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I have been trying to make sure that our days are simple and unstressful. We are grateful to have these few days in Mumbai in a comfortable apartment where we can sleep in, if we need, and spend our mornings reading and writing. The bed is flat and sturdy, there's warm water in the shower, the temperature is warm, breezes from off the ocean, the food is aromatic, and the neighborhood is peaceful. Simple delights. This morning as I was reading -- there are so many good books here by Indian authors I'm only just getting to know. At around seven am I heard the swish swish of a wood broom in the yard below. Two hours later I realised the swish swish was still going on and captured the grounds keeper in the video. I got out this afternoon to walk and remember that we are in a city that is full of humanity always on the go. See other videos of street scenes. Mumbai consists of multiple "villages". Today we hung out in Chimbai, a fishing village in Bandra, a sunburn of Mumbai
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 Just a quick note about today before I hit the sack.
The morning we spent writing emails and figuring out our technology. We had a lovely lunch at Just Around the Corner (which by the way has lovely shots of the Himalayas in the bathroom). We were meeting up with another Woodstock classmate, Dorothy B., who is working in Mumbai. Her parents and my parents worked together in Ludhiana in '69. We will meet again on Tuesday, so I will catch a shot of her then. Then after a quick nap we went on a walk on the Prominade on a lovely Sunday evening. Facinating watching young families, lovers, elderly, dog walkers, strollers, loungers and joggers out and about.
 We arrived at the lovely apartment we are staying at around 3:45 in the morning. By the time we had showered and settled into sleep the chorus of crows started waking the city. We slept through the increasing crescendo of city noises: scooter rickshaws, dogs barking, multiple bird sounds, and the flip flop of pedestrians walking by. Today a lovely flute off in the distance serenaded our breakfast. A bagpipe accompanying a wedding horse just passed by the street below.  We managed to get out and about town on the first day. Our first visit the Khadi (cotton handmade cloth) Emporium. Then we just drove around the city in a cab. Still trying to figure out how to work with technology. So please excuse the periodical weird errors on this blog.  Thank you for joining the adventure by following me on this Blog. I have been so encouraged by the support that has come in from all over. I feel confident that I have sufficient funds for what I will need on this trip and also some costs, after this trip, related to research and the writing of the book (including a trip to Germany later this year).  Our Traveling Pharmacy was quite a project on its own. We are pretty sure that we have thought of everything to pack and plan. There are just a few things left on the checklist. Someone asked me what exactly I will be doing on this trip. We are going as Tourists, but with a specific purpose to discover our ancestors history and legacy. So essentially the general answer is seeing sights (that may be off the beaten tourist track) and research. Exactly how the research will happen is not so marked out. As has been true in my professional life, I am the accidental researcher. Wandering about accidentally hitting upon a sweet spot, a gold mine. Not that I believe it is any accident. It is a calling -- destiny. The same Spirit that lead me into this project will carry me through. My prayer is to be open and listening. I often worry about being a vessel too humble and weak to carry the abundance that comes my way. But that is one good reason to share my thoughts in writing and photos. Sharing delectable morsels that will hopefully refresh your soul.  I function generally under the guiding principle/premise that we all are missionaries in this world, sharing what we've each been given. Truth is more than we can hold alone. So my ultimate hope is to share the Gospel of Love and Peace that Jesus so mercifully shared with me.
May you also be able to afford to be generous, as people have been with me. As you follow along on this journey may you also witness the generosity of adventure. I have longed for but never realized, till recently, how this all could be afforded. Now in considering what to take on the journey, I am starting to value the idea of renouncing all possessions. Take nothing. Buy what I need there (of course that's not the sanyasi way either). Even so Dad and I just returned from buying gifts. It is our custome to give something to those we meet along the way. We were given a handy scale to determine the weight of the possessions we plan to take. Oh what judgement! The challenge is to have our check-in bag be no more than 15 kg, which is the limit for most domestic flights within India. My big suitcase is 5 kg empty! So already some changes need to be made. Along with miscellaneous assundry I'm up to 11 kg.  |
Mary GirardI will be traveling and visiting India, with my Father. Our primary destination in India is Ranchi, Jharkhand. We will also visit other towns and cities in that north-eastern region as well as other places in India. Archives
May 2016
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