Adventures in Bombay, Part 2

So when i last wrote, I was preparing to go on a road trip with Zahir to Lonavla. We left bright and early Saturday morning (his friend Burges picked us up at 7am) and met up with his girlfriend and her parents before heading up the Expressway. The drive was about 2 hours, and around 90 minutes into the drive, we stopped at a food court to grab a quick bite. As we were leaving, we stopped near the entrance, where there were random signs that caught our eye.


So naturally, we had to take one.


So Lonavla was pretty sweet. The weather was awesome. My cousin and his friends thought it was too hot, but to me, it was perfect. We spent much of the afternoon playing basketball outside, although the ball was sorta flat. But it was better than not having a ball at all.


In the evening, Burges and his girlfriend played badminton in the courtyard.


During the day, we ventured into town to buy supplies for the house. Even though Zahir and I were planning to head back to Bombay the next day, the rest of the crew is actually still up there and plan to be there until the 3rd. In fact, Zahir is packing as I write and is heading back up for a few days.
While we were shopping, we stopped for lunch. One of the funnier things I've seen in a long time occurred in the bathroom.

The toilet was fighting back.

In the evening, when it started to cool down, Burges was hellbent on starting a bonfire in the courtyard. The servants in charge of the cottage actually made the process extremely easy. They gave us a bowl and twigs. The flame was crazy, at least for the first few minutes.


The twigs just didn't want to hold the flame. We tried pouring some whiskey on the flame, but that was good for a two-second thrill.



Something I've wanted to do each of the years I've been here is photograph Marine Drive. We use the road everyday, but we've just never had the time to stop at night. So the last two nights, I've had my cousin stop the car along Marine Drive so that I could take photos.
The ring of lights along the long stretch of road is commonly known as the Queen's Necklace, and from elevated locations, looks spectacular. My cousins friend is going to try to get me onto the roof of her building along Marine Drive.
For now, I've photographed Marine Drive from each side. Since i didn't bring a tripod with me, I've had to try to handhold these long exposures. The longest I can do is one second.





I love it here. I know tourists are being warned to not come here, but if you ever have a chance, you should make the trip. It may not be my home, but when I'm here, I feel at home.
Today, I'm going to my dads' family's place to hang out with my cousin Sarah. One of my favorite aunts is coming to visit.
Tomorrow, I'm taking Sarah to Bandra to visit a couple more aunts.

I hope everybody has a safe New Years. Because of the events of last New Years and the terrorist attacks, most of the New Years parties over here have strict curfews of 12:30am. For those not familiar with the events from last year, there were multiple occurrences of molestation of women around Bombay. One occurred at The Gateway of India, and another happened in Juhu. Both were front page news for days.

The next time you hear from me, it will probably be 2009. I'm pretty satisfied with the way 2008 went. I'm sure 2009 will bring more new experiences. Old chapters will finally close and new chapters of my life will hopefully open up.

Take care,
Ali