BTW.....I think I was trying to say, "I'm not one of those Americans who stopped buying German after the whole Iraq thing. I contribute as much as I can to both the French and German wine business."
Prüm/Germany...the church and my high school (on the left). Hmm...that's about all there is in that small town .
No way in hell I wanna go to Mumbai. Too damn many people and they all want to barter with you. And I'm Indian... ... or so they say
Pole, You were starting to worry me. I read your first post. Then I scrolled down to your second post. And then I kept scrolling down to see if she'd called yet. Then, finally, it's on page two. I'm glad she's safe.
I just went to Bombay 2 months ago. First time you get there its the biggest cultural shock of your life. The city can be very dirty in some parts, but it also has its posh areas. If you have money Bombay is the place to be. Nightlife absolutely kicks ASS!
That's great news...I've had a relatively hectic day in that this is the first time since my last post that I've been able to relax, but this thread is the first I came to since this has been in the back of my head all day. How are you going to celebrate?
Pole, the title of the thread threw me off. I would have told you some more fun facts bout Mumbai/Bombay, from a first hand experiance. We stop by there almost everytime we go to Hyderabad. Also spent 2 months there once. I would have guessed that it was the customs officers just being doushe bags... or else the driver was never to be found. Especially if he was paid ahead of time. Many times people just tend to forget what they have been paid for. Sleeping on the streets/ animals roaming the streets are all normal everyhwere in India. On the other hand. There is the rich parts of town. If you ride around in a benz/accord/ any other car that is High class, you have it made. Its great fun and shopping is cheap. I got like 3 Jackets for the price of one, and they were all authentic. Pretty good stuff. Ofcourse since she is in the Oberoi, its going to be just like staying at a 5 star hotel here, except with brown bell boys, and an indian food section on the menu. Tell her to check out some of the street vendors food if she has time. These hidden talents are cheap and goood. Bhel puri, Pani puri, Mirchi, Coconut juice(narial pani), Sugar cane juice (Ganne ka juice) are some of the stuff you will find in abundance, and Its good stuff.
Yep, it took us a good hour to get there the one time we stayed there (compliments of Air India for losing our bags). And Ironically our car had a flat too, but then again we also had fake cops trying to pull us over and get some money from us, but the driver told em to back the F*** up before he smacjed them, and then my uncle also got involved and they just went away coz the driver said call the real cops...
WARNING! Might be too late, but tell your wife not to try anything on the streets for at least a couple of days. Do not ever drink unbottled water or have ice cubes put into your drinks. She WILL get sick if she does any of the above. I was born in Bombay and even I would get sick if I was to go back there and start having junk food. I hope she took some Malaria tablets before she left. The hotel she is staying at (Oberoi) is considered one of the best. Her view will be awesome overlooking the Indian ocean. People might think Bombay is cheap, but its not as cheap as one would think. Sure shopping and food is cheap when put into American dollars. But staying at a five-star hotel can be damn expensive. It can be anywhere from $100-$1000+. And forget about buying an apartment in the posh areas. $500,000 would be on the cheap side. And yes I am talking American dollars. Bombay is relatively safe, but I would still tell her to be a little cautious. Hold the purse tightly, dont give money to a beggar (otherwise you will have 20 lined up), etc. etc.
I'm pretty sure EVERYTHING in the Oberoi is totally decontaminated, and the water is almost always boiled before use. It's a 5 star hotel for a reason, But others may not be, and she should watch out for that... Many times tourists take plenty of shots for all sorts of stuff before they go to places like India, Bangladesh, Middle East/ Asia in general. I never took em because I always thought that the best way to get immune to getting sick every time I travel is to just let the bacteria affect me. I still get sick for atleast a week every time, but then again, Its worth not taking shots up the ass. (well personal prefrence, I guess) O yea and good to hear that she arrived safely
