Mumbai Travails

After having a tiny vacation due to my joining date being postponed, I had some pleasant coincidences. My father told me that there is this guy named after a star named after a son of Shiva was staying somewhere closeby. The star dude was my father's neighbour while he was here. Turns out he was staying at the same place I was supposed to go to. Also, NY dude sends me a text message telling me to contact this guy! This guy is an engineer in an industrial piping company and has already left for a North Indian city.

We both went roaming one day and went to south Bombay. We found a tiny low-tide beach along the marine drive, not known widely but used as a bathing area by some of the labourers there. Then we went to the Gateway of India and saw the Indian aircraft carrier berthed in the sea nearby. That was quite a sight. While looking at that, we found some people calling us Mamooty and Mohanlal. Amusing, hahaha!

Next while looking at the sea, this star dude chats up with a Spanish tourist dude sitting there. He told some stories about his travel in India. Surprisingly, he pronounced Madurai and some other Tamil names like a Tamil - some feat not achievable by the Hindi dudes (even when they are bought up in that place). Turns out he has only $200 left and lot of his 6 month visa still to go. He told it was his dream to come to India! We guided him to a nearby cinema theater - he tells it is 'costly' in Europe to even go to a movie, the cheapest ticket being some 7 euros.

My flat hunting is not going too well. Visited some places where my new colleagues are staying and the place is a dump even by Mumbai standards. Asking Rs 3500 for those places seems like daytime robbery! I don't know for how many days I can stay with this person, he works for the same bank as my father and they haven't even met yet. Looks like I have to take the next place that comes by.

The star dude asks me to drop him off at the railway station and I accompany him. While returning, I took the wrong train by mistake and it goes only up to Bandra. Within a few minutes, the next train came that goes up to Borivali. People were packed like sardines and it was quite an experience. It was fun to get into a packed train and get down at Andheri. I used to wonder how people used to do it and I did it with ease, even while wearing my slippers - the transition from hippie is not quite over, you know!

Ah! Now have to start work from tomorrow and don't know how it might turn out. Thought I would start as Pointy Haired Boss but now actually starting as Stef Murky!