All Aboard the Deccan Odyssey...
I don’t know what’s different about this trip, but I’m finding the jet lag to be more difficult to tackle than I’ve experienced with prior travel. Given this, I found myself awake at 4:30am. Like, wide awake. I thought about going for a run outside along their “river walk” but was cautioned against doing so by Hotel security, who very kindly pointed me towards their fitness center. I really do like to do a “Discovery Run” in every new city I find myself in. I think it’s a great way to see a City and experience the people who live there. But, I’m also pretty good at taking a hint, so I followed orders and headed for the treadmill. What I found interesting about the gym at the Taj Hotel was that it was considered to be a “Silent Gym”, which I had never heard of but is apparently a growing trend at gyms and fitness centers throughout India. As soon I walked in, there was a large sign on the desk that read:
“Let Silence Take You to the Core of Life” - Rumi
Let the joy of working out in silence carry you into a state of meditation and mindfulness. For guests who want music with their workout routine who do not have their own headphone devices, we will be happy to provide you with one. But we would like to believe that the best music is created in the mind.
Seemed like an interesting concept so I decided to give it shot. Who doesn’t need a little silence in their life every now and then? A chance to create a little music in my own mind? Sure. I can do this. Become one with myself and follow Rumi’s advice.
I’ll be really honest here: it lasted all of about 10 minutes…and then it was back to Busta Ryhmes, Moby and Cardi B. I tried…and failed miserably…but at least I tried. There’s something to be said for trying…and I am almost certain the “Goddess of Trying” is for sure on the last of 33 million that currently exists.
Our day today started with a nice breakfast and a little FaceTime with our two guys back home. It was good to see them, even though it was through spotty service and multiple disconnections. We then boarded the buses for a tour through the City of Mumbai that took us to one of the most fascinating experiences I think I’ve ever had: the Dhobi Ghats Laundromat. Now - I know that sounds really strange. A laundromat isn’t normally a “must see” on a tour itinerary…nor would it ever be described by most people as “fascinating”…but that’s precisely what it was.
The Dhobi Ghats has been described as the “arguably the most massive and impressive laundry operation in the world and is Mumbais 140 year old open-air laundry. It is here that an estimated 500,000 items of clothing and linen are processed - by hand - every single day. These workers in the Dhobi Ghats service laundry from hotels, hospital, corporate businesses and residents alike. Initially, it looked like total chaos. Literally hundreds and hundreds of laundry lines, giant water tanks and large limestone scattered through what seemed to go on for miles. But when you spend a bit more time watching the work unfold (pun intended), you realize that there is an intricacy and precision that would be the only possible way to make an operation like this possible.
The Dhobi Ghats was founded by an association of “washer men” 140 years ago. But it has clearly changed and grown over time. Though there has been much change, this is one of the few organizations and destinations in Mumbai that has kept its name the same - which quite simply means “a place where washer men cleans clothes and dries them”. Way to keep it simple, boys. In the early days, the Dhobi Ghat had two different systems for washing and soaking but in the years of 1890 to 1895, the washer men experienced a huge growth in population and in their industry. They then decided to merge the two systems in the interest of efficiency.
There are now long rows of open-air concrete pens each fitting with its own “flogging stone”. For 18 to 20 hours each day, over 7,000 workers wash, scrub, dye and flog clothes and hang them out to dry on ropes that are incredibly well organized and grouped by category and customer. Once the clothes dry, they are neatly pressed and folded and sent off on motorized scooters to be delivered back to homes all over Mumbai - from the every day citizen to some of the richest residents in the City.
It now seems entirely ridiculous for me - after having seen this operation - to ever complain about all the laundry I have to back home…including the boys inside out school pants with the underwear still inside.
One of the next stops on the City Tour was Mani Bhanvan, the house that Ghandi spent most of his childhood in and was the focal point of Gandhi’s political activities in Mumbai between 1917 and 1934. As you can imagine he is highly regarded here in India and this home - now a Museum - has become a top tourist destination. The Museum chronicles his amazing life dedicate to nonviolence, acceptance and tolerance and was a really powerful thing for all of us to experience.
The transition into the next tour stop following our Ghandi experience was perhaps a little awkward, to be honest…but is still worth a mention. Our bus stopped in front of what appeared to be one of Mumbais largest skyscrapers - which are few and far between in the City. This also had a very modern look to it, also somewhat of a rarity in this old, historic City.
As it turns out, this entire building - all 26 floors - belongs to ONE family. Yes…that is correct. One, single family. As you might assume, this family is among one of the most affluent here in Mumbai. This home, called Antila, was designed by 2 architects from California and took 2 full years to build. Of the 26 floors that make up this home, 5 are reserved for the fleet of cars that the family owns. One entire floor is a pool, lounge, fitness center and spa…while another entire floor holds a meditation space. 3 floors are reserved for visiting family and friends, who have their choice of landing on one of three terraced helicopter pads on the property. If you haven’t already gotten a pretty good picture of the kind of money we are dealing with here - he bought his wife a Boeing 777 for her 40th birthday. You know, just so she was able to travel whenever she wanted….and maybe be able to get a little bit of sleep on the plane while she was at it.
Just prior to boarding the Deccan Odyssey for the “Second Leg” of the trip, we stopped for lunch at one of Mumbai’s featured restaurants for lunch. It was here that I think we started to find “our people”. We sat with a couple from London and their good friend from Australia who they actually met on a train trip two years ago and have kept in touch ever since. I’ll share more on them later, but suffice it to say that I think we will be spending a lot of time with them over the next two weeks. They are so much fun, have great humor and are really engaging and easy to talk to. My kind of people.
As we approached the station to board the Deccan Odyssey, we could hear our “welcome committee” before we could actually see them. As we came off of the bus, we were greeted with a traditional Indian ceremony that was beautiful, uplifting and filled with amazing energy. The perfect send off for the next leg of our journey. It was obvious, based on the amount of local townspeople who came to observe and take photos and videos of the ceremony and incoming train, that this was an unusual occurrence for them as well.
It’s sort of a strange feeling boarding the train. There’s a little bit of anxiety in not knowing what lies ahead. Maybe a little trepidation at the idea that - for the next 7 nights - sleep might be few and far between based on how the body can adjust to the sways, bumps, twists and turns of the train. But - most importantly - there is great excitement in knowing that you are settled in just one place for the next week or so…and for the adventure that lies ahead.
We finished out a busy day with a nice dinner aboard the train, where we were joined by Christian Wolmar, the on board historian and travel author. We didn’t plan on having dinner with him, it just sort of happened that way. Christian has written several books about train travel, including his most well known (by those who read about train travel): “How Railways Have Changed the World”. As you can imagine, this led to a wonderful conversation between Christian and my Dad, who had actually read two of his books prior to the trip. It also turns out that Christian is a running enthusiast, so he and I had much to talk about as well. Ironically, he also likes to go out for a long run in every new City he visits…so perhaps he and I will have a chance to squeeze one in.
And so…off we go on the Deccan Odyssey for the next week. A journey that will be filled with so much to look forward to.
And with that….PJ take it away:
Hey, PJ here. This day was pretty memorable, with giant laundromats, Ghandi’s house, trains, and more. Enough with the introduction, and let’s get right into the list:
1) City Tour. We made 4 stops (that I got off at), which I will be talking about later. We drove around the city, listening to our tour guide through a little radio (the volume on mine was set all the way up, and I didn’t know how to turn it down). The first stop was the hanging gardens (not to be confused with the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, we’re already out of the Mesopotamia unit in school). It was pretty, there were giant topiaries everywhere, and also everywhere were giant eagles. The next stops can be organized into their own categories, other than one, which was one of the slums. Mom, Poppy and I chose not to go in because we didn’t want them to feel like we were intruding their land and taking pictures of their misfortune. Anyway, onto the next categories.
2) Dhobi Ghat. I really don’t have much to say about this. There were giant racks of clothes everywhere. That’s really all I can say.
3) Ghandi’s House. This was pretty cool. We learned about his life and saw his very minimalistic room, which I respect. This exhibit was cool, and afterwards, we went to...
4) The Markets (again). This wasn’t nearly as bad as before, since (1) we weren’t on the main road, and (2) it wasn’t a holiday for them. I got a very nice mini turtle statue (about a half an inch tall) and a mini peacock statue (1-2 inches tall). Then we exited the store and went into the streets, where we were cornered by 7 to 8 feisty merchants before boarding the bus.
5) The Train. Finally something more my speed! We were greeted by an amazing performance. I could have chosen to dance, but I’m gonna be real with you all: I am a horrible dancer, and I was NOT about to be embarrassed for the entire trip. We were then given flower necklaces before boarding the train. I’ve only been on for a couple hours now, so I can’t give you the full experience: but I have this to say about it: the rooms are amazing, the food is amazing, the service is amazing, and the WiFi is (sometimes) amazing.
That’s all I have to say! Goodbye for now, but you all will hear from me in later posts to come.
