{"id":2205,"date":"2010-03-23T22:55:31","date_gmt":"2010-03-24T03:55:31","guid":{"rendered":"\/?p=2205"},"modified":"2010-03-24T09:32:32","modified_gmt":"2010-03-24T14:32:32","slug":"cross-town-traffic-in-mumbai","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/asiawheeling.com\/?p=2205","title":{"rendered":"Cross Town Traffic in Mumbai"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align:justify\">Finally, we were managing to catch up on sleep, and feeling some of that  old time AsiaWheeling  energy surging back into our systems. \u00a0We awoke and took a whiff of the air of this new city sprawling before us. \u00a0Wheeling it would be a new\u00a0challenge, and a welcome one.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align:center\"><iframe class=\"aw-video\" loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Travel video\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube-nocookie.com\/embed\/ijuQWvHHdAs\" allow=\"fullscreen; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align:justify\">Staying at Win&#8217;s place was the  height of luxury. It too was a serviced apartment, but very different from those we had the misfortune  of lodging at in Bangalore&#8217;s Diamond District. These were staffed by a  crack squad of savvy and motivated personnel. It seemed we could not go  more than four steps in that apartment without bumping into a service  person offering us some kind of pampering.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align:left\"><a href=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/03\/P2235216.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-2243\" title=\"Fruit Plate\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/03\/P2235216.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"700\" height=\"525\" srcset=\"https:\/\/asiawheeling.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/03\/P2235216.jpg 700w, https:\/\/asiawheeling.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/03\/P2235216-300x225.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align:justify\">Win&#8217;s staff made us  delightful breakfasts of toast, omelets, exotic fresh cut fruit, and an  endless supply of meticulously prepared little milky cups of coffee. The  staff was also constantly offering, and at times we even took them up  on, the service of lunches and dinners, which proved to be lavishly  decadent and expertly spiced, with many courses, ranging from cooling  fresh salads, to spicy curries, to home-made chapatti.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align:center\"><iframe class=\"aw-video\" loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Travel video\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube-nocookie.com\/embed\/CEAijBss7zE\" allow=\"fullscreen; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align:justify\">These dishes were served to us at so extreme a level that we were not even  able to spoon our own seconds from the main platter. The apartment&#8217;s  staff consisted of three fellows, one who seemed to focus on cooking and  work in the kitchen, one who did mostly cleaning, and another who  focused on serving us things and making sure we were comfortable. In an  apartment with only two bedrooms, a modestly sized living room  and a small kitchen, that was quite the crowd. Most of our time at  Win&#8217;s we were quite outnumbered by the servants.  To be honest,  for both Scott and me, being so lavishly served was a somewhat  disconcerting experience.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align:justify\">From an intellectual perspective, I can  appreciate that these fellows were simply doing their jobs, and doing them quite well, so for this they have all my respect. I can also appreciate  that in the Indian economy, this was a pretty good opportunity for these  fellows. They were making decent money, and got to spend all day in the  luxury and comfort of Win&#8217;s apartment, making sure that Scott and I had  enough coffee. But at the same time, being served is not an easy thing  to get used to. I was never quite able to relax, and found myself  feeling guilty from time to time when I took them up on an offer of  service. And I was never quite sure to what degree I should acknowledge  and interact with the fellows as I went about my everyday life. It  seemed strange to greet them every five minutes. I certainly don&#8217;t do  that with Scott. But they were greeting and acknowledging me every time we  passed or drew near. And was my acknowledgment and greeting taken as a  request for some service to be performed? I am sure you are beginning to  get the idea, dear reader.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align:justify\">So while the service was great, we  were also quite glad to strike out on our own onto the boiling streets  of Mumbai.  Arthor Danchest, of Tiffin  Talk fame, had given us directions to a beach side drive, which he  assured us would make a delightful wheel, and rather than get there via  the crowded and deafening highway we had traversed the night  before, we thought we might cut across town through the vast sea of  crumbling one-story structures that lay between Win&#8217;s place and the  railway line, which cut off his half of the neighborhood called &#8220;Bandra&#8221; from the part of that same neighborhood popular with Bollywood stars.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/03\/IMG_5341.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-2237\" title=\"Wheeling Bandra\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/03\/IMG_5341.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"700\" height=\"525\" srcset=\"https:\/\/asiawheeling.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/03\/IMG_5341.jpg 700w, https:\/\/asiawheeling.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/03\/IMG_5341-300x225.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align:justify\">We were only a short bit into this wheel when our phone  rang. It was Nikhil, our India  Bureau Chief. It seemed that our berths on the upcoming train to Goa  still languished quite low on the Indian Railway&#8217;s wait-list. And it  seemed to Nikhil that we would  likely not get a seat. Shucks; we would need to take a bus or a plane.  &#8220;The buses will be very uncomfortable,&#8221; Nikhil explained.  This seemed rather a strange assertion, as he had offered them up as a  viable option earlier, but we took his advice, and called an unscheduled  return to home base to purchase airplane tickets. The staff at Win&#8217;s  seemed thrilled to see us again, and glad to hear that we were not, in  fact, arriving in search of lunch (which, under the impression that we  would be out all day, they had not been preparing). In order to merely  spend more than we planned to, and not fully break the bank, we needed to leave a day later than planned, cutting our time in Goa short,  but giving us another day to enjoy the bizarre luxuries of Win&#8217;s  apartment.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/03\/IMG_5342.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-2238\" title=\"Near Bandra\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/03\/IMG_5342.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"700\" height=\"525\" srcset=\"https:\/\/asiawheeling.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/03\/IMG_5342.jpg 700w, https:\/\/asiawheeling.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/03\/IMG_5342-300x225.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align:justify\">Back on the road, we made short time of traversing the  sprawling low-income neighborhood, dodging a couple of bits of rubbish that were thrown at us by the local children, and stopping once or  twice to gain our bearings, only to attract a phenomenal crowd of locals,  interested primarily in estimates of the price of the Speed TRs.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/03\/P2235247.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-2249\" title=\"Crossing the Tracks\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/03\/P2235247.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"700\" height=\"525\" srcset=\"https:\/\/asiawheeling.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/03\/P2235247.jpg 700w, https:\/\/asiawheeling.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/03\/P2235247-300x225.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align:justify\">We  finally broke out into the vicinity of the railroad, where we portaged  the bikes over a pedestrian walkway, finding ourselves once again in  familiar territory from our un-fortuitous wanderings  the night before. It was every bit as loud as we had remembered it, but  the speed of traffic was slow, which allowed us to wheel more safely as  legitimate parts of the traffic. As we wheeled west toward the water, I  found myself wondering: how do the people of this city learn to deal  with the incandescently searing noise. I was constantly finding my  nerves blitzed and eardrums nearly blown asunder by a passing moped,  while the locals seemed not even to notice. Was it possible that  devastating hearing damage had actually lessened the intensity of the  street noise to a manageable level? Or had they developed some yogic,  water-off-a-duck&#8217;s-back, inner-strength-exterior-malaise system?<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align:justify\">I  was torn from this interesting vein of thought when, in a way that was always  unsuspected but never surprising, the hunger hit. We were able,  luckily, to find in short order, a delightful and succulent Punjabi  restaurant, which was happy to serve us some of the most delectable raita of  my life. The Palak Paneer,  Dal Makhni, and Tandoori  Roti  were not bad either. While we ate, they played a most fascinating  Punjabi Hip Hop.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align:center\"><iframe class=\"aw-video\" loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Travel video\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube-nocookie.com\/embed\/-iqScVh5jRA\" allow=\"fullscreen; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align:justify\">Back  on the cycles, we made our way to the water and rode north, but not before posing for a quick one with the staff of Punjabi Sweet House.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align:left\"><a href=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/03\/IMG_5352.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-2240\" title=\"Punjabi Sweet House Mumbai\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/03\/IMG_5352.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"700\" height=\"525\" srcset=\"https:\/\/asiawheeling.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/03\/IMG_5352.jpg 700w, https:\/\/asiawheeling.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/03\/IMG_5352-300x225.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align:justify\">The sea  view was startlingly apocalyptic, with brown waves lapping against a  dead and blackened shore. Many of the locals, however, seemed to be  quite enjoying the place, out for picnics on the  barren moon-like expanse or strolling along the stone walkway.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align:left\"><a href=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/03\/P2235238.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-2248\" title=\"Along the Seaside\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/03\/P2235238.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"700\" height=\"525\" srcset=\"https:\/\/asiawheeling.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/03\/P2235238.jpg 700w, https:\/\/asiawheeling.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/03\/P2235238-300x225.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align:justify\">We  rode north until the presence of a railroad blocked our progress. There  we were faced with a decision. We needed to be in the south of the  city to meet with our dear friend Mr. Kaustubh Shah, and  we could take a local train there. Or we could attempt to make our way  the entire north-south length of Mumbai on bicycle.  We had no idea how to do this, but if we relied on our compasses and  kept making our way south, the geography of Mumbai should  funnel us to exactly where we wanted to be.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/03\/P2235260.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-2252\" title=\"Loading\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/03\/P2235260.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"700\" height=\"933\" srcset=\"https:\/\/asiawheeling.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/03\/P2235260.jpg 700w, https:\/\/asiawheeling.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/03\/P2235260-225x300.jpg 225w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align:justify\">Scott and I looked at each  other and at my calculator watch&#8230; Dealing with the plane tickets had  taken some time, but this is AsiaWheeling  after all, and how many times does one get the change to wheel the  length of Mumbai? There was  really only one choice. We called a rauche and headed  south.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/03\/P2235262.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-2253\" title=\"Tires\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/03\/P2235262.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"700\" height=\"525\" srcset=\"https:\/\/asiawheeling.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/03\/P2235262.jpg 700w, https:\/\/asiawheeling.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/03\/P2235262-300x225.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align:justify\">The wheel took us through a variety of interesting  neighborhoods, past wandering cows, piles of burning garbage, women in  fantastically bright saris, strange construction sites, shops selling  all kinds of goods, dead ends, very sick people wandering the streets  like pale, sweaty, zombies, gentlemen welding with just a pair of  sunglasses as protection, and a number of overflowing sewers clogged  with garbage. We thanked our stars that it was not the rainy season, for  we can only imagine what happens when the monsoon rains take all these  things and whip them up into a seething choleric soup. This wheel was  harrowing enough, in the bright sunshine.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/03\/P2235274.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-2256\" title=\"Mumbai Wheel\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/03\/P2235274.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"700\" height=\"525\" srcset=\"https:\/\/asiawheeling.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/03\/P2235274.jpg 700w, https:\/\/asiawheeling.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/03\/P2235274-300x225.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Eventually we found  ourselves on the main North\/South road, which took us right toward Kaustubh&#8217;s  part of town. You see, Mumbai is located  on a few great islands, and we were working our way down the length of  the largest of these. So when we once again broke free from the interior  of the city and could see the ocean, we were much encouraged. We had to  be close. We celebrated our imminent success by stopping at a strange  cluster of tea stalls outside the headquarters of YesBank,  a local retail bank.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-2255\" title=\"Coffee\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/03\/P2235272.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"700\" height=\"525\" srcset=\"https:\/\/asiawheeling.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/03\/P2235272.jpg 700w, https:\/\/asiawheeling.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/03\/P2235272-300x225.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>We re-hydrated and re-caffeinated while chatting  with some fellows from the YesBank Corporate Intelligence  unit before climbing back on the Speed TRs. The North\/South road  ended there, and we began a process of zigging and  zagging  our way toward the southernmost financial district.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" title=\"Wheeling Marine Drive\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/03\/P2235277.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"700\" height=\"525\"><\/p>\n<p>As we rode, we  found ourselves at times feeling like we were in New York, at times Palm Beach, and at other times San Francisco.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/03\/P2235296.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-2260\" title=\"Das Chambers\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/03\/P2235296.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"700\" height=\"525\" srcset=\"https:\/\/asiawheeling.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/03\/P2235296.jpg 700w, https:\/\/asiawheeling.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/03\/P2235296-300x225.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align:justify\">When we finally reached  the correct neighborhood, we felt like we were in Europe. Large  churches and baroque government buildings were flanking great parade  grounds. In the background a few skyscrapers loomed.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/03\/P2235287.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-2258\" title=\"Machine Bazaar\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/03\/P2235287.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"700\" height=\"525\" srcset=\"https:\/\/asiawheeling.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/03\/P2235287.jpg 700w, https:\/\/asiawheeling.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/03\/P2235287-300x225.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>It was once again  time to stop for a couple of delicious vada and South Indian  coffees at a local poorly lit joint, before returning back to the  seaside to watch the sunset.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" title=\"Marine Drive\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/03\/P2235301.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"700\" height=\"525\"> <a href=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/03\/P2235305.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-2263\" style=\"margin-left:10px;margin-right:10px\" title=\"Smiling\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/03\/P2235305-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/asiawheeling.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/03\/P2235305-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/asiawheeling.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/03\/P2235305.jpg 700w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 225px) 100vw, 225px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align:justify\">No sooner had we pulled our bikes onto  the seaside walk, than we were quite surprised to feel a tap on the shoulder and turn around to find none other than Mr. Kaustubh \u00a0Shah himself, smiling at us.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align:justify\">That evening, we dined at Moshe&#8217;s, a local eatery famed for its blueberry pie, and discussed a number of potential business\u00a0opportunities that had come to our minds since being in the country.  As the evening drew to a close, we loaded the cycles onto the local train and headed back to Bandra.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align:justify\"><a href=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/03\/P2245331.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-2268\" style=\"margin-left:10px;margin-right:10px\" title=\"Speed TRs Folded\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/03\/P2245331.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"350\" height=\"262\" srcset=\"https:\/\/asiawheeling.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/03\/P2245331.jpg 700w, https:\/\/asiawheeling.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/03\/P2245331-300x225.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 350px) 100vw, 350px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align:justify\">\n<p style=\"text-align:justify\">\n<p style=\"text-align:justify\">\n<p style=\"text-align:justify\">\n<p style=\"text-align:justify\">\n<p style=\"text-align:justify\">\n<p style=\"text-align:justify\">\n<p style=\"text-align:justify\">\n<p style=\"text-align:justify\">\n<div><span style=\"color:#0000ee\"> <\/span><\/div>\n<div><span style=\"color:#0000ee\"> <\/span><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Finally, we were managing to catch up on sleep, and feeling some of that old time AsiaWheeling energy surging back into our systems. \u00a0We awoke and took a whiff of the air of this new city sprawling before us. \u00a0Wheeling it would be a new\u00a0challenge, and a welcome one. Staying at Win&#8217;s place was the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8,10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2205","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-india","category-wheeling"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/asiawheeling.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2205","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/asiawheeling.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/asiawheeling.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/asiawheeling.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/asiawheeling.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2205"}],"version-history":[{"count":17,"href":"https:\/\/asiawheeling.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2205\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2288,"href":"https:\/\/asiawheeling.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2205\/revisions\/2288"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/asiawheeling.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2205"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/asiawheeling.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2205"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/asiawheeling.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2205"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}