Last Day Bombay

Well, I have survived my week and a half long visit to Mumbai (provided that I make it through this one last day). I am happy to report that I have mastered the technique that I came here to learn (okay, mastered may be a bit of an exaggeration, but I can manage just fine) so the trip was a success. I only got to see a bit of Mumbai, but from what I saw it seems not too different from Bangalore but appears to have better infrastructure. The downside of Mumbai is the weather, it is just too hot and humid to get out and enjoy yourself. I met with a a friend of a friend on Sunday to see some of the city and I was only able to walk around for a bit at a time before I felt as though I was going to melt. I visited the Gateway of India which I am sad to report was slightly underwhelming, it was under construction and was surrounded by scaffolding but even without the construction it would have been a bit of a disappointment. I expected something bigger and a bit more impressive I guess. One of the big differences between Bombay and Bangalore is the traffic; there are many fewer motorcycles and scooters in Bombay (maybe because of the hot weather?) and autorickshaws are not allowed in the main part of town. The effect of this is astounding, traffic is much more calm and orderly and you feel a little less like a spectator in a fast-paced game of bumper cars. To be fair though, Bombay instead has these really old-fashioned taxis and the taxi driver that I took back to TIFR on Sunday night seemed to think that we were in the Indy 500, he was nutters. The other great thing about Bombay is that there is no haggling over the price of a taxi ride, they all use their meters without any argument and are willing to give you your change, in fact, they are expected to give you your change. This is totally different from Bangalore where auto drivers will nearly never use their meters and almost always try to cheat their customers (both locals and foreigners). It was refreshing to catch a ride without having to first mentally prepare yourself for the battle over the cost of the trip.

As I have not had much outside of the lab to do this past week and a half, I have been going to the gym as often as I can. The gym here at TIFR (as compared to the gym at NCBS) is much bigger with a lot more equipment, but it is all older and there is no air conditioning (running 3 miles in 90 degree 90% humidity weather is a real challenge since I am a running weenie). In fact, some of the equipment is so old that they are pieces that I have only seen in old movies and old TV shows. Do you remember those machines that have a band that you put around your waist or your butt, you turn the power on and it jiggles away your fat? They have that machine. They also have a machine that you are supposed to sit on and it jiggles away your butt and thighs (I wish). Too funny. I am pretty sure that the utility of these dinosaurs have been disproven, but here they are regardless. Here are some pics in case you have no idea what I am talking about.

Another very strange thing that you find (or rather don't find) at the gym are shoes. Most people work out barefoot which, I am sorry, I find disgusting. People have no problems using cycles and treadmills without shoes and I just can't help but to imagine the fungi proliferating on the pedals and tread, yuck! I actually forgot my running shoes one day at the gym at NCBS in Bangalore and ran without them (but with socks) and I will NEVER do that again, my ankles, shins and calves killed me for at least a week. Anyway, this nasty no-shoe phenomenon is at a whole different level at the TIFR gym as they require people to wear shoes on the treadmill but the gym provides common shoes that all of the treadmill users SHARE..... I guess that I shouldn't over-react as this happens in bowling alleys across the US, but I see two major differences which, for me, make all of the difference. First, running on a treadmill in Bombay's heat and humidity is a vastly different activity than chucking a few balls down a lane in a temperature-controlled bowling alley. My socks are soaked after my 30 minutes on the treadmill, not so much after bowling a few frames. Second, the disinfectant spray used in bowling alleys. I put full faith in that stuff and am certain that it kills 99.9% of all icky nasty foot germs. Or maybe not. Anyway, you are not going to catch me padding around a gym without shoes on, or worse, using a pair of shoes that some dude just sweated in for the last hour, gross!

My trip to Mumbai has been educational, at the least, but I can't wait until tomorrow when I am back in Bangalore, back to beautiful weather, back to Eric, Mira and Chaya, back to the craziness, but familiar craziness of my Bangalore. Cheating auto drivers, shoeless gymmers and all.......