Bombay...not all bad?

Bombay is a city that takes you. It takes you, holds you, and doesn't let go until you have long gone. For me, it is the modern day Rome. I seen the poorest of the poor living next to the richest of the rich. I'm sure there are class distinctions that can be seen, but as a foreigner, they were a bit hard to notice.

This is a city that will make you redefine your attitude about development, community, wealth, and of course, being civilized. I met an English man in a bar and he told me something I found to be logical and ironic.

"The poorest people live outside the city and they are the happiest."

When you are living off the land and all your basic needs can be met, everything else is just extra shit to deal with that requires more time and effort. Wealth can't be measured by a bank account. Nor can any community be determined by the quality of storefronts, sidewalks, and streets. The irony happens when you realize millions of people are leaving these villages in search of greater wealth, better communities, and more development. The end result is a series of rural villages living inside an urban environment.

Along with studying the "slum-dwellers" and "sidewalk-dwellers", I took a little time to understand Bombay through a different set of lenses. I did what I do best and enjoyed the local bars.

If you have never been to India, you may not realize the importance of a Hookah. Hookahs seem to be equally as important to the younger generation as alcohol. You put them together, and you end up with a fire-breathing dragon.

Bombay even forced me to dress up and wear a tie. We were invited to an Indian wedding. Wow. I have never been to such a festival. I started by watching the turban ceremony. That was followed with me dancing like a jackass in a group of my peers and Indian men that I had never met. Making my way through the night, I discovered a very important piece of information...open bar. It began innocently. I thought I would have a few drinks, talk with people I'll never see again, and enjoy my night. All of that happened, however, I wasn't prepared to meet the Senior Vice-President of an international architecture firm based in Chicago. Oops. Apparently, when you spend the better part of an evening demanding your vodka-tonics be mixed 50/50, you believe everyone is your best friend. Actually, the're not. You shouldn't speak with them as if they were. Announcing, "You saying I have to get your address, from her titty!" Funny to me drunk, not so funny to the sober Senior Vice-President who may hold a job opportunity for me. Again, Oops.

Just a reminder, being mindful of your environment and situation may play a big role in future opportunities. Bombay lead me to so many situatutions that I have never expereinced, raped me with expensive drinks, relaxed me with hookahs, gagged me with smog, and kept me one day longer than anticipated just to give me a little going away present.

Bombay, I wanted to befriend you, but you are a bitch!