pwolfworld

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MUMBAI CONNEXIONS

Nick and I are still living in a hotel in Mumbai.  Unfortunately, after several weeks of looking at apartments, and finally choosing our favorite, the negotiations fell through, and we are back to square one!   As lovely as our hotel is, we’re frustrated with the process of finding a place, and disappointed that we are not yet living in a neighborhood and experiencing life in a small community in Mumbai.  

This is why I decided to write about an organization that I have joined called Mumbai Connexions.  The wife of one of Nick’s co-workers introduced me to this group of women ex-pats.   The organization is open to ex-pats of all nationalities, and provides bi-monthly coffee mornings, a variety of clubs, (such as book clubs or a craft clubs, etc.), volunteer opportunities, and charity events, They have been my life-line to interactions with women who are here under circumstances similar to my own, and given me several opportunities to venture out into the city.  

We’ve had three outings so far, and yesterday’s was my favorite.  We met up in the downtown historic Fort area of Southern Mumbai at Artisans, a small Art Center, with an adjoining shop.   My driver dropped me off at a beautiful old building where I opened a big wooden door, and walked up two flights of stairs. The stairway walls exhibited beautiful photographs of Mumbai landscapes.  At the top of the stairs were two small rooms, one filled with the women I was there to meet up with from Mumbai Connexions.   I was introduced to several women, including the owner and founder of Artisans, Radhi Parekh.   Radhi had lived and worked in San Francisco for a period of time before she moved back to India after her father announced his intention to sell the family owned building that currently housed Artisans.   At the same time,  with her education and background in Art and Design, she saw a need to preserve the “one of a kind”, handmade Indian Art of her heritage.  She had a mission, and the timing was right, so she moved back to India and founded Artisans which is housed in her family owned building.  The Indian women who created the beautiful Sari”s, pashmina shawls, scarves, rugs, tapestries, and jewelry were historically underpaid and seeking employment in factories for better pay. They were also encouraging their children to find other ways to earn a living.   Her mission became the promotion and continuation of the art created by these creative and highly skilled women, therefore, the creation of Artisans.

I was mesmerized as Radhi lectured for two hours on the history of Indian Textile art.  The  creativity, time consuming  processes, painstaking detail, and precision required to create the beautiful colors and patterns was impressive. 

Radhi lectures, and provides workshops regularly in her center.   She also sells handmade Indian art in her shop just across the hallway.  Yes, I have to admit, I felt the need to promote the arts myself by purchasing a beautiful handmade pashmina!  I thoroughly enjoyed looking at the vibrant colors, and variety of patterns, and gaining an understanding of the creativity, time and labor that went into each beautiful creation.  

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Weekend Spa Retreat

We headed out of town late Friday afternoon thrilled to get away from the noise and crowds of Mumbai, and our one room hotel accommodation. After four hours on the road, Nick realized that our driver didn’t actually know where we were going. He was taking us to Pune as shown in the address, but the Retreat was actually somewhere on the outskirts of Pune. We put our trust in google maps and proceeded to travel up twisty, windy, dirt roads in serious doubt that there could possibly be a spa retreat at the end of our route. Miraculously, we found our way and the welcoming sight of The Hilton Shillim Retreat. We checked in, a driver took us to our villa, and we went to bed. It wasn’t until the next morning that we could actually see the beauty of our surroundings. 

The villa appeared to be a Japanese inspired design both inside and outside. It was very simple and spacious with glass on all sides to open it to our surroundings. It was very private. 

We couldn’t see our neighbors, and actually saw very few people throughout our stay. The entire estate was very spread out, so they provided drivers in little cars to transport us to our chosen restaurant or activity. We spent most of our time enjoying the pool, and eating while enjoying the views at the Terrazzo or Mountain Bar and Bistro restaurants. The food was spectacular and beautifully presented. 

It was all very quiet and serene the primary focus of the retreat being eco- tourism, or conserving the natural environment for the well-being of the guests. In stark contrast, the scenery on the trip home included the slum housing that we’ve all heard about through movies or books.  

We spotted camels on the roadside, goats laying in the doorways of huts, and cows roaming the streets.   

The slums in the city Mumbai are everywhere as well, and it’s disheartening and overwhelming to see.  

India is a beautiful country, but the hutments do exist. It’s not often talked about, I think, because it appears to be such a hopeless situation.  Still, India is a beautiful country.

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Living in Mumbai

I can’t truthfully say that I’m living in Mumbai just yet.  I’m staying in a very nice Hotel, an oasis in the middle of this dense, vibrant city.  The hotel is beautiful with fresh cut flower arrangements everywhere, and the staff is eager to provide everything that we need or want.   They’re also very friendly and curious about the circumstances that brought us here.  When we told them that we would be staying at the hotel until we were able to find an apartment, they said that they would like us to stay all year.  The staff, and people we’ve met on our outings have been very endearing.  

I can look out of our hotel room window and see Nick’s project, now under construction, from our room. We walked all the way around it yesterday, about two miles.  It’s convenient for Nick as his office is just across the street.  This district is called the Kurla Bondra District.  It includes office buildings, high rise residential, and our hotel. There currently is no shopping, and very few restaurants in this area.  Nick’s project will include retail, restaurants, residential, a convention center, and a theatre, all very much needed to make the area more appealing, and pedestrian friendly.   

My day consists of working out in the gym, hanging out by the pool, watching TV, and reading.  This was okay for a day or two, but now, I must admit, I’m getting a little bored.  I’m looking for a yoga class.  Tomorrow, a real estate agent will take us to the Santa Cruz and West Bondra district to look for an apartment.  We’ve heard that it’s very difficult to find apartments in these more desirable neighborhoods.  Wish us luck!

On Sunday, we had our driver take us South to the Colaba area to do a little site- seeing.  We went to The Gateway of India, The Taj Mahal Palace Hotel, and the Oberoi on Marine Drive, all very beautiful.  The photos are posted on Facebook.   While we were walking on the plaza in front of the Gateway, an Indian family walked up to us and asked if they could take our picture with their teenage son and daughter.  We were a little surprised by that request, but obliged.  This happened twice while we were there.  Nick jokingly said that it looks like we have become the tourist attraction. 

We’re looking forward to this weekend.  If our plans work out, we’ll be driving North to a foot hills area to stay in a Spa Retreat.  It’s the equivalent of driving to Highlands from Atlanta or Florida to cool off.  I’ll keep you posted on this upcoming trip.