...we landed in Bombay and noticed the airport underwent some styling changes, looking more sleek and friendly....we went through immigration, customs and other formalities at an absurd speed of about 10 minutes. Then the cabbie took us to our hotel without stalling, getting lost or asking for directions. Are we in the same country as last year...???...we realized booking a hotel close to the airport means that the airport is also close to the hotel and that plan...

Over the last three days:1. In spite of some initial difficulties (as in: K. carrying both our bags - 12 21k - to the platform on account of me being too weak to move; the train being very long and us not being able to find our car and then our bunks and nobody being able to help us with that etc. etc.) we boarded the train.2. We had our first train ride in India and it would have been a great experience, far superior to the bus, even in 2nd class (1st had been s...

Today we:1. Learned that honking in Bombay doesn't stop even at night. Au contraire.2. Tasted jelebi, different samosas, pakoras, mango halva (!!!), plenty of unnamed snacks and some very sweet Muslim sweets. Do I need to say how awesome it all was?3. Saw plenty of live rats in the streets and some dead ones too, including one the size of a small chihuahua. And some crows feasting on the chihuahua!4. Made a new friend. Mahomar, you will always be welcome in B...

Went for a walk out of hotel last night. Almost got run over. Getting used to traffic on wrong side of road. Dark, full of holes, breaking an ankle quite likely. K. positively terrified. Wants to board the next flight back to Europe.Despite my doubts, curry I had last night at the hotel (chicken kadai..(?) ) excellent. Very hot, made me sniff for hours. After the night the taste still very evident in my mouth and on my breath, despite two tooth brushings.Today w...

Landed safely. Long line at immigration. Hot, humid, stuffy. Two power outages while waiting for baggage. Long wait. Prepaid taxi to hotel €2. Sweet. Carriers fighting for tips. Bags placed on roof rack - no bungee cords, nothing. "not gonna fall? no sir!" Taxi driver clueless as to hotel location despite exact address. Asking for directions a dozen times on the way. Exhaust fumes and food smells everywhere. All the usual stuff. It's like I'm back h...