So We’re Back …

… from our gorgeous haveli in Mumbai …

… to the sand and glass of Dubai.

Not that I’m complaining.  I think I’ve seen enough green and rain to last me, well, at least 6 months *hint to the husband*

I’m so happy to be back  in the U.A.E.  Why?  Because this is the time of the year to be here!  Clouds are starting to float in the sky.  I can see stars twinkling in the night.  The birds have begun to migrate from neighboring countries.  I can keep my windows open to cooler breeze.  I can finally plan BBQ with family and friends.  Masood and I can steal some time (an hour, for example) from work and go out for a walk.

I am geographically closer to my family.

And I can hear beautiful adhaan five times a day.

 

On Our Way Home

Breathing in some fresh air.

I absolutely loved the journey back to Hyderabad!  During our stay in Mumbai, something unfortunate happened.  It had been one of those moments in life when you feel totally helpless and lost.   So this train journey – a total of 18 hours – gave us time to think and be grateful for a lot of other things in our lives.  Sometimes you just need some quiet, peaceful time to recompose yourself, away from people who blurt out “everything will be okay” even before you finish your sentence.

A major stop connecting Mumbai and Pune

I began learning how to read and write Hindi a year ago – on my own, since Masood thought there wasn’t any need to – but got busy with a 1001 other things.  I began to recognize the alphabets and slowly, very slowly, I even began to combine letters and read simple words.  Like on the board above that reads ‘Lonavla’, I could only read the lo,  na and la part in Hindi.

Yummy Chikkis!

Lonavla is famous for its chikkis,  sweets made from groundnuts and jaggery.  But you get other flavors as well:  sesame seeds, coconut, pistachios, and almonds.  We bought a couple of boxes, which weren’t as full as they appear to be.  *sigh* Well at least, they taste good.

A random pick up truck.

Somewhere during this journey, though I’m not sure where exactly, we were instructed by some policemen (yes, there are policemen for each trip) to close our windows.  It was around 9:30 pm, and I was enjoying the cool breeze while reading a book.  I think Masood was updating his Facebook status then.  We complied.  They even came back to check.

A few hours later, when the lights were dimmed and everyone went to sleep, I heard a loud sound.  It was as if something fell, or hit something.  I went back to sleep, only to be awaken by the same sound few minutes later.  I went back to sleep;  I can’t be bothered by anything when I’m exhausted and sleepy.

When we woke up around dawn,  Masood explained to me what actually happened the previous night.

A lonely buffalo.

Along the way – between Mumbai and Hyderabad – there’s this place notorious for robbers.  The reason why the policemen ordered for the windows to be closed was because these robbers usually threw stones at trains.  And that was the sound that woke me up from my sleep:  stones were being thrown at us!

“But what good will throwing stones like that do for them?”  I asked Masood.  He explained that they mean to create fear or panic.  Because apparently some ignorant passenger, like myself, is likely to think that something has happened and pull the emergency stop.  This will stop the train, giving these robbers the opportunity to implement their evil plan.

The hills are alive ...

One evening in Mumbai, Masood went to a nearby bakery in search for some pineapple pie to satisfy by cravings.  They didn’t have one, so Masood asked for apple pie (which he knew was my next favorite).  The bakery waala told him that they used to bake apple pies but that they didn’t sell well, so they stopped making them.  “By the way,” he asked Masood, “where did you hear about apple pies?”  And while Masood was still trying to process the question in his mind, the bakery waala added, “Did you read about it in some paper or magazine?”

“No, we buy it regularly in Dubai.  In fact, my wife bakes them as well.”

“So why are you looking for the same stuff you eat in Dubai?  Try these local stuff.  Have some pav bhaji or bhel puri!“

He has a point, but I was still craving for my pineapple pie.

Farms

This freshly cultivated field in the picture above reminded me of Facebook’s FarmVille, to which I had been obsessed for a whole month.  But more than that, I tried to visualize what must have happened in Kurnool, Masood’s birth place, where thousands of people and animals were displaced by a devastating flood during the first week of October.  Most of the people there are into farming, so I cannot even begin to imagine their loss.

Discipline

Each city of India is a different experience for me.  It’s easier to see what’s bad or wrong in each one of them, but I choose to see the beauty instead.   I could have posted pictures of the slums or the garbage dumped at the road side, but what good will that do?  Why not go out there and enjoy the better things instead?

Sunset

Sometimes, it saddens me to think that I’ve seen more of India than Pakistan.  I want to visit Lahore, Peshawar, Multan, Islamabad, Quetta, Rawalpindi, Muree, Kashmir, Sargodha, Gujrat, Larkana, and Faisalabad.  I want to see them all.  If only our immigration officers didn’t give Masood such a hard time.   If only they didn’t openly ask him for a bribe each time he visited.

InshaAllah, someday.

A Train Ride Through Khandala

On our way back to Hyderabad from Mumbai,  Masood booked a non air-conditioned, sleeper class in the train that left in the morning.   That way, I was able to enjoy the gorgeous scenery in broad daylight, plus I was able to take beautiful pictures!  Nothing came in between nature and my camera’s lens.  I could never have taken clear pictures with the blurry (it has a slightly bluish tint) glass windows in the air-conditioned section of the train.

The picture above was taken while we were approaching the Khandala station.  I forgot how far it is from Mumbai, but I think it took us 2 or 3 hours to get there.  I was advised to visit this place, but we didn’t get the time to travel outside Mumbai’s city limits.

Back in Dubai, I’d been dreaming – what seemed forever – to visit a place with mountains and trees and farms and caves.  It was so refreshing to breathe in the cool, crisp air that smelled of grass.  And I’d been so mesmerized by the beauty of nature that Masood had to remind me to take pictures!

Notice that bridge in the middle of the picture above?  It amazes me how people build such huge structures in such dangerous places.

There are so many tunnels throughout Khandala!  I had to stick my hand out – with the point & shoot, of course – and take pictures.  Once inside those tunnels, I can’t help but imagine: what if an earthquake happens right at that moment and the mountain comes crumbling down on us?

Some resort on the hill.

Khandala is actually the most preferred weekend destination of people from Mumbai and Pune, where they go for hiking, trekking, rock-climbing, or simply to get away from the city and enjoy the scenery.

Marine Drive in Mumbai: The Queen’s Necklace

It’s officially called the Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Road, a name I can never remember, let alone spell.  But for most of the Mumbaikars, this place will always be known as Marine Drive.  And it’s also fondly known as the Queen’s necklace because street lights along the curved road illuminate at night, resembling a diamond necklace.

Here’s an image that I’d googled:

Masood and I went to Nariman Point for some business one morning, and after we were done around noon, we walked towards Marine Drive.  I had been insisting to see this place even before arriving in Mumbai!  I’d seen it in movies and had been looking forward to being there myself.

Beautifully laid out in South Mumbai, Marine Drive is actually a ‘C’-shaped six lane concrete road, which lengthens to 3 km along the coastline – a natural bay – it’s coastline a part of the Arabian Sea.  It was built in 1920.

The highlight of Marine drive is the beautiful promenade along the road – lined with trees – where people take in a breath of fresh air and view the sunsets.

Surprisingly, Mumbai isn’t as polluted as Delhi or Hyderabad.  Auto rikshaws are restricted to certain areas here, and almost all public transports have been converted to use compressed natural gas, or CNG.  So even the noise level on the roads is pretty low.

I love the shape of these concrete rocks!  While we were sitting there enjoying the breeze and view, we noticed several small crabs having a walk on these rocks.

According to Wikipedia, real estate prices along the esplanade are among the highest in India, and fourth in the world at US$2100 per square feet. A lot of celebrities live here, making it one of India’s premier residential community.   No wonder we saw lots of luxury cars along this road.  Also, there are a lot of fancy restaurants on the other side of the road, opposite the bay.  But we chose to eat pav bhaji in Chowpatty Beach.

Mumbai GPO, the Largest Post Office in India

This impressive building of the Mumbai General Post Office is just a few steps away from the grand CST Station.  It’s difficult to get a decent shot since the trees are blocking the front view of the building.  Speaking of trees, one of the several things that truly impressed me about Mumbai is its greenery.  There are LOTS of trees everywhere.  Old trees.

Anyway, so we went on a Monday.  Though it was a holiday, since the Hindus were celebrating the festival of lights, the post office was open, most probably for last minute mailing of greeting cards.

It was designed by British architect John Begg in 1902.  Construction began on September 1, 1904.  It was completed on March 13, 1913 at a cost of Rs. 1,809,000.

This building is an example of Indo-Saracenic architecture, representing a synthesis of Muslim designs and Indian materials.  Black basalt, with a dressing of yellow Kurla stone and white stones from Dhrangdra are the predominant materials used.

The interiors are equally impressive, but both Masood and I hesitated to take photographs.  There is a massive dome at the center, and I noticed several paintings of rulers hanging on the walls. There is also a small exhibit of old stamps and letters.

While we were busy taking photographs just outside the post office, I young boy – around 5 years old – approached us.  He had unkempt hair and wore old clothes.  He looked at us with his huge, innocently pleading eyes, and said, ‘Photo.’  We just smiled and started walking away, when I told Masood that we should probably take his picture;  it’ll make the child happy.  I was sure he was fascinated by the camera we were holding.  Either that, or he loved having his picture taken.

So we turned and walked towards the boy.  The moment he saw us, he came running, with this broad smile on his face.  And I was like, ‘Awww!’  But the moment Masood pointed the camera at him and started to focus, we heard a woman’s voice (who had been sitting nearby but we barely noticed a while ago) say something like, ‘Paisey do.’  Give money.

I grabbed Masood’s arm, and we left.  Why should we pay her for taking the picture of her son that we didn’t need or want?  All we had intended to do was make a child happy, yet this had all been a way of getting money from tourists.

So sad.

But the GPO building is truly impressive.