Will our bags ever come? Stepping of the plane in Mumbai there is indeed a unique aroma one can appreciate, as if someone forgot to take out the trash. I can't say it is the most appealing up front but quickly you become accustomed. The airport was impressive to say the least. There was art integrated into the concourses and the immigration gate took less than 10 minutes. Perhaps that was because I was traveling with others who had India passports along with their USA passports. The magnitude of people in the airport was unbelievable for midnight. Being an international hub there were planes for Europe, Singapore, and surrounding countries. Baggage claim was hub of activity with hundreds of people waiting to claim their bags. It took awhile for our bags to arrive not before there were thoughts of what is the luggage is lost, then what do we do? They did finally arrive and we were off to meet Vivek's Uncle. On the way out we exchanged money, approx 1 dollar is 57 rupees, some places the rate is even as high as 62. As we left the airport there was a crowd of people ready to swarm on those in need of assistance with bags, transportation, or direction. Then through the crowd Vivek spots Uncle. They reunite as friends who haven't seen each other in years but don't miss a beat. All I can do from the sidelines is observe because I have no idea what they are saying. We then went to the car, which Uncle has his neighbor drive because driving is an art in India, and loaded up the trunk. With that we were off. The city of Mumbai engulfs all your senses from the not to pleasant smells to the stimulation of the lights and sounds as we traveled through the city. If you didn't know what time it was you would never have guessed it was close to 2 in the morning. People were out, traffic was flowing and the hustle and bustle of the city was in full force. Of course the travelers must be fed so we stopped at what you could call a rough version of a drive through. A guy standing on the sidewalk outside the restaurant where you place an order from the car then they deliver the food car side when it is ready. Unique way of doing things but hey it works. We navigated our way through the streets until we arrived at Uncle's apartment. I can't explain how thankful and appreciative I was for him and his family. They opened their apartment to us and even made sure we were fed. We sat down around a table and ate the authentic Indian food served by Uncle's wife. It was delicious and filling however, if you clean your plate more will magically appear until you are so stuffed you can't eat any more! After the meal we sat around and "talked" aka I watched. It was fun to see families catch up and update each other on their lives. The Uncle explained how he recently had a stent placed and showed all his medicine to ensure he was on the right treatment. While this was going on Uncle's wife drew me a hot "shower" which I was grateful for. After traveling for so long it was great to clean up. This version of a "shower" is hot water heated then filled into a bucket. You use a cup in the bucket to pour the water on your body and clean up. Not what I'm used to but it works just as well. Clean, fed, and relaxing with new friends will leave a lasting impression of Mumbai in my memory. These people were strangers to me only hours before but genuinely embraced me as family for the evening. To that I owe them many thanks.
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