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Jeff Robson's Travels
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Location Date Pakistan 1707091200 South Korea 1531004400 India 
1530918000 Thailand 1529967600 United Arab Emirates 1503097200 -
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Location Date Tue, 22 August 2017 1503394881 Mon, 21 August 2017 1503308264 Sun, 20 August 2017
1503221693
- Pilot had to have 2 goes at landing
- Man in the toilets at the airport, directing everyone where to go (a "nothing job" as I'm pretty sure most people could find their way easily enough)
- Picked up my bag & got to the hotel, all very straightforward & no issues
- Helped a Muslim lady get her heavy bag off: "God bless you" she said :-)
- Past 15 days in Mumbai were all fine weather ... but not today! It's pouring with rain!
- Had a quick shower then met Kiran downstairs for my city tour.
- He's a retired bank employee: just got sick of banking & decided to quite to do what he really loves: painting & showing people around India! Also helps out at orphanages & with those who can't afford medical treatment (e.g. some travel thousands of km, then stay on the streets as they can't afford a hotel)
- Lots of tuk-tuks everywhere (called "Rickshaws" here)
- There are over 1,100 languages in India! Most people speak their state's language (that's how the states were formed originally), plus Hindi, & many also speak English
- Briefly visited a slum where everyone lives on top of each other & has one communal toilet (I didn't go in!)
- OMG ... hard to imagine living in such conditions
- Gradually the slums are being replaced by high-rise apartments
- On our visit:
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- Drove past the textile mills that closed down about 15-20 years ago due to a pay dispute with the unions
- "Thieves Market": each different section is in its own street - car parts, fruit & veg, antiques, electronics (sitting out in the rain), clocks & watches ...
- Dhoby Ghaut: big, open-air laundry
- Ghandi's house
- Taj Palace Hotel (was attacked by terrorists)
- Trident Hotel (where people jumped out the windows to avoid the terrorists)
- Leopold's Cafe (bullet holes in walls)
- Jain Temple: they don't eat anything that grows below the surface & don't use any transportation except walking, but are some of the richest in the city (how??)!
- Railway Station: the metro trains carry 4,000 people on each one and they run every 10-15min!
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