Multiple bombings in Mumbai!!

Don't worry...I'm okay.

Multiple bombs hit Mumbai on Wednesday, 7/13/2011, during the evening rush hour. The three near-simultaneous explosions happened near the Mumbadevi temple in the Zaveri Bazaar area (6:54 PM), in the Diamond Market area near the Royal Opera House (6:55 PM), and in the Dadar West area of central Mumbai (7:04 PM). As you can see in the map, Dadar is more central and the Opera House and Zaveri Bazaar are more southern. Because I worked PST hours, I was already in the office at this time. And, lucky for us, we were located in northern Mumbai. At 7:53 PM, I got the first notification from Travel Security Online (International SOS) about the bombings...less than an hour after it happened. Not too shabby. Within minutes, it was all over the news (headlining CNN) and the emails/instant messages/texts came flowing.

"Coordinated attack by terrorists" is what the Home Minister told reporters. The blast in Dadar, although not very powerful, happened in a very crowded area with lots of shops and residential buildings. The blast in the Zaveri Bazaar was stronger. The timing of the blasts, at the height of the evening rush hour, was supposedly designed to cause maximum panic and casualties. The police cordoned off the affected locations, and the government issued a high alert.

At least 20 people were killed and 113 others injured in three serial bomb explosions

It's crazy to know that I was just in the south part of Mumbai just a few days earlier, and I was planning to go shopping again in that area in the coming days. I guess that's one good thing about having to work the graveyard shift in Mumbai...I'm not around the shopping areas during the evening rush hour!

The mood in the office didn't seem that different, like it was normal that there were bombings. The JV guys said not to worry about it. However, there were many people on the local television that were angry that bombings seem to be more of a normal occurrence. It was nerve-racking to me to be in a city that has terrorist bombings, especially since the last time they were targeting luxury hotels (ex. the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel)!

Mumbai is the financial hub of India. And what do you know, I work in the financial business! Can you say...Time to go home now?

Anyhow, the 2 Irvine people changed their flights for 1:30 PM the next day. I changed mine to leave a day earlier than anticipated. We were also told to stay away from crowded areas, shopping centers, and tourist areas. And, of course, it was pouring rain outside, so it's not like I could go out to the pool during the day. So pretty much, the last day(s) kind of sucked. Didn't get to do any of the shopping that I wanted to do. But I can't complain...at least I was alive and about to go home.

The next day I packed all my stuff up, gave the left over beer to my drivers, went to work for 1/2 day, then hopped on a plane home. Later on, I got a "thank you" message from my driver, Santosh. Apparently, he was supposed to bring beer for everyone at a party that weekend. With my gift, he was able to give each person 2 beers that weekend, and with the money he saved from not having to buy the beer, his wife was able to buy their kid a new pair of shoes! Dang...I didn't realize what the power of beer could do for a family. lol Anyhow, it was nice to hear that the beer went to good use. :-)

I'll post some random pics of my trip soon. If you have anything in particular you want to see, please comment and I'll try to put some up.

In the end, however, the transition to Mumbai went well...and supposedly I'll start work on a different client next week. I still have a job...but we all know how that can change at any moment. I'll keep the corporate card until then. lol

Heading up to the Hill Station

 

During the rainy monsoon season, a lot of the locals head up to the hill stations. On Sunday (7/10) I had the opportunity to get out of Mumbai with Martin and his guys and visit the hill station known as Lonavala Khandala. It is located to the East between Mumbai and Pune.

I was really surprised on the drive as it reminded me of driving up to Tahoe. Lots of greenery, mountains, waterfalls, etc. I can't believe there was anything like this in India, especially after seeing all the trash, crowds, rubble, etc. of the cities. There were tons of waterfalls everywhere. What a refreshing sight!

 

 

I didn't know really what to expect, except that we were going to do a little hiking and to bring a swimsuit. I opted for my Mountain Hardware zip-off pants, quick-dry shirt, Gore-tex hiking shoes, and some flip flips in my daypack. I was very happy that I brought my flip-flops cause it turned out we would be wading through tons of water!!

  

With my pant legs zipped off and now wearing my flip-flops, I was able to manuever through... 

 

...the people-infested...

 

...and cow-infested water... 

...just in time to see a zillion people frolicking in the water! Crazy!

There were tons of people just sitting on the steps, letting the overflow water from the Bushi Dam fall over them. Is this really how people spend the the monsoon season? I have never seen such a sight before. Check it out!

  

Here's a shot from the top of the dam, overlooking all the people below.

We hiked around a little bit, looking at the many waterfalls off in the distance. The guys kept checking on me...wondering if I was okay...then realized that I was in front of them! They didn't expect me to have any 'trekking' experience. lol  It was funny to see cows hanging out amongst all the people.

 

 

I heard that there were not this many people here in the past...that the area has become more crowded over the years. Now there are people selling corn everywhere and make-shift shelters for the monsoon rain. It was strange to see families decked out in full sari and clothing, letting the rain drench them from head to toe. Everyone would cheer when the rain would come down hard. Pretty funny.

Here we are huddled underneath a shelter, waiting for the rain to subside. 

I didn't play in the water like everyone else, but I did still have a good time people-watching. It reminded me of how much enjoyment you can have just jumping in a puddle or splashing around. Such innocent fun. :-)

Breaking out of the compound

Last Saturday I finally made it out of the hotel again, this time for some tourist activities. Dave didn't feel like exploring, so I met up with Martin from Irvine and a couple of the guys he's been training, Pratik and Anish. With them as our tour guide, we headed down to South Mumbai to check out the Gateway of India, the Victoria Terminus, the infamous Taj Mahal hotel, Colabra Causeway, and the Queen's Necklace (Marine Drive). Because of the monsoon, it was pouring rain most of the time.

We quickly stopped by the Victoria Terminus, otherwise known as Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST), to check out the architecture. This is actually the main train station and is a great example of Victorian Gothic Revival architecture meeting traditional Indian palace architecture, creating a new style unique to Mumbai. I'm not the connoissour of architecture, but it looked pretty cool from the outside...complete with wood carvings of lions and other animals, pointed arches, turrets, stone dome, etc. It was modeled after the St Pancras Station in London, took 10 years to complete, and was named after Queen Victoria. However, in 1996 it was renamed after Chhatrapati Shivaji, a famous Maratha king of the 17th century and the government of Maharashtra.

 After stopping off to try some Pan, we headed over to the Gateway of India, one of the main tourist attractions in Mumbai. This is the most famous monument of Mumbai and the starting point for most tourists who want to explore the city. Designed by George Wittet, it was built as a triumphal arch to commemorate the visit of King George V and Queen Mary to Bombay. It faces the Arabian Sea. What's funny is that the Gateway was not completed until 1924. When the King & Queen arrived in 1911, they were greeted by a fake cardboard structure instead!

There are lots of tourists and people selling corn and masala chai around the area now...

...and of course I had to take one of those photos of me touching the Gateway! The rain let up for a second here, but the guys kept laughing at me when the rain would buckle my umbrella. lol

The Taj Mahal Palace hotel  is right next to the Gateway. This luxury hotel looks nice from the outside, although I didn't get to check it out on the inside. No worries...cause I got to see the actual Taj Mahal in person! Can't believe this hotel was bombed back in 2008. Gandi, Mick Jagger, and Madonna (among others) have all stayed here.

 

We stopped off for a little bit of shopping along the Colabra Causeway. I got to try out my haggling skills for some Pashminas and purses.

One of the last stops was to see the Queen's Necklace at night. This is what people call Marine Drive, a 3km-long boulevard in South Mumbai. It's shaped like a "C" and faces the Arabian Sea. A lot of celebrities live here, and many people walk along the promenade to take in the fresh air and view the sunset. We took a stroll at night. Apparently, when viewed at night at an elevated point, the street lights resemble a string of pearls, forming a necklace. It felt like I'd been couped up in the hotel and work most of the time, so it was nice to actually be able to get out and walk around.

"Don't get no security involved"

What I haven't mentioned so far is all the security that's over here. It feels like I am entering a high tech area when I roll up to the hotel with my driver. Every day when I come home to the hotel, I have to pass through a security checkpoint. We have 4 different dogs that have checked us out - boxer, German Shephard, black lab, and golden retriever.

The security guards open our doors and have the dog sniff inside (probably looking for drugs or something...I don't think they respond to B.O.), one guy checks the hood, another the trunk, and the last rolls a mirror under the car to check for...hmmm...people hanging on underneath? Or maybe it's for bombs? Who knows. But what I do know is that they don't like it when you take photos of this. I got busted one day for taking a photo and the security guy made me delete it. No worries. It was blurry and I already had a few other ones from another day. ;-) So far, our favorite is the boxer. I think she had me when one night she looked inside the car door with her tongue hanging out the side. So cute. lol

Once we get to the front of the hotel, we have to go through another security checkpoint. Not only do I put my bag through the x-ray machine, I walk through a metal detector AND then have to go into a screened-off room to get wanded by a girl. EVERY DAY.

Even when I go to work, there are security guards at the Airoli office that check the trunk of the car. Not sure what they are looking for, but hopefully they don't find it!

(P.S. If you can guess which song that the post's title is from, I will buy you lunch.)

"Full"

I mentioned before how limited personal space is here in India. But I think I'll touch on it a little bit more. It's pretty crazy how crowded it is here. One day Dave and I came to work and were waiting for the elevator. All of a sudden, the elevator lights up with the word "FULL." What the heck is this? Full? They must be kidding. How does the elevator know it's full? Next thing you know, the door opens up and I swear like 20 people come out of this small elevator!!! I couldn't believe my eyes. Dave thought it looked like a clown car it was so full. I swear it should only fit like 10 people or something. Anyhow, I couldn't stop laughing. Yes, it was indeed full. Unfortunately, I only got to see it once...but I keep waiting for the little sign to light up every time I'm near the elevator. :-)


I finally got one of those photos that I've been trying to get! Yes, 4 people on a bike. I don't know how everyone holds on, especially if the chick is sitting side-saddle. But it amazes me every time I see 3 or 4 people on a motorcycle.



I took this photo when driving from Delhi to Agra. I thought Tuk Tuks normally held 2 people in the back...somewhat comfortably...plus the driver. But check this out!! I think the most I saw was about 10 people riding in a Tuk Tuk!! Crazy! But notice how there are two of them next to each other. It's normal here. I still haven't ridden in one here yet (unless you count me sitting in one in front of the hotel), but I did in Thailand. I think I'm spoiled by having a driver to/from work.

I haven't got to experience the train travel yet. But I heard from one of my colleagues that it was quite an experience. Apparently, the are people sitting everywhere, on backs of seats, on top of the train, hanging off the side of the train, etc. And, what's interesting is that they don't wait for the train to stop before exiting. They just jump off while it is moving. I thought he might be kidding, but I saw someone do this on a moving bus!!

Taj Mahal - one of the 7 New Wonders of the World

Before leaving for India, I decided that the Taj Mahal was the one thing I wanted to make sure I saw on this trip. It was never really high up on my list of things, maybe because I didn't really think I'd be coming to India anytime soon. But after going to Victoria Falls last year in Zambia and thinking about the 7 Wonders of the World, I thought...why not try to see all of them? Well, Vic Falls is one of the 7 Natural Wonders of the World. The Taj Mahal is one of the 7 New Wonders of the World. Can anyone even remember all of the Original 7 Wonders? I would have loved to see the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, but I think they are gone now. I missed out on going to Chichen Itza when they closed the port in Cancun on me during the hurricane, but I still hope to make it someday. Machu Picchu is still high on my list, and so are the Pyramids! There are so many new lists, that it's hard to keep track. I'm not going to mess with all the semantics of this one, but let's just call the Taj Mahal a Wonder just for the heck of it.

This past weekend, David and I made a trek to go see the Taj Mahal. Of course, it couldn't be just around the corner near Mumbai. It had to be way the heck up in the Northern part of India. After working until 4AM on Friday night/Saturday morning, I took a 2 hour nap and then boarded a 2-hr flight to New Delhi. I was originally planning to take a train over from Delhi to Agra where the Taj is located, but since David was coming and also Ratnaker (of the the Indian guys we were originally training in Cali but then got sent back), we opted to get a car/driver and do the trek ourselves. "Rocky" organized the car and driver and met us at the airport in New Delhi.

I then found out that...it was going to be a 5-6 hour drive!! Okay, I should have known beforehand, but after working the graveyard shift these past days, my keen observations have been slipping. The next 5 hours was an adventure (a loud one involving constant honking, near misses, and over-loaded vehicles), and I was happy to be able to see other parts of India. A car ride in India is definitely something to write home about! But let's move on to what most people want to see...the Taj Mahal!! This is our first view of the Taj from a distance.

We stayed the night at the Trident hotel and woke up at 4:15AM to make it in time for sunrise. Of course, our friend Rocky forgets to wake up (he's at a different hotel, has lost his phone so we can't contact him, and he's the only one who can get a hold of the driver), so we are sitting in the lobby at 5AM waiting...and waiting...and waiting. David is realizing the severity of the situation. The wrath of Robin will soon be unleashed if she misses her only attempt for sunrise at the Taj (the 1 thing I wanted to do in India). But no worries...after about a 1/2 hour of waiting, I spot a person in the lobby, and politely asked..."Hey...are you going to the Taj?" Somehow I convince this Dutchman to let us join him and his guide and they give us a ride. (The sun is not going to wait for us!) David is soooo thankful to the guy for saving him (saving him from having to deal with Robin being pissed off...hahaha) that he buys the guy his ticket. Anyhow, we make it to the Taj just in time for sunrise. Perfect time to see it!! Check out the pics...

Here's the North gate to the Taj Mahal where we entered. Pretty impressive. When you look through the door while you are walking through, the Taj Mahal looks like it is close by. But once you step through, you realize that it's still pretty far away.

This is what Dave calls the Money shot! Check out the reflection of the Taj in the water. Notice the symmetry. Yes, I am that good with a camera. lol

Unfortunately, David is not the best at lining up my Taj shot, so I enlist the Dutchman to take my photo. I think he did a good job. It really looks like I have a mini Taj dangling from my fingers!

 
We then make our way to the Diana seat for the famous shots in front of the lotus pool. I find out later that this isn't really the correct Diana pose...


.



..but Dave does a pretty good King pose! lol

A little history now. The Taj Mahal was built by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in honor of his favorite wife, Mumtaz Mahal, who died in 1631. She was his 3rd wife and died during childbirth of their 14th child. According to the guide, she asked for 3 things: 1. Not to marry again 2. To take care of the kids 3. To build her an awesome shrine/temple! That's not asking for too much, is it??

The Taj Mahal is well known for its white crystalline marble of the main mausoleum. The marble is no ordinary marble. It is special in that it is non-porous and does not take in soda, etc. when spilled on it. It is translucent and assumes subtle variations of light, tint and tone at different times of the day. At dawn it assumes a soft dreamy aspect; at noon, it appears to be a dazzling white, and in the moonlight the dome looks like a huge iridescent pearl.

The tomb took 22 years to complete it (according to our guide...as it is different depending on who you ask) with a workforce of over 20,000 people. It cost over 40 million rupees to make it - about 10% of their GDP for 20 years (Hetzel did the math…lol).  Craftsmen from as far as Turkey came to join in the work. The marble was quarried at Makrana in Rajasthan. Precious stones were imported from distant lands. A two mile ramp was built to lift material up to the level of the dome. 

 

With 4 minarets, each 131 feet high, there is perfect symmetry at the Taj Mahal. However, the minarets are actually 2 degrees off away from the Taj, so as to fall away from the Taj if they ever did fall.

Flowers such as the lily, poppy, iris, tulip, and the narcissus were depicted in sprays or patterns. Minute slivers of precious and semi-precious stones such as carnelian, lapis lazuli, turquoise, and malachite, were set into a marble base. The Florentine technique of the Pietra Dura was used to translate naturalistic forms into decorative patterns.



There is a lot of carved relief work on the Taj Mahal. Decorative panels of flowering plants, foliage, and vases are carved on the lower portions of the walls to add color to the pristine white marble, highlighting the texture of the polished marble and sandstone surface.

The 144 foot dome is capped with a finial. Underneath it is a coconut, the crescent moon on its side, an onion, and some other things I forget!

It's pretty ornate inside the actual mauseleum, but not as big as I would have imagined. Here you can see a replica of the burial place of Shah Jahan and his wife. The actual graves are in a dark crypt below. Supposedly they did this so if people came and bombed the place, the actual tombs themselves would not be destroyed. Mumtaz Mahal's cenotaph, raised on a platform, is placed next to Shah Jahan's. This is one place where there is no symmetry.

The filigree screens are daintily carved from single blocks of marble. They are meant to veil the area around the royal tombs.

Like I mentioned before, the white marble is translucent. But the carnelion stone is also translucent. Check it out when you shine light on it!



It is alleged that on the completion of the Taj Mahal, Shah Jahan ordered the right hand of the chief mason to be cut off so that the masterpiece could never be recreated. Some say all the workers had their right hands cut off. There are numerous other legends are associated with the Taj Mahal.

According to one story, Shah Jahan desired to have another Taj built across the river Yamuna, this one entirely in black marble and was to act as his own mausoleum. He wanted to connect the two Taj Mahal white and black with a beautifully decorated black and white checkered bridge. Unfortunately, he couldn't complete it due to the war of succession with his son and spent the last 8 years of his life under imprisonment. The base was completed, but his son stopped the building of it. He was buried instead next to his wife. It would have been a mirror image of the Taj Mahal, but in black. "The Black Taj Mahal existed as a soul without a body."

Here we are relaxing on the Taj with the view of the North Gate behind us. When walking around on the Taj, we either had to be barefoot or wear shoe covers.

Before heading back to New Delhi for our flight, we took a side trip to see how the construction was done for the marble and stones of the Taj. These guys are giving a live demonstration. Of course, I got sucked in and bought myself a small table made out of this marble with translucent stones. :-)