Okay, so I've arrived in Mumbai for what people call the Mumbai experience.
It looks absolutely gorgeous from the plane, at night. I could see fireworks bursting in the sky below and little campfires everywhere. In fact the whole of India seemed to be peppered with lights - not like Australia at all.
But then the plane landed!
Basically, I'm in the world's biggest shanty town.
We got off and had to walk over the tarmac because airport staff were on strike. The papers are all aglow about how efficient things are here and how the government is doing so well. Hmm. Looks to me like the place doesn't have a government.
My first Mumbai night reminded me of Bali (admittedly, the only other place I've been outside Australia). Everything is rundown, disorganised . . .filthy. The taxi driver got lost, the hotelier hadn't received my booking and I've yet to hear from the festival organisers - the same ones who tout the Mumbai International film Festival as being the most organised film festival in the world . . . Read between those lines!
I'm about to go see them. Wish me luck. I could be begging on the streets tomorrow.
Later my small flock of readers . . .
It looks absolutely gorgeous from the plane, at night. I could see fireworks bursting in the sky below and little campfires everywhere. In fact the whole of India seemed to be peppered with lights - not like Australia at all.
But then the plane landed!
Basically, I'm in the world's biggest shanty town.
We got off and had to walk over the tarmac because airport staff were on strike. The papers are all aglow about how efficient things are here and how the government is doing so well. Hmm. Looks to me like the place doesn't have a government.
My first Mumbai night reminded me of Bali (admittedly, the only other place I've been outside Australia). Everything is rundown, disorganised . . .filthy. The taxi driver got lost, the hotelier hadn't received my booking and I've yet to hear from the festival organisers - the same ones who tout the Mumbai International film Festival as being the most organised film festival in the world . . . Read between those lines!
I'm about to go see them. Wish me luck. I could be begging on the streets tomorrow.
Later my small flock of readers . . .
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