Bai Bai Baby

I was flattered to receive an invite to visit a colleague in Mumbai to see the city (and country) for the first time. Just so you know, I take all invitations seriously. But I am aware that in some cultures, people throw out niceties they don't expect you to follow up on. I shared my appreciation and interest, and a week or so later, I asked about suggested timing. She proposed I come sooner than later since monsoon season is approaching. Say no more fam. Just a three hour flight away, and I booked an extended weekend in India.

All was shaping up well, and I had put it out of mind since I would have someone local to stay and explore with. Unfortunately, my host's family member had suddenly fallen ill and was hospitalized a couple days before my flight. She briefly let me know she was experiencing this tough tim and I immediately reassured her that I would be able to find alternate accommodations so that she could focus on family. 

I did not have alternate accommodations. But through the power of networking and good ol' oxymoronic Christian Karma™, I secured a place in a nice area for the free. Now how much can you see in a city of 22 million people in one weekend? I found a website for half and full day tours that I was about to reserve so I wouldn't have to put it to chance. But then in-swoops my Auntie Lily with family connections in Mumbai. Auntie Lily works with my mom in TX, and I hadn't thought to ask at such a last minute where in India she was from or if she would have suggestions for me. But mama saw my FB post seeking help, and next thing I know I'm in a whatsapp group with the both of them (they're advanced right?), and Auntie Lily is calling her brother and her son's friends in the wee hours of the morning to let them know her BAP is coming to town. And to think, I was looking forward to the "cultured, highly qualified and knowledgeable lady guide" (company email verbatim) to tour me around the city.

If your parents are like mine, you understand why my mama found out about my trip SOS via the interwebs. Don't let me hint at unvetted plans, because I will get articles about missing people, diseases I could catch, fatality statistics etc. and they will be up all night refreshing their I-pocks and bluetubes waiting for E.T. to phone home. So no, I ain't tell them in advance. But God! I need to strike a balance between not wanting to cause undue stress and trusting their support, because I won't have them forever...and moms is still clutch in the paint.

In any case, I made it. I took the advice from friends and checked a much bigger bag than necessary. It ended up getting filled with fabric, souvenirs, and mangoes. Sporadic adventures and blessings followed.

All the mens! Please tell me why I am one of three women on this flight?

So glad I packed light, breathable clothing for my daily adventures. I started out biz-cas since I was going into the office. I may have skirted the heavy rainfall, but that Mumbai humidity is like NOLA/H-Town/Serena+ thiccc. Dry clean onlys can't last but 45 minutes out here. I've had this layered-pleat blouse from Twelve by Twelve and Elie Tahari spring skirt for years, and they're deceptively machine wash friendly. Get you somebody that can do both.

Visited our beautiful Mumbai office. The imagery in this traveling exhibition is striking. Took some time to smell the fragrances inspired by new ingredient discoveries from around the world in honor of the 250 year anthology, An Odyssey of Flavours and Fragrances. 

<rant> Lemme pause for a sec and tell y'all how much I hate Du. Monthlys require one year contract minimums with steep cancellation fees. I never thought I would miss T-mobes so much until I got on this ridiculous prepaid sim card bullshittery of a phone plan.Took me waaaaay too long to figure out how to get the service to work in Dubai, let alone to find out that my monthly bundle does not work outside the UAE. I land in Mumbai and have no service. I get to my place, no wi-fi. I could not tell anyone I had landed until hours later once I found my way to the office. I spent way too much time trying to connect to customer care, only for them to tell me that they can't add time or data over the phone. They cannot process any transactions, but encouraged me to do so online. I sign up for an online account. They only accept credit cards issued in the Emirates. Mine are from the States FML, they work everywhere else! Then customer care tells me a friend can transfer time to my account. I ask him how, he doesn't exactly know. This is embarrassing, I should not have to ask someone to put money on my books like I'm in the last stretch serving five to ten. I just wanted to come here, see the things, and do hoodrat things with my friends. Du won't let me be great.

Normally I can either go to a Du store, or buy these remedial ass prepaid cards every few weeks from the grocery or convenience store to add the pre-specified amount to my phone. It don't even explain how to add it for which package you need. I wanted ongoing internet data and a few minutes of international calling each month. Would you know that you need to add this code into 'more time' and then activate a separate bundle for unlimited social media usage on top of the data you need? What in the mess of operational inefficiency is this? Of course, there are no Du stores in India. They give me the code I need to 'activate' the data roaming bundle I need once I get the credits (10 AED/ $3 lmao) which doesn't include the 50 AED / $14 daily charge to keep the data active. Whatever.

So while I have wi-fi, I whatsapp a friend to buy me some cards to last the weekend. Shoutout to my Lebanese brother in Dubai who exited the highway upon getting my text, picked some up, and screenshotted them to me within 15 minutes. You the real MVP, George. </rant>

Puja got that call from our "Lilyauntie" and immediately reached out and invited me to tag along with her friends for a night out in Bandra West. Most met up at her place first, and I fell in love with the funky artwork! Originally from Houston, her warmth drew me in and I immediately knew it was going to be a fun night. We ended up going to the Daily Bar & Kitchen, which turns out has great food and gets real live past midnight. My jumpsuit by Rahyma was a hit. I thought the style was very apropo, but it's too memorable for a chill evening. Some ladies wanted to buy it off my back! Everyone was so welcoming and checking on me to make sure I was having a good time the whole night. It don't take much! Good people know good people.

Views from inside the vehicle getting around town. After several debacles with Uber's Kalanick, I deleted their app while still in the US. This is one of the most reliable means of transportation in India, especially because so many of the drivers do not have smartphones with access to Google Maps. The ones who do own one can afford to drive with a network like Uber or local Ola. The others either know where you're going by heart and take you, or simply don't. 

Due to unforeseen complications with cell/internet service, Puja and Auntie Sheema (Lily's sister-in-law) were able to order cabs for me throughout the weekend. Lord, that is humbling. It takes an hour to reach Auntie Sheema's house. The meter read 380 Rs. I pass him a 500 bill. As he's handing me change, I do the math and realize this is a $6 cab ride. Every ten minutes of driving earned that man one USD. I just have him keep the rest, astonished. I know everything here is on a relative scale and much cheaper, but still. Humbled once again.

I wanted to visit a temple. There is a famous one around the corner. Auntie Sheema holds my hand throughout the streets like she raised me herself. Direction and balance. People stare. I wonder what they think our relationship is. I love her immediately.

The Siddhi Vinayaka is bustling. The Hindu elephant god Ganpati is considered the symbol for prosperity, good fortune, wisdom, and health. Known by 108 other names, Auntie tells me that he is the favorite deity of Maharastra state. She notices that the temple happens to be more crowded this morning most likely because 10 standard results will be released today. As such, thousands have come to pray and receive blessings for their children's end of the year board exams. The block is lined with vendors selling flowers, sweets, and other adornments which people purchase to place at the head or feet of Ganesh, once they reach him inside. Auntie tries to negotiate to skip the line and they want 500 Rs/$8 to go express half way. She balks. We put our shoes on and go.

Unlike every other area with this number of people in Mumbai, there is peace and order in the queues.

After a delicious Punjab Grill seafood lunch in the upscale Palladium mall, she takes me to some outdoor bazaars and then to the Hindmata Cloth Market. "I hear you like to sew?" she asked. I've neglected to in such a long time, but if these fabrics don't give me inspiration to get back in the game, what will?

We stayed for a couple hours. I picked several different yards especially for my cousin Stephanie who started Red Elephant Quilts last year. I splurged on beautiful flamingo sari (2,300 Rs/$36) that will soon get made into something amazing.

Back at the Sachdev residence, Auntie prepares some tea for me. Her husband, then daughter come home to meet this American girl who has randomly popped into their lives. More tea, cookies and mangoes. We tell them all about our day. What a thoughtful, hilarious people these are? After a couple hours, I am off to a comedy show I found online, and we call a cab with Ola. I say thanks and get ready to head out, and everyone is grabbing their things. I ask if they are going out for dinner as well. They say no, we are just going with you to wait for the car. Everybody comes. 

My heart. The hospitality here is unmatched.

I love comedy and heard this guy was the ish. I looked up events in Mumbai for the weekend and earmarked it. I arrived just in time as the opener was starting :)

Gotta admit. The opening act was hilar. Why ain't nobody tell me Amit's set was gonna be 95% in Hindi??? Before you clown me, I did my research. He is on Youtube. He just came back from performances in the UK and Australia. I'm thinking, ok maybe he'll do an understandable Hinglesh. Naw bruh. Not in hometown. I played myself. This is the face you make after an hour and a half of hearing everyone crack up around you and not understanding but 8 words. Experience! Adventure! It'll be fun they said... For what what's it's worth, it seemed like everyone else got their money's worth! Guess I made a donation of love tonight. 

Many areas do not get 24 hr water supply so they fill up a bucket during hours they know it will run, and use it later in the day for bathing. People still have bucket baths in very nice places. There was a shower head, but the lack of a curtain curtailed my desire to use it as the water hits everything in the room. I'm out here wit a funky scalp, no lie. No hot water. They said who wants hot water when it's 100 degrees outside? True. But I can't wait to get back to get a good long soak and scrub in. 

Sunday. My Du data plan runs out before it's to automatically renew for the daily 50 AED. By the time I figure out how to reactivate it manually, it says "insufficient credit: 49.40". This hoe. I can't take a taxi too far without internet access because there is no guarantee a local one will know how to get me back. Off to roam the streets for the last day I go.

I have one goal today, see a train station (recommendation of Lily's brother), and bring some Alphonso mangoes back per request in Dubai. Around Powai Lake just a couple blocks down, I come across some boys playing cricket outside the Gopal Sharma School. I stop to snap an inconspicuous picture through the gate, but I do not blend in. They come running. "Photo Photo Selfie!" I ask if they have a phone. They say no. They just want me to take pictures of them. So I do. Another man nearby asks the same and poses with a officer. It's like they want to be captured in time. Don't we all?

I come across Heera Panna Shopping Complex. It's mainly empty, except for a bike repair, copy/print shop and a few others that kept their doors open on Sunday. Nirguna Creations catches my eye with this beautiful hand-loom skirt hanging on out the door. I walk by a couple times before breaking down and trying it on over my jumpsuit. It is extremely heavy. Leesa reassures me that I have enough to keep it up. Ma'am! We just met! :0 I parted ways with it. But if she contacts me with a deal online to deliver for the low... I can't make no promises. Their quality is reputable and they ship globally. Check em out.

The Krispy Kreme tickles me. Almost got me, but I can get that anywhere (apparently). A tut-tut driver is offering me a water bottle and asking if I need a ride. I say no thanks, just gonna buy some mangoes. He tells me to avoid one street and points to a cart down the way. I take the advice. She speaks little English. As I'm pointing at the mangoes and asking how much, the driver has followed and steps out to translate. He asks which ones I want, I say half ripe, half un-ripe to last the week or so after my flight. He gets to packing them for me. I thank him and the woman who owns the stand and start back on my journey.

He calls back out to me asking if I need a ride anywhere. I ask him if he knows where I'm staying, because most do not. He describes it, knows it very well. Says he grew up here. I tell him I need to stop back by Heera Panna, and that I'd also need to get more cash to ride with him. He says no problem, he can take me anywhere and make any stops necessary. So I hop in. And he does.

This is Petey Pabu. Well, Pabu Mathri is his gubmint, but you know black folk always gotta give somebody a nickname to make em fam. 

IDK why y'all do this. Laughing and joking having a grand ol time, then when the camera come out, you freeze up and wanna look like a G. Don't act hard now, Pabu!

First stop after I drop those mangoes off: Andheri Train Station

I was encouraged to observe the comings and goings. Pabu took me to it, but then escorted me. I was just going to walk the stairs to it, but you need platform tickets just to be there. He got them for us and came waited with me as I watched and took it all in.

Yes the train comes in fast, but it didn't seem all that different than NYC subways to me. The doorways are open. There is far less traffic today as it's a Sunday during the big Indo-Pak cricket match. 

The trains come every 3 minutes, but there are so many people, that they push and pull very hard to get on. 

Pabu says he has never ridden the train which shocks me. He says the news reports three deaths by train every day. He once heard the story of a family going on opposite platforms, and in the son's confusion, falls on the tracks in front of an oncoming train. His sister and father watch as he is decapitated and dismembered. Pabu started driving his car soon after and never looked back.

Food stand on the train platfom. Smells good! Pabu warns me that street food is extremely spicy, even for him.

Mural of former prime minister, Abdul Kalam

Next time, I'll stay here Luzerne ;)

People were almost fully clothed along this brown-water beach. Idk how in this heat. I didn't even wear lotion once in Mumbai, the climate is so humid it is unnecessary. 

Once again, caught taking a quick selfie, and this beautiful woman just walks over and leans in with me. Hey mama. We see you.

#stefoncurrygoat on the beach yo?

The heat is getting to me. Pabu says I know what will cool you down. Natural Ice Cream. I think they let me try every flavor.

Went with scoops of mango and coconut. MMMMMMMMM

I asked to find my friends some bangles. Pabu drops me off at a few street markets including Hill Road and Lincoln Road. It's bananas.

Got my godbaby some sandals. I asked for 1 year old. He says, "these are the ones for our babies, but yours will need bigger." Dangggg he said I'm ginormous.

And there's Pabu, patiently waiting. He looked concerned. I asked him if he was nervous I wouldn't come back. He said maybe just a little.

Took these colorful goodies back for the homies

Now I'm taking a liking to this man. But he is trying my OCD. Pick a lane Pabu!! 

I gotta close my eyes lol

So it's true. They do not obey traffic signs here. Everybody just goes. Get in where you fit in. Be brave. Be Bold. Take no prisoners!

By this time, I've finally convinced Pabu to get a snack with me. He stops at his round the way joint to pick up some chicken patties. I'm like this what I'm talking bout.

They do not like the Jamaican patties I'm used to. But sosososooo good. Flaky crust, creamy chicken inside, almost like a pot pie, but without the sogginess. He tells me to eat and he'll eat later. I save him the other anyway.

We have a few hours to go, so I ask if there's a bar where we can catch some of the game and I can have a sippy sip. He drives for a minute and doesn't believe anything open is close enough. Except the wine store! He stops on the side of the road and makes sure I have some of those old grapes to go.

He's all, just sit back there and enjoy the view. I can't with him. Just the right level of ratchetry.

The airport's namesake

Well, it's about that time. He brings me back so I can get changed for my flight and is waiting for me to come down with my luggage. After this long day, he doesn't want anyone else to take me but himself. I am prepared to gift him with a box of dates from the UAE before leaving.

I've watched the meter run up slowly as he kept it on since he picked me up from the mango stand. After 6.5 hours, I owe him 930 Rs / $15. I visited the ATM once more before heading out so I could give it to him. I hand him all the cash I have left, along with the dates. He is beside himself.

A gentleman to the end. Caught his smile. Maybe he's happy to be done driving for the day. Maybe he's happy he just got paid. Maybe he's happy to get rid of me. Idk. But I'm so very happy we met.

He ended up spending the whole day with me. I kept asking if he needed to be somewhere, if he wanted to go watch the game, wondering why he was so doggone friendly and helpful. He says, "Life is more important than money. My daughter just turned 18 and is going to college. I hope He will look after her like He is you through nice people she meets. I hope a stranger would take care of her, not take advantage. I see her when I see you. And you are beautiful."

ICYWW, while I was sad I could not see my coworker while visiting Mumbai, her family is recovering and doing quite well. What could have been a mess, turned out to bear fruit of blessings. At the end of the day, all blood is not family and all family is not blood. Pabu is the GOAT, and I couldn't be more grateful for my safety, health, access and privileges. I still have his number so if you're in the city, holla.

Namasthae, MUMbai. Now back to DU...