More about Mumbai

First of all, I just saw Batman Begins at the Eros theater in Mumbai. This is the best batman movie ever made! Go see this movie after you're done reading this post.

So to explain more about the time in India, it's 5 1/2 hours ahead of GMT, 10 1/2 hours ahead of the east coast, and 13 1/2 hours ahead of the west coast. Why? I haven't asked yet.

Now on to first impressions of mumbai. Fuck I just typed it and will have to retype.

The air not only has a smell, but a taste as well. It is somewhat metallic.

The other thing you notice is the poverty. People are everywhere. A bed is any flat surface. Little kids barely dressed, sometimes naked, was amongst heaps of rubbish. The disparity between the modern world and the slums sends my head spinning. I've seen the homeless in San Francisco, but this isn't like that. This is poverty. There are so many images burned into my mind. I saw a leper last night. Fortunately it was too dark for me to see him. Two kids, maybe in their teens were drinking water from the gutter. There was a little girl no more than 4 begging for money. She ws hopping in front of Niki holding out her hand while he was tryiong to side step her.

The sound of engines and horns fill the air. Sometime to the point where thats all you can hear. People are always all around you and the humidity makes eveything a little less bearable. It's opressive and pushes down on you.

Today was better. It didn't feel so hot, and there was a breeze that circulated the air. Niki and I have walked most of the two sections of Mumbai (Colabda and Fort) covered in the Lonely Planet. We've gotten to know the city a bit better and even have a local restaurant where we've had lunch twice now. An order of two samosas and a coke costs 23 rupees (just over 50 cents). So far the stomach is ok. Last night I wrote in my journal, "I'm still not sure if I can handle this place." Today, I think I'll be ok.