Hindi Hospitality

Good day to all,

I have been in Bombay for the past 2 weeks, my stay here is unfortunately coming to a close next saturday, as I will return to Kuwait with only the photographs I have taken, the memories, and the experiences I have gained from Bombay to serve as a reminder of the wonderful time I spent here.

Never had I felt such warm hospitality as I was shown here in India. I was staying at the Jewel of Chembur, working on Kolkota Road, the morning Rickshaw ride was always pleasant, gazing into gardens as people went about their daily exercise routines, women jumped rope, did yoga, men jogged, it was almost heavenly to me being health oriented.

The hospitality I felt was extended and manifested in a myriad of ways, from the shopkeeper who sold me Kurta's at 50% discount and even sent one of his assistants to help me acquire a cover for my phone (despite it not being his responsibility whatsoever), to the shopkeeper in a shop near my house who, upon my asking him for a the price of his wares, informed me that there is a shop close by that offers 50% discount on the same item (shop mentioned above).

Not to forget my first train ride yesterday from Ghandi Market to Kings ____ (not Cross, that is Harry Potter, can't remember its name, someone please assist ) and then catching a connection to Chembur. At first I was under the impression that the train taking me home would also be fitted with an electronic board and voice over informing me of the station, that line however was an old train, but that did not stop me from asking, in English, a friendly looking person by the door when Chembur station as up, and he directed me, and we spoke for ages. He was my makeshift guide as the train dredged through the rain towards our destination.

We passed by the slums, if you can call them as such. For when I looked at them in passing, my heart fluttered. These people were living in make-shift houses, shanti's, generations of people, young and old, they had no walls in some, only heavy plastic bags, some did not have enough room to stand, some did not have beds. But the one thing that they all had unanimously, as was evidenced by the pictures on the walls, was FAITH. Faith in a better tomorrow, and that is all we need to live.

I will definitely look forward to returning to Bombay, and will tell all through my blog of the wonderful experience I had here, from visiting Kandla and driving all the way to Mundra, then off to Bhuj to return to Bombay.

Thank you Bombay for showing me an amazing time.