31 Hours

Um. I was learned to not say that. It was a verbal sign of being uncomfortable. Um. Um. Um. So there. I am a bit Um. Packing. Still loading the bag and figuring that if all my stuff piles fit into my snail shell, then I'll carry part of the safety of my home to India. Probably not. So, I, um, just keep fingering my stuff piles. With 31 hours to go until departure - 1210 AM Monday - perhaps crystallization of focus will occur. All the red, blue, green rays will converge and paint a perfect latent image. Not to be developed until Mumbai. I think the 50 degrees helps obscure the involuntary chills. I am so ready for this.

Kismet. That's the circle I am floating around. Merlin the Kaiser security guard was born in Mumbai. Found out on Friday at 730 pm as I bolted out the building. Dawn from the Paris Hilton Experience lived in Varanasi for four months. Chuck lived in Varansi for, well, um, I don't recall. But he led a group of 200 of 2.5 million people to into the Ganges. He's Dawn's squeeze. Who woulda known? Dawn has an Indian friend in Goa. Abigil has a coffee trader friend in Banglore. Shrikant's uncle lives in Mumbai. Niyati's family lives in Pune where the wedding takes place. That is HOT, as my favorite crush says. I'm sure I left someone out. Oh, the entire Couchsurfing network, how can I fail to include what's in store...

Until the next time, Tank and MA are prepping for the party and I need to keep on the same Bat Channel, Same Bat Time.

Be Well, Namaste

"Denny Crane"

Meshane makom meshane mazal

"Change your place, change your luck."

Thanks Dr. Gurovich!

An interesting compliment, or counterpart to, Buddhist thought: "Wherever you go, there you are."

Thanks Buddha!

"Denny Crane"

Monday. Shri goes home. To India.

"hey dude, see you in two weeks. In Mumbai." That was from Shri as he walked out of the office. No fanfare. No waving crowds. No farewell, happy marriage lunch or cake. Just another ordinary Monday. Except Shri was off to India for his wedding to Niyati. And I was sitting in my hovel, working, stood up, gave him a hug, and said, "yeah, I'll see you in Mumbai in a few weeks. No worries."

Now that was WEIRD. Just another day in the life... So I guess I'll be seeing Shri and Nitayi in two weeks, 9,700 miles and 22 hours flying time later. Just counting the tic-tocks. It's only India, sheesh, I'll only be there for 7.5 weeks. Yet it's India. Say it: "India." This is the most awesome rush, the waiting.

When I arrive this is the pile-O-shit I hope to not be muling around. Half the clothes, double the money. Except for the underwear... Cheerios.

Bentley's Hotel. First email for hotel reservation sent over the internet because why? My mobile will not allow me to make international calls. My Soby Compound landline will not allow me to make international calls. The Sprint operator will not answer. So boohoo for me. Faahck It! as Shri says. Email my freakin' wish list request to the only one of 4 Colaba hotels in Mumbai that has email. The next "mass comm" email is to the Welcome Hotel in the Fort Area of Mumbai, one of three hotels that has email and that sounds like it won't scare an American with limited international communication - to say the least.
This sleeping situation, this getting off the aero-plane in Mumbai, taking the train to Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminous (CST where 2.5 million passengers transit daily) or taxi (Yellow ticket pre-paid or get waaay fuckin lost) to downtown Mumbai may perhaps be contributing to my 3-day tension/bordering-on-migraine headache. Do you think? And I'm not even there yet. Oh, the anxiety medication hasn't even been invented yet...

India, watch out. Or, Matt, watch out. Don't pee-pee your pants.