Can the monkey know the taste of ginger?

No idea? Does he care more to the point? I was looking for a Hindu proverb as a title for this post and this was one of the many. 'Waste not want not' is also a Hindu proverb, I didn't know that. For some great Hindu quotes try here; 

http://www.worldofquotes.com/proverb/Hindu/1/index.html

The rest of this week has been a mixture of sightseeing and work. Following on from 'Mahashivaratri' on Monday I found myself visiting another two temples in the process. The first being the Hindu Mahalaxmi Temple on Bhulabhai Desai Road, not far from our offices. Apparently it is one of the most famous temples in Mumbai. You can't actually see much of it because of all the buildings surrounding it, I guess it can be best viewed from the sea. You follow very much the same routine when you visit, you give a donation, receive some offerings hand them to a monk who blesses them and then returns some for you to keep. There are many stalls on the street that lead up into the temple which sell rings of flowers that you wear round your neck, incense, fruit and such like. You leave your shoes with one of the stalls, they give you a plate of offerings as before and you head up into the temple and queue as patiently as you can - not that everyone else is. I passed my plate to a guru/monk who gave me a few blessed items in return, like a sweet or a flower - stingy fellow. On the way out I found myself again offering a small donation to a monk. At which point I suddenly find myself receiving another Rakhi and most unexpectedly, a Bindi. I had to lean forward and get a small splodge of paint put on my forehead, couldn't take it off for the rest of the day. It's enough with being stared at a lot in Mumbai without having something on your forehead as well. Everyone back at work kept asking me "Have you been to a temple then?" knowing full well I had.
I also finally had some south Indian food, after Chodu had been asking me all the time since I've been here. Thought it stop him asking me at least. It seems the indians tend to refer to South Indian food as Vegetarian, I guess because very little of the dishes contain meat. You essentially get a Thali, a metal dish with several metal ramekins on filled with yogurt, Dall, veg, chickpea dish or the variant of. One of the dishes on the plate however I simply couldn't identify. And so I asked. the answer I got was. . . .
"Custard Sir".
"Eh?  . . Sorry, did you say custard"
"Yes sir, custard sir".
"Err, . like in a trifle, the stuff you put on a dessert?"
"Yes Sir, custard"
"Okay?!?"
Maybe i was misunderstanding them and it was some Indian name I couldn't make out.
Sure enough though, upon tasting, custard it was. Surprisingly, it went well with the spicy savoury dishes. That's a first I guess. I'm afraid to say this but, unfortunately the food was rather tainted by some not too pleasant smells in the restaurant. It was a recommended restaurant so I felt I should stay and the food was rather good.
My other temple of the week was the Haji Ali which sits out in the sea about a hundred yards along a walkway. It is a Muslim temple but it seems the routine is the same, although you don't receive a Bindi or a Rakhi. This temple was very full on. Men & Women go in via different entrances and it was very crowded. I was getting jostled and pushed around all over the place. 

I do think it is a bit odd that everyone seems to be in such a hurry in a place that invites contemplation and thought. It's almost as if some people just go there in there lunch hour to have a quick blessing, then it's off back to work.
The path to the Haji Ali is full of street sellers and poor beggars, some with many afflictions. That was the toughest thing I have seen so far. You can change a note for a big handful of 1 rupees that you can give out on the way back from the mosque. It is never quite enough though.
The same night Yohann one of the Senior managers took me out for a meal with himself and his wife in Bandra where they live. We ate italian food and had a nice glass of wine in a very plush restaurant where Yohaan is a regular. It was lovely to have a civilized evening and chat to Yohaan and his wife. Bandra itself is lovely at night, in the same area where I got the baked cheesecake from a few nights ago. This time I was more aware of how up-market it is. The beach road is lined with imposing colonial apartments that have been renovated and look similar to that of Malibu beach or Miami. Abhishek Bachchan the number one Bollywood actor (son of Amitabh Bachchan - Bollywoods most famous actor) owns a whole block. It is certainly a world away from what I saw earlier in the day
Then of course there is work. Should mention that really. I keep bumping into Francoise in the office he seems to be racing around to get things done before he jets off to Malaysia. It is nice to chat to him now and again as he has an outsiders view like me. He has also introduced me to the Barista coffee shop round the corner. A bit like Costa Coffee I guess but it's the only place to get decent coffee in Mumbai. Jobs so far are going well. Clients are naturally cautious but they seem very pleased. The quality of the work seems very good too. They all agree that Slumdog Millionaire isn't that good and it shouldn't have won half the Oscars it did. If it was an indian director it would have been better, but then it wouldn't have even been thought of for an Oscar. They have a point. What is nice so far is that everyone seems very open to try things in this industry over in India and whatever views they have they are keen to listen to other ideas.
I am now ready for a double bill of jobs on Saturday. But I shall be prepared, I have found a shop that specializes in imported goods. So I now have Marmite for my toast in the mornings!

Mahashivaratri

Today was the Hindu day of 'Mahashivaratri'. This is a festival celebrating Lord Shiva. A day and night of fasting occurs and offerings are given in the form of a visit to a temple with the handing of milk, flowers, fruit, and leaves and the burning of incense. Best read wikipedia for full information.
Chodu took it upon himself to give me a 'Rakhi' a hindu wristband today. It is said to give you good luck and good health. Essentially it is a red/orange coloured cotton thread wrapped round the wrist several times (a certain amount in particular, I'm not sure which). He also asked me to join him for his visit to his local temple later, which was the least I could do as he had done a good job in looking after over the last week.
After work we stopped off at the temple and Chodu handed me a bag of milk and a handful of leaves, flowers and fruit. We took our shoes off outside the temple and headed up the few steps in inside. As you walk up the steps, the smell of incense grabs hold of you, it is quite overpowering and there are leaves and flowers strewn across the floor. We queuesd to the nearest alcove where a small statuette stood in front of a model Shiva. Parents were their with their Children pouring the milk over the statuette and placing the other offerings. Many bells were hanging and being occasionally rung and in a few other enclaves were the statuettes of the other gods and the occasional Guru. Chodu and I walked around and bowed in front of everything we came to.
It was a lovely experience, especially to see the parents showing their children the rituals for the festival.

n.b.
I was sad to discover that researching up on my wristband didn't give the best news. It seems one of the terrorists was wearing one. This seems to be the biggest hits that show on a google search. It is sad for such a peaceful religion. I can only advise if you do look it up, type in 'Rakhi' instead.

Sightseeing Sunday

Everyone takes a day off in Mumbai on a Sunday, so i took the opportunity to do some sightseeing with my trusty guide Chodu. Saw the usual tourist spots down in South Mumbai, which is very different to the northern part of the city. No Rickshaws are aloud around there which I think makes a difference. On the way we stopped off at the Hare Rama (Hare Krishna) temple. I gave a small donation at the altar and received a blessed banana from the monk and a palmful of yoghurt and honey drink. Banana tasted lovely too so it obviously works. Headed on down to Colaba (south Mumbai). All the colonial buildings are still very much imposingly there, including the princely Taj palace hotel which is very grandeur indeed. A silver shop and a tiffanys feature inside. Security is very tight since the bombings with two thorough checks before you can get in. After a few stops including, the Chatrapati Shivaji Station Jehangi gallery and the Gateway to India. Then we took a leisurely drive up round the coastal roads back towards the North, passing cricket games, parks and a few leafy suburbs (or that's how they feel when it's quieter). Stopped of at the sea view hotel to have a few beers and watch the hordes of families on the beach and take in the sunset.
Here's a few pics of the day;

A few Bombay pics

Bombay the Hard Rock Cafe Way

Had a nice night out lats night. Invited out by Rahil to join him as he was meeting his sister and his cousins, one of whom was over from Vancouver. However it turned out it was to be at the Hard rock Cafe Mumbai. the only other time I have been to a Hard Rock Cafe was years ago and that was in Las Vegas, which is surely allowed. Still it wasn't my choice so i wasn't about to feel guilty for hitting a typically western spot. Apparently they go there quite often. when we walked in they were playing 'Jump' as loud as can be - ROCK!! So anyway, I treated myself to the Hard rock Special 10oz burger (see pic). Very nice it was too, although somewhat spoilt by the sudden dancing of the wiaters on the balconies when YMCA came on, they did moves and everything - I'll say no more.  We went off to grab a late night cake ( i had baked cheesecake and ice cream - they were out of blueberry cheesecake which is the favourite) at a great place called 'Out of the Blue' and the drive over there was wonderful. Mumbai seems to calm down quite consdierably late at night, it has a nice dusty light about it. we drove round the coastal roads and into an area known as Reclamation, which is one of the more gentrified areas in Mumbai with a few posh apartments, it sort of had a village feel to it. Had a great time, was nice to hang out with a few people. Bit of normality in an otherwise foreign climate.

Today was my second and probably most important job with a crazy and very likeable French director called Francoise. He was good company, but it was a tough job to start with but I think I got there. He seemed happy enough - I hope. he said he was almost 60 but he certainly didn't look it. Maybe a life of living in Oz and traveling to Asia now and then keeps you young. There's an idea?

First Blood

That's maybe a bit of a dramatic title, i really just mean first job, couldn't help it though. It is however nice to get the first job out of the way, although it didn't quite turn out how i expected but still went well, I think. the director didn't turn up it seems I'm seeing him for the full job next week. 

Last couple of days have been more tours and more curry. The 18th was spent at Prime Focus Plus (in Lower Parel - if you're interested) Didn't do much other than discuss upcoming jobs, but got a chance to have a play in the suite where I will soon be spending most of my time. Then headed out for a nice South Indian curry not far from the hotel, Chodu said it was one of the best. it was pretty good, but he ordered for me and it was far too much. Chodu managed to polish off the rest. For a small man he sure can eat. Went out to the film labs and DI studios yesterday which was out in the hills of north Bombay more jungle area. The slums become more apparent as you travel that way and it's quite a culture shock for sure. You never really seem to escape it. The Film department is in the same area where they do a lot of filming for all the big Bollywood films, didn't see much filming or anyone famous though, maybe next time. Not that I'd know who they were anyway. Having said that a lot of the billboards and posters give away who the big stars are.

I don't know any names yet, when I do I'll post them. 

On the way back stopped into the Khar West offices, Chodu showed me into a little office and next thing I know in walks Namit's (owner of the company) dad and sits down in front of me. He is quite a big man and has an air of being in charge that's for sure. He didn't say much which made it feel a little awkward. I smiled and chatted, was polite as pie, then legged it out of there as soon as possible. He actually seemed a very sweet chap and it was nice to meet him, but there's something about sitting in front of your big boss that puts me on edge.

Having eaten more than enough Curry for Lunch and for the last two meals the previous day I decided just to tuck into the massive amount of snacks and beer - given to me by Chodu for my room- sit back and watch Happy Gilmore on HBO - shit film if ever there was one. Was all a bit too much to travel anywhere.

Off to the Hard Rock Cafe tonight, for burgers no doubt. Rahil (resident colourist) is taking me out on the town. Got to make sure I don't get drunk, have a job tomorrow with a crazy Frenchman called Francoise, would be good to be on the ball.

Meet the clients

Have spent the last couple of days being whizzed around to meet clients. Bit of a whirlwind, all smiles and handshakes and yes we'd love to work with you kind of thing, then off 2 minutes later to meet the next set of clients.  Fortunately they all seem to be next door to each other, almost literally as well. One lady commented that because of the air conditioning being inter-connected you can smell what the competition is having for lunch. Although, having trouble remembering anyone's name at Primefocus in India let alone the clients name, and then trying to pronounce it properly as well. My memory simply isn't up to it.

Haven't yet had any troubles in the belly department. Although after yesterdays eating events it doesn't feel like it will be long before the Delhi Belhi strikes. Had a full on indian, dall and roti plus other things I cant remember the names of for lunch, followed by an indian style chinese?!, which was somewhat spicy to say the least. It's been a very odd way of eating the local cuisine so far that's for sure. Almost went to an Irish bar afterwards, but needed to lie down and recover from the acid indigestion that was threatening something more. Irish bars just get everywhere. If anyone can name me a country where there isn't an Irish bar or any sign of an Irish influence.

I should point out incidentally that the title for this blog, "Bombaythehardway" is in no means reference to my stay here, I simply have an album I was given by the same name - which is very good - so I thought I'd use it. The only hard way I guess will be dependant on my eating habits and how the job goes.

Arrival

Finally made it to Mumbai/Bombay. Was met at the airport by Kunaal, the Senior Manager for Prime Focus. Nice to be greeted by a welcoming face, feeling pretty daunted at the thought of getting to know Mumbai, Clients new work colleagues. Kunaal gave me the choice of going to hotel to rest or straight to the offices to meet a few faces. Considering my late arrival, that is being Monday and not the previous Friday and while still feeling relatively coherent thought I'd get straight down to business. My God the Traffic! Scared witless on the way to the office, gonna have to get used to that Next thing I know I'm sat in front of three Senior Management guys for Prime Focus India in the board room (Kunaal included), trying to be as keen as mustard as I soon discover the tiredness kicking in from the flight. They were all very pleasant and not in the slightest bit intimidating. I am actually excited at the challenge and Kunaal, Yohann & Aijaz are most hospitable and seem eager to impress the clients with someone from London.

After a bit more hellos, shaking of the hands and card exchanges (none by me i, don't have any) it's off back to my place of stay for the duration. A little boutique type hotel round the corner. It's a nice and clean and it will suit me, view isn't that impressive but, more importantly I've got HBO for a few films now and again. 

Struggling to stay wake in front of the telly and deciding wether to pluck up the courage to venture out on my first night in Mumbai for food, kunaal invites me out for food with Aizal. We head back towards the offices for a nice little italian, yes that's right, not my choice, a favourite of theirs I believe. I've got 6 weeks to fill my face with curry anyhow. wasn't bad either. Nice glass of wine and a chocolate cake for afters. Couldn't believe it. 

Now I'm ready to pass out for the next days tour of Prime Focus.