Mumbai Day 5: Reflections

http://youtu.be/3MV5grEhs90

Some thoughts of these first days. It's interesting to see how people travel around India. You see many people who's not from here on tourism, but everyone has different experiences (and I'm talking about Caucasian people, there is a lot of intern tourism and arabic which you don't recognize). I'm talking about the way in which people travel, you can see people who "personally" goes to far away, traveling dressed like a born Buddhist with painted henna hands and dot on forehead, praying around everywhere and walking as if they were floating; the one that only wants to see monuments and cross places on their personal bucket list (I tend to fall into this category) and that freaks out when things don't go according to plans; the one who only travels in big hotels and goes to expensive restaurants and has no interest at all in the culture or the people of the country (obvious if you consider the only people they encounter are beggars waiting at the exit of the places they attend), but they are then missing an important part of the trip, which is to see how people actually live. When you see how people actually live, you see that bottom line there is not that much of a difference between all of us, yes with color skin an economical status, but everyone is basically trying to earn there livings as best they can at the end of the day. I think what Mumbai has taught me (how Marcel told me it's an aggressive city, as everyone is in a hurry and does there own thing and when you notice someone is trying to scam you) is especially to learn to appreciate to learn how a city works. Mumbai has some nice monuments and things worth seeing if you're around, but not necessarily obligatory to take such a long flight to see them, but at the end it's a matter of breathe in the city (and it's pollution), see people spitting in the street, pushing into full trains, asking to take pictures of you, trying to skip the line, eating in the streets, it's poverty, all together is what impresses of Mumbai. I understand when Marcel was saying as this aggressiveness can get on your nerves (which it has). But at the end of the day, aren't all big cities aggressive in their own way? If we ask a Nordic person their opinion about walking around las Ramblas and Raval, won't he tell us it was a nightmare trying to prevent pickpocketers? If you stay in the downtown area of Mumbai you can get this image (as if you never leave las Ramblas in Barcelona). With my trip up north of Mumbai I discovered people worried for if I was lost, and letting me take a seatin the train so that I would not be bothered by so many people (as if it was Mumbai the only train fully packed in rush hour). 

Reflexions dels primers dies. Es interessant veure com cadascú viatge cap a la índia. Veus molta gent que no es d'aqui, de turisme, però cadascú te experiències diferents (i parlo de caucàsics, hi ha molt turisme intern i aràbic que no distingueixes). Em refereixo a la manera de viatjar de la gent, hi ha des del que "personalment" es passa de indi, viatge com un budista nat pel carrer amb les mans pintades de henna i el punt al front, resant per tot arreu i cominant com si levités; el que només vol veure monuments i tatxar llocs i coses per veure de la seva llista personal (reconec que tinc tendència cap a aquest tipus de turisme) i que s'estressa quan les coses no van com ell esperaria; al que va de grans hotels i grans restaurants i no vol saber res de la cultura ni la gent del país mateix, vol estar com a casa seva i moltes vegades viatge espantat de la gent local (normal doncs la majoria de la gent que es troba a la portà dels llocs demanen diners), però llavors es perden una part molt important del viatge que es veure com viu realment la gent. Quan veus com viu la gent veus que all final no hi ha tanta diferencia entre nosaltres, si color de la pell i nivell econòmic llogicament, pero tothom s'intenta guanya la vida com millor pot al final del dia. Crec que el que m'ha ensenyat Mumbai (com be va dir el Marcel es una ciutat molt agressiva, doncs tothom va amb pressa i a la seva i a la que et descuides ja t'estan tornant a intentar prendre el pèl) es pressisament a apreciar aquesta part de veure com funciona una ciutat. Mumbai té coses maques i algun monument interessant per veure si s'està aquí, pero no com realment imprescindible per a fer un vol tant llarg expressament, però al final es qüestió de respirar la ciutat (i la seva polució), veure a la gent escopir pel carrer, apretar-se als trens, demanar-te fotos, intentar col.lar-se a la cua, menjar pel carrer, la seva pobresa,  tot en conjunt es el que impressiona realment de Mumbai. Entenc el que deia el Marcel doncs aquesta agressivitat et pot posar de molt mal humor (que me n'ha posat). Però al final, no tots gran ciutats agressiva a la seva manera? Si li preguntem a un nòrdic per la seva opinió de passejar per la rambla i Raval no ens dirà que una pesadilla intentant evitar els carteristes? Si et quedes al centre de Mumbai pots quedar-te amb aquesta imatge (com si no surts de la rambla a Barcelona). Amb la meva excursió al nord de Mumbai vaig descobrir gent preocupada per mi per si estava perduda, i cedint-me el lloc al metro perquè no m'agobies amb tanta gent (com si fos el de Mumbai l'unic tren que va ple n hora punta).