Today I decided it was time to venture out and take a rickshaw. Of course I knew that I would probably be taken for a nice ride, where the driver would get lost and charge me an insane amount, but no matter, I have plenty of money on me and welcome the sights to come. As it turned out, the first driver did not get lost – as I made him drive me to the nearest mall, a location that is not easily misunderstood. My journey back to the hotel however, would be the kicker. Apparently I stay at a hotel that isn’t popular, or they were just jerking me around again. But really, no matter, I was most interested in the sights to see as we get lost in Mumbai. After awhile of knowing very well that my driver did not understand which hotel to go to, I made several attempts again to guide him all the way back through the city to the mall, around the corner from my hotel. However, on that ride, I got the most spectacular experience of city life in India, as people watching from the cover of the rickshaw worked out rather well.
Some assessments of my India… the people are well, rather very clean. They apparently take much pride in keeping their bodies clean (although most people do not smell of body odor, you get the occasionally one who has very offensive odor and isn’t ashamed to show it off). The Indians are extremely well dressed, compared to Westerners. I must say I have never seen such beautiful clothing and in abundance. Even as poor of a country it is rare to find a stain or tear in any clothing worn outside and the colors are simply amazing. Almost all the women wear the traditional sari or the salwaar kameez (which I simply love to wear) while men prefer a more Western look. Only occasionally will you see women looking Western (however covering most of their body) and men with traditional Indian apparel. Although they are conscious about their bodies, they are not so much conscious about their environment. They throw garbage in the street which piles up and is a huge mess to walk through. Everywhere you go there is trash that litters the street. As well, men are all too eager to whip it out and relieve themselves right on the side of the road, in plain view of everyone which no one seems to mind this, adding to the mess already in the street. Even the buildings that you walk past are run down of sorts, as if repairs are neglected entirely. Not one building is without damage, making it really feel like a war zone at times.
I think Spain and the Czech Republic prepped me for the laundry situation. In Spain I could not find a laundromat to save my life and in the Czech Republic I had to hang dry my clothes. Good luck finding a place to get your clothes cleaned in India! I have resorted to washing them by hand – all of them, yes. As a traveler living out of a backpack, I find this much more convenient actually. Each night before bed I hand wash my clothes I wore that day and hang them up to dry. In the morning they are ready to be packed away, always having my full wardrobe completely cleaned. I almost have no use for a laundry bag anymore! The bathroom in my hotel is rigged to be a shower and toilet in one. Although this seemed very odd to me (and yes it is a Western toilet) it is much more convenient than back home. There are three different types of faucets for the shower, one to take an actual shower, one near the floor I can only assume to wash your feet with, and one to wash up on the toilet in the case you run out or prefer not to use the toilet paper. There is a sink for general use which I find a little relief in. All in all I must say, however odd or strange it may be to those back home, in time everyone would come to realize how suitable it actually is.