I Love Mumbai

I've lost twelve kilos. Yes, you heard me. Twelve kilos. Can you believe it? I can.

I spent two hours today at the Mumbai general post office arguing over the customs declaration of my precious baggage. Two hours filled with pleading, grateful smiles, batting eyelids, millions of questions as to why I can't just send home my old clothes and books and for the supervisor(who was standing there overlooking our arguments) - but, the end result was pleasing. I finally shook off those terrible twelve kilos. Ahh, now my backpack is wonderfully lighter (albeit still a little heavy - i don't want to know how much all my bits and pieces weighed before we arrived to the GPO).

I am in Mumbai/Bombay - one of my favourite cities in India so far. This incredible metropolis has it all - the sophistication, the slums, the thudding heat, the chaotic traffic, the suits bustling to work every morning, the crowded markets filled with junk and vegetables and jewellery and kitchen utensils, the department stores, the glitterati of Bollywood - and I love it. Nechama and I have been taking a slower pace since arriving here as we are both pretty run down after some little adventures that has taken us hostage over the past few days like a bad dream we never awoke from. But first I should backpeddle a little and explain briefly what I have been up to for the past couple weeks.

From Pushkar we went to the Blue city of Jodhpur - in which a maginificent fort (and within it extensive museums) dominated the landscape. In nearly every city from Delhi to Udaipur there are forts built by the Mughals - which can get sometimes quite repetative. But the fort in Jodhpur was worth it - we explored the tiny corridors and hidden rooms that were sectioned off for preservation purposes (we can't read english, we say in israeli accents!) and the rooms filled with mughal art and armory (yes, still with the swords) - trying to get that perfect photo for this post. Shame I cant put any up now, but it's coming. It will.

Jodhpur is called the Blue City because the rooftops of the houses of the old part of Jodhpur are painted this bright colour that form a blue sea. It's gorgeous - much more impressive than Jaipur (which is called the Pink city - but isn't really that pink... more like a burnt terracotta).

My gosh my memory is fading - so many things happened in so many days, they seem to melt into one another and when the time comes to write it down and share it with you, it all eludes me.......

In Jaisalmer we toured this ornate havelis (houses built in the 19th century for wealthy and/or important people, i put up pics and explain better later) and also endeavoured a camel safari... how appropriate that my camel had bowel issues, we trotted and heaved ourselves along the indian desert for a couple hours listening to the harmonies emitting from behind me (and smelling his 'perfume'). We watched the sunset atop some sand dunes and slept in the 'million star hotel' under the night sky... ok, i'm rushing now because nechama and i want to avoid this crazy documentary film maker we met this afternoon at a market who took us out to lunch and wrote his email address for us in invisible ink. Yes, i know i sound like i have drunk too many special lassis, but I will update this post asap... and describe to you the bad dream... wow, do i sound dramatic. keep you posted xxx