Gateway of India
-from “Passage to India”
The early morning flight I took from Colombo to Mumbai had a nice surprise of a pink and purple sunrise😃
sunrise over mumbai, no filter😍
mumbai airport
I had no issues getting through customs, got through the lines, and then out to get a taxi to my hotel. The hotel was right beside the airport, a Hyatt I booked with points. Beautiful, fancy hotel, mostly used by international business travelers, and the service was excellent👍🏼
I used Uber again in Mumbai! So fun to use in different countries😏 It was much cheaper than a taxi. I went into the city, which ended up taking almost 1.5 hours because it was far away, but more because of the traffic. I wanted to see two things in Mumbai…
- Gateway of India
- Starbucks 😂
Smoke in the forecast? I don’t think I’ve seen that before from the weather.com app…
smoke forecast
part of skyline – mahim bay, arabian sea, indian ocean
lovely street
Mumbai reminds me of NYC a little.
make in india campaign
They have this ‘Make in India’ week thing going on now, and it must be a big deal because I saw billboards everywhere I looked advertising it.
gateway of india
The area around the Gateway was blocked off, I think because they were doing construction to build what looked like a seating area out in front. I dont know if it’s usually blocked off?
this kid had the right idea and snuck inside… made for a cool picture. He looks so small.
mumbai harbor
taj mahal palace hotel
starbucks!!
Being in a Starbucks made me feel like I was home… somewhere familiar😊 It was really nice… amongst all of the exciting newness every day brings, something familiar is a nice change every now and then.
salvation army – mumbai😃
People line the waterside for miles and miles to watch the sunset. Beautiful.
sunset over the bay – a little bit nyc to me, no?
sunset over mosque
I started the day over Mumbai seeing the sunrise and finished it seeing the sunset❤️
When I was walking around a few blocks away from the Starbucks, a guy came over and asked me if I wanted to be an extra in a Bollywood movie (ummm, OF COURSE I DO). I asked him if I could have the lead role instead, and he said that it was already filled. Damn, timing is everything:/ Then I said ‘Okay, I guess I’ll settle for being an extra.’ Buuuut, they were filming the next afternoon, and I was flying out of Mumbai😩 My one shot to be famous in Bollywood😥 Alas, was not meant to be. But maybe there will be movies filming in another city I visit in India. I’m keeping my eyes peeled🙆🏼
On the way back to my hotel, which took 1.5 hours, I unfortunately was paired with a cab driver who was the craziest person (not craziest cab driver… CRAZIEST PERSON) I’ve ever met. I think he was hopped up on some sort of substance. Because he was sweating and screaming and singing and buying ice cream cones and getting stuff out of his trunk and arguing with me about taking the toll road….
craziest person I’ve ever met.
This was him breaking out into some sort of song… I recorded just the tail-end, when he had gotten bored of it. But, initially he was singing, laughing hysterically, looking at me and saying, “Yeah?!?”, then singing more.😧 Anyway, hoping that guy gets help (and even more so, that I never see him again)😁.
Next up: Goa – Beaches and Riverboats
Bye to India’s Teardrop, on the Way to India
Aluthgama, a little further north up the coast…
SL was nicknamed “India’s Teardrop” by some because of the location in relation to India and the shape of the country – how it physically looks on the earth. I like it – as a ‘happy teardrop’.
I took another *steamy, packed-full* train as transportation. This time, I sat on my backpack, which I put on the floor in the aisle. People all over me, me all over people, including an older man standing in front of me at a 90* angle, who was scratching his crotch frequently. And, the heat – I think I lost three pounds in sweat! Still, it was fun somehow. And I’m bummed because I heard that the other routes on the trains around Sri Lanka are even more visually stunning, so I would love to travel there again, on the trains, and see the scenery in the hills, amongst tea plantations, etc.
Despite it being fun, I was still happy to see the station sign😊
aluthgama station
When I got to town, I walked around to find a pharmacy to buy more cough drops for my fourth onslaught of cold/sickness on my trip (anti-malaria pills side effect). It took a little while, but I found some, and I also went to a really nice grocery store😄 It was a chain called Food City. I LOVE LOOKING AROUND GROCERY STORES I’VE NEVER SEEN BEFORE!
legit grocery store:)
The (crazy) drug dealer tuktuk driver who drove me to the hotel stopped so we could watch a cycling race, going through tiny Aluthgama😃🚴🏾
bike race
don’t stop!
amongst the motorbikes
It was another lovelyyyyyy beach… Not safe to swim, but the sand, sun, and warm water on your toes is plenty wonderful enough!
beauuuutiful
sunshiney day – feet in grass
small island w/helipad
pano
mini island
beach
ahhhhhh
traveler’s feet flipflop tan
This is something I saw in Sri Lanka and haven’t seen anywhere else – all of the small shops use discarded school papers to make bags… So smart!!
homemade bag
french homework🇫🇷
The gas station attendants must’ve stayed up late. When cars drive by you only 10 feet away and you don’t wake up, you know you’re tired (all three of them!).
wake up!
My last train ride in Sri Lanka😢 At the station, I saw something too wonderful to pass up without taking a picture.
(retirement goals). I can’t knock it.
And TRAIN GOATS!
be careful, train goats! there are trains coming
This was at the Mount Lavinia station – the view is unbelievable. Notice on the train, there are people by the door but they aren’t falling out of the door, like many trains that I saw.
a not-so-full train, and the view!
Then it was time to leave out of Colombo Airport… good-bye, Sri Lanka! It was a fun and interesting seven days😍 I’m glad that I got to visit, even though I wasn’t seeing Tibet. I figure, it might be cool to see more of Sri Lanka (inland) in the future, and also I’m looking forward to a time in the future when I do travel to Tibet.
Next up: A Passage to India
In “Passage to India”, a poem from Leaves of Grass, Whitman illustrates his amazement by the opening of the Suez Canal (in 1869), which he recognized as not only a way to move goods between continents more quickly, but also as a gateway to travel to Asia and exploring in the world. And this, exploring the world, he linked with spirituality and connecting with God. Below – excerpts from the poem that inspire me…
wordsmakesentences 
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