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South Asia Trip (Sept - Dec 2002) Week #3 Update |
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Hello
people, It
has been over three weeks now since I left the comforts of home and the
western world. I am now in
Mumbai and enjoying myself with family. I have over 200 relatives (aunts,
uncles and second cousins) in Mumbai.
Quite overwhelming to meet all of them, having first met most of
them when I was 6 yrs old! When
I last left you I had just arrived back to Karachi from my trip to
northern Pakistan. The
remaining week in Karachi was spent relaxing and bonding with family.
My mum's mother, two brothers and three cousins are the family that
I am referring to. Most days
were spent sleeping, eating, watching TV, chilling with family and my
cousin's friends, and of course shopping.
I bought three jeans, 2 long sleeve cotton tops, 2 belts, a leather
jacket, 2 adidas track pants, 2 cargo pants for a grand total of $135; the
leather jacket accounting for half of that. Ate tonnes of food, including
all the road side snacks I used to eat when I visited Karachi almost every
year in the 80's. It was a
delicious trip down memory lane with the faludas, gola gandas, chicken
thika, pan, chat and bhel puri! I
left Karachi on Tuesday afternoon and arrived in Dubai at 1:15 PM.
I was hoping to hook up with an old friend from Nairobi, who is now
in Dubai, but when I called him up he was in Saudi Arabia for a few days. So
I decided to venture out on my own and took a 3 Dhiram bus ride to a
district in Dubai called Naif and/or Deira.
Walked around the hustling and bustling neighborhood in the
blistering heat for about an hour after which I could not stand the heat
anymore. Walked into
the mall and sat at the food court for 2 hrs reading and writing my
journal. By then it was after
4 and cooler. So I took the
public transport motor driven dhows across the canal and back for a Dhiram!
That was definitely the cheapest thing I have done so far on this
trip - a Dhiram (45 cents) for going across the canal in a nice boat and
then back at my convenience! This
way I got to see the sunset and the other side of Dubai!
I felt like I was in Karachi or Mumbai as all the labour class in
Dubai is comprised of Indians or Pakistanis.
I had no language barrier and was able to communicate with the bus
driver, airport staff, food court attendants, shop attendants, etc in Urdu
or Hindi. The Arabs love to
employ other nationalities to do their work!
I guess they can afford it with all that oil.
My flight for Mumbai left Dubai at 10:30, arrived in Mumbai at 2:45
AM, was out by 3:30 AM, caught a taxi for $10 to my uncle's place and
arrived by 5AM. The
heat here is sometimes unbearable but having spent a primer 2 weeks in
Pakistan, I am coping with it quite well.
So far I have spent time visiting half my relatives, the other half
being reserved for the weekend. I am also attending a friend’s
engagement on Saturday and wedding on Tuesday.
She is an old friend from Nairobi who is getting married to an
Indian; hence the wedding is in Mumbai.
I am planning on leaving for Calcutta by train next Thursday
morning and then flying to Dhaka from there.
That will be a combined 36-40 hr trip which I am REALLY looking
forward to! Anyone want to
join me and free me of my impending boredom? I will arrive in Dhaka just in time to celebrate my birthday.
I have not celebrated my birthday outside Canada for the last 12
years so I am sure this birthday will be one to remember! Till
then when I notch off another year to my life, Sameer. |