Come celebrate with me, Mumbai!

So many things to do in Mumbai ... truly a delightful city! The views ... spectacular. You'd think I was in LA! Well, except for the construction workers bringing their children with them to work (sure saves on child-care expense). Delicious food ... lots of pizza, pasta, salad, and fruit. Now that I'm healthy once more, I'm positively daring on the fresh food front (hip hip hooray for the Indian chemist)!

So what exactly are all my Mumbai doings?

How better to start than a walk along the waterfront ... along to Chowpatty Beach. The water doesn't look the cleanest, but the Indians are scampering about. Being India, of course, there's no bathing suits or shorts. Everyone's just doing normal beach stuff in their Indian wear.

One evening I wander by the bar/restaurant "Not Just Jazz by the Bay" for a country western performance. Only in India can the Beatles and Neil Diamond fall under the country western category. What fun! It doesn't start until after 10 pm and the Indians don't really get rolling until well after midnight. They drag me from my chair (ok, it didn't take much encouragement) as we belt out the words to "Yesterday"!

I had read the Laughing Club meets at 7 am every morning in front of the Gateway of India. Laughing? I've got to try this! I wasn't sure what to look for, but they found me as I wandered around, inviting me to join in. There were maybe 20 Indians, with a few foreigners. They do the same 45-minute-ish routine each morning, stretching, interspersed with various movements that include ... you guessed it, laughing. Part is mimicking laughter of the many world countries ... turns out it's "knee slapping" for the US. At first, everyone's a bit stilted, but it's just so out-there, soon everyone is howling, tears running down our checks. What a way to start the morning!

In keeping with proper tourist behavior, best to make at least one museum visit ... the Prince of Wales Museum. Really quite interesting and beautiful, both inside and the grounds outside.

What's a trip to India, without a visit to the High Court. There are attorneys and judges scurrying around everywhere, black robes fluttering in the breeze (even a few women in the mix). What a hoot to watch some of the cases unfold. They don't seem to mind foreigners wandering about. English is the language of the courts, but it's heavily accented and I had some trouble understanding all the nuances (and either I'm going deaf or it was hard to hear with the surrounding din). I only found the civil courts, I presume the criminal courts are nearby. The courtrooms are straight from the pages of Charles Dickens ... judges and attorney's out-talking one another ... lots of finger pointing and fist shaking ... jam-packed audiences talking loudly adding to the din ... loud ceiling fans attempting to move the muggy air around ... pigeons here and there flying amongst the dark and ornate ceiling rafters ... and oh so much head waggling.

Have I mentioned the infamous Indian head waggle? Sort of an up, down, sideways, and around waggle. Sometimes subtle, other times greatly exaggerated. Ah, but the meaning ...simultaneously yes, no, maybe, don't understand, whatever, and probably anything else they want it to mean. It seems to be all purpose, even for something as simple as can I get a Coca-Cola, not to mention any sort of an open-ended question! Usually up to you to figure out the meaning (and drive you nuts)!

But the absolute best part ... true timing good fortune ... and totally unexpected! I arrive at the start of the Mumbai Festival ... a huge celebration lasting 2-3 weeks. There's entertainment, food events, street performers, and everything a Festival can offer. Most things are free so the Indians can enjoy. Fabulous!

The first three nights, the entertainment in front of the Gateway of India is none other than Strange Fruit, Australian performance artists. They perform attached to a tall stilt that bends much like a fishing rod. Delightful!

Gateway of India, the happening spot for everything going on in Mumbai. I heard this is where the Bollywood producers find foreigners to work as extras ... not that I saw any. How fascinating to sit on the waterfront ledge and people watch for hours on end!

Yet another yummy food find ... this one a wild roll of the tummy dice, I might say. There are all sorts of food stalls set up for the Festival ... one being these hard little hollow fried puffs. They poke a hole in the top with their thumb, drop in some spicy lentils, and dip into either a sweet or spicy cold broth that you pop in your mouth. The trick is for them to make fast enough for you to pop in your mouth until you tell them to stop. The spicy ones are like swallowing fire ... one of the Indians told me how to order medium which is half sweet, half spicy (much more manageable). I've seen these all over India, but never had the courage to try ... unbelievable, they were even wearing gloves and chef's hats! YUMMY!

Mumbai ... the absolute best! I will be back, but for now it's off to Goa, for a bit of sun, sand, and sitting on the beach!