World Cruise - Day 87 - Apr 8 - At Sea (and Mumbai, Part 2 of 3)

We’re heading slightly north (although mainly west) on our way to Bahrain, so I can see the sunrise from our balcony in the morning:

Otherwise, I have to get dressed and either go to the 5^th deck or the 9^th deck (or, if the sunrise is off the bow of the ship, to the 10^th deck).  Today is another balmy day, expected high of 91.  I think we will likely have this weather all the way through Egypt a couple weeks from now.

Back to Mumbai yesterday, part 2 of 3.

We saw several oxen and carts moving goods around Mumbai throughout the day:

Although it’s hard to make it out in this photo, these are actually retail shops selling clothes and plastic items (like buckets and bowls).  Note also the man sitting on the ground shaving:

Bicycle carrying a heavy lead of goods on the way to a store:

We stopped at Dhobi Ghat, the huge open air laundry in Mumbai:

The laundry is all men and the business is passed down from generation to generation:

They each have a stall where they do the cleaning of the clothes, then wring them out and hang them for drying:

The laundry is right on the edge of a rail line.  You can see how the people stand in the open doorway on the moving train to get air, since the cars are not air conditioned:

We got to go down into Dhobi Ghat and walk through the laundry.  Note the guy near center brushing his teeth in his laundry space.  Our guide assured us that the water he was standing in was not being used for laundry, but we had our doubts:

This is one of the side rooms at the laundry where they store the soaps and chemicals and also serves as their sleeping area, where four to six people would sleep.  They are cooking a meal in the corner:

I’m not sure I want this guy doing my laundry?

They do get the whites very white.  This shows one of the laundry men beating the whites in his stall, you can see the finished wash to the right of him:

We were told that they have never lost a single piece of laundry due to the numbering system that they use.  Repeat customers get a permanent number put into the article of clothing, new or temporary customers get a tag attached that can be peeled off upon delivery of the finished item:

Most guys work in shorts or boxers.  The guy in the center is clearing the drain area.  There is also a person to his right walking with a huge load of clothes on his shoulder:

While the laundry may look rather disorganized and chaotic, they have a system that works well.  The price per piece is typically about 6 to 8 rupees (12 to 16 cents), although it varies depending on the type of piece.  Most hotels and hospitals send out their linens to be cleaned here as well:

After we came out of Dhobi Ghat, there was a cow tied up on the overpass.  Krissie hasn’t yet seen it at this point:

Now she see it:

The bag has excrement in it, we are hoping it is from the cow?

These four kids were greeting Krissie, hoping to get some money.  Our guide (Ganesh) is behind Krissie.  They asked us not to give any money to children begging, since it will discourage them from going to school:

That said, the kids are very cute and it does tug at your heartstrings to see them:

Nearby in the middle of this very busy city is a racetrack:

Nice balancing act.  You often see women carrying things on their head, this woman was doing it with no hands:

The guy with his back to the camera and bag slung over his shoulder is wearing the typical dress of Parsi Zoroastrians:

This woman and her daughter were waiting in line at one of the public restrooms.  I forgot to mention yesterday that in Dharavi, most people use communal bathrooms.  One bathroom that was pointed out to us had six stalls (three for men, three for women) and served a population of 1,500 people in that neighborhood.  Think about that the next time you are waiting to use the bathroom in your home.

This woman was carrying a heavy load on her head and she noticed that I was taking a picture, so she turned to pose for me:

Picture of the women’s bathroom (Jackie took it for me).  Squatter toilet, water faucet on the left side.  Not sure what the plastic container would be used for, though?

Some girls playing on the sidewalk as we were walking.  In general, we were impressed with how well dressed and clean most of the children were in the city, even in the slums.

All I can say is that has to be hot.  It is over 90 degrees and wearing black head to toe.  About 20% of Mumbai is Muslim.

Look closely at this pic and you will see traffic going in at least four different directions (note the tail lights of the car bottom left).  Some intersections are just a snarl of traffic trying to get from one side to the other, you have to force your way through the middle.  I consider myself a decent driver, but I would never dream of driving here:

The words “HORN OK PLEASE” are written on the back of all commercial vehicles.  Driving in India requires one hand on the wheel and one hand on the horn (and a third hand on the stick shift, since most vehicles are manual transmission).  Honking is not considered to be impolite, it is just the opposite.  It is the way to politely say, “Hello, I am here, please make way and/or do not run into me…”

Unloading outside one of the slum areas.  Mumbai has a large number of slums, of which Dharavi is the largest (and considered to be one of the largest in Asia).

The guy on the ground on the right is sitting in a typical pose, with the rear end just off the ground.  He is making something with straw, probably baskets (which you can see to the left of him).  The other two guys are selling shirts.

You will quite often see these tarps setup on the side of the road and yes, people do live here.

This is a small cargo carrier.  Usually the last mile is the most difficult for the delivery trucks, since many of the streets are so small and narrow.  So often they are unloaded into these smaller cargo carriers that can get through on the side streets:

Entryway to a local market.  Note the guy with the cell phone on the left.  Our guide said the #1 priority of most people in Mumbai is a TV, #2 is to have a cell phone.

The ad on the side of the building is for a local politician.  You can also see the clothes hung outside the apartment for drying.  Our guide said that is the way most people dry their clothes.

Due to size constraints (and my inability—or at least my unwillingness—to edit down below 90 pics), I will continue my pics of Mumbai tomorrow for part 3 of 3.

Patti, deleavening means to remove all leavened products and leavening agents from the home during the Days of Unleavened Bread.  This is based on Exo 12:15 (“Seven days shall you eat unleavened bread and on the first day you shall put away leaven out of your house…”) and other scriptures in both the New and Old Testament.  The yeast in beer is not a leavening agent (i.e.  it does not puff up), so it would not be put out.  But leaven, baking soda, baking powder and other leavening agents along with any foods containing leavening agents are put out for that period of time.  That said, in spite of all we try to do to put out leaven (which symbolically represents sin), we cannot remove it all on our own (which is why we all need the covering sacrifice of Jesus Christ, which is represented by the Passover).  Sorry to derail the blog onto a religious topic, just trying to explain why we do what we do.

We got 13 out of 19 in trivia (one question was thrown out, since it was read incorrectly), 16 won it.  The questions we missed:  If milk or lemon juice are used for invisible ink, what reveals the secret writing?  Heat (we said vinegar).  What is the syrah grape typically called in Australia?  Shiraz (we said merlot).  Grenadine comes from what fruit?  Pomegranate (we said cherry).  Who was the first woman nominated for an Academy Award as director in 2003?  Sophia Cappola.  What athlete started the Payback Foundation?  Peyton Manning (we said Michael Jordan).  What is the traditional grain used for tabouli?  Bulgar wheat (we said barley).  Other interesting questions:  What does POTUS stand for?  President of the United States.  What is both an element on the periodic table and a discontinued Dodge sedan?  Neon.  What late senator’s memoir is titled True Compass?  Edward Kennedy.  What Monopoly utility shares its name with a children’s show on TV?  Electric Company.  The movie All That Jazz was loosely based on the life of what choreographer?  Bob Fosse.

Tonight was one of three formal nights during this segment (nine total during the world cruise). 

The entertainment was the Pacific Princess Singers & Dancers in a show called Stardust:

James and Ketsia are the lead singers:

Someone said that they already did that show earlier in the cruise.  If they did, then they should probably call this the pre-Alzheimer’s cruise, since several of us had no recollection of it. 

Oh wow, I just checked my own blog and there it is, Feb 22, Day 41.  So just 46 days later, most of us had forgotten that we had already seen it.  I think we can just stay on the cruise and repeat everything after about 50 days or so and we’ll just think it’s all new material.

Tomorrow is sea day #2 of 3 on our way to Manama, Bahrain.