Mumbai

Namaste (nah-Mah-stay)- The atom of spirit in me honors the atom of spirit in you.

So I have been in India for a few day's now. The flight over was a bit rough, Denver to Chicago to New York to London to Mumbai. A real king in the groin. We arrived in Mumbai around 1 am, but did not arrive to the hotel until 3:30am. Last night (Mon) I managed to sleep more than 2 hours in a row without waking up. As my father predicted the food here is absolutly amazing. Even on the plane, for the second dinner served I had Murg Kali Mirch with rice Pulao and badam phirni for desser. Absolutly delicious!

Also on the plane I watched a bit of Indian MTV. I am in the wrong line of work, this fellow looked a lot like elvis with the hair and sideburns, while galavanting around on a horse in full Maharaja attire with terrible rhymes. The crew backing him up was dancing around in a Sharks vs. Jets style walk and snap. Ethnic airlines are much more interesting than ones like BA. A muslim Mullah was seasted a few rows up from us and a few times during the night he got up to do his prayers in the aisle. Very cool. As usual I couldn't sleep a wink on the outgoing flights but I really wish I had. The plane change in England was a mess also. and here I thought that British people were the only ones in the world who knew how to Queu. we had to funnel 3+ 747sworth of people down to 1 metal detector to pass through security once again. To put it in the vernacular, (*&@#)*^ well I'll try to keep this one PG. For starters anyways.

Today 29May07 we took a boat out to Elephanta Island where Bill Turnbull, my grandfather, was carried up the 160+ steps on a Pallenquin(sic?) like a maharaja on a chair with 4 men on bamboo poles took care of it. Yes I got pics but as of now I can't spend the time to put them up here. I'm in the hotel "Taj Mahal Palace & Tower" basically the nicest hotel in Mumbai. I'm not sure if any of you are familiar with how I normally travel, but this is not quite what I'm used to. At least I don't look like a complete putz at dinner because my mother, Marta, reminded me to bring a tie and blue blazor. I can clean up from time to time. Out on the Island we visited a Hindu cave/temple dedicated to Shiva. Very cool and powerful but many of the reliefs, I would say statues but all of them are carved into the wall, are damaged from the belgian troops who used them for target practice a few centuries ago. One of the many reliques of colonialism remaining. Any I must be off this internet is not the cheapest. I leave tomorrow morning at 3am to head to somewhere else I left my itenerary in my room so I can't remember where it is. I'll post when I can and try to do it more often. My love to all. E mail me!

Walker.

Passport and travel plans

I got my passport back a couple weeks ago and I'm starting to get really excited. Two weeks from today I make my exodus
At first I was considering going from India to Pakistan to China where I would take a 57 hour train ride to shanghai, and then coming back by the exact same route. Then I I thought that's a couple thousand miles out of my way so I thought perhaps I'll go on the ground south through china and cross into Burma near Laos. But I talked to a travel agent who could hook up a flight from Shanghai from to Delhi by way of Dubai. Anyway things look pretty interesting, I'm at less than 2 weeks to departure and feeling great. Hope to post more stuff soon.

W.