was a fun day interacting with the people and the culture of Bombay. At one store there was a large chair made entirely out of Silver. It was carved and engraved and on the end of the arm rests there were carved leopard heads. The padded fabric on the seat and seatback were leopard print. I regret not taking a picture of it because it doesn’t sound like much, but it was one of the craziest chairs I have seen.

We ate really late at almost 3pm; we were very hungry and the food tasted very good. We picked Zab’s uncle up after he had worked the night shift and went looking for luggage. We need more room because of the extra things we have purchased and also because we will not be allowed to have very much with us in the carry on baggage.

After some more quick shopping, we drove home for tea time and then we spent the evening relaxing. Before we had another really good meal, we had a prayer and devotion time with Zab, his mother, and his grandparents. After supper we watched a TV show that was not in English. It was fun to try and see how much I could figure out by the acting. I noticed a strange difference in TV here. It seems as though the actors are filmed first and then the sound is cut and they record all new voices in a sound studio. There is no environmental noise, and the lips and mouth are off at times. It is like a dubbed movie, but it is the same language they are speaking. I think they do this to make the sound quality better or else because they cannot get the sound of cars and horns to be quiet enough. Very strange effect.

We then went to sleep with the windows open and the fan going. It is humid here but it is only around 30 degrees. Only? I do not notice it as being hot. I think I might come home and always be cold. Who knows.