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.

The Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus

Railway stations were the most prominent entry points, and cemented the gap between the rural and urban districts that enabled the British Raj to concretize their regime in India. The Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, then known as the Victoria Terminus, was one of the grandest and considered the queen of all railway stations in India.

In 1887, the station was aptly named as ‘Victoria Terminus’ under the British reign. This was done to commemorate the Jubilee Day celebrations of the sovereign, Queen Victoria. At a cost of INR 1.614 million, the construction started in 1878 and took ten years to complete. The station was opened to the public on New Year’s Day in 1882.

The building in its grandeur served many purposes. Apart from housing railway functionaries – the likes of accounts, chief engineer, and traffic manager – it also served as a government stronghold and housed other municipal offices such as the superintendent of the police.

Built in local sandstone, the style is a combination of the then popular English Venetian Gothic styles endorsed with elements of Indian architecture. The central dome bears a thirteen feet solid figurine personifying ‘Progress’, with its arms raised towards the sky on the south-western part of the building. This follows the unique Bombay style of architecture, an emerging trend during the days of the Raj when British architects worked with Indian craftsmen.

The Victoria Terminus was renamed the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus on March 4, 1999 to honor the bravest of brave warrior son of the soil, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.

It was a stance taken by the then local municipal offices to do away with anglicized names and give an Indian identity to public landmarks and streets. Despite being renamed, the station is still referred to as “VT” station by hardcore habitants of Mumbai.

Chowpatty Beach

I am in love with Mumbai!  Masood took me to Chowpatty yesterday, which is more commonly known as “Bombay Chowpatty”.  I was surprised to discover that it’s actually a beach because back home in the UAE, Bombay Chowpatty is the name of a restaurant!  And they serve yummy food.

Gorgeous, right?  Such a clean and quiet place to spend some moments of solace and peace.  Well, not really!  I took that picture at two in the afternoon, when the sun was hot and bright.  That’s one of the reasons why the beach appears deserted.  I discovered the other reason just last night:  the place comes to life at night!

This lively beach is definitely not meant for sunbathing or swimming, but for eating.  It is a bazaar and mela (or festival) rolled into one.  I noticed salesmen throng the beach last night, selling everything from glow-in-the-dark yo-yos and animal-shaped balloons to rat poison. Men stand by with bathroom scales, offering complacent strollers a chance to check their weight in return for a small price. Hand-operated Ferris wheels and carousels are packed with children. And then there was the main attraction:  stalls nearby selling Mumbai’s famously satisfying fast food—crunchy bhel puris (puffed-rice snacks), ragda pattices (spicy potato cakes), and paav bhaji (fried vegetable mash eaten with bread).  And my all-time favorite:  falooda.

Did I mention that most of the people came dressed as if they were attending a wedding party?  It was so lively.  We strolled around a bit, just before heading towards the countless food stalls.  Each stall has a “salesman”, whose job is to call in customers towards his stall.

We ordered paav bhaji and falooda with kulfi (I can’t put into words how yummy both of these were).  One of the salesmen laid out a straw mat for us on the sand, where we sat and enjoyed the food.  The entire experience was so memorable!

If you’re in Mumbai, do visit this place.