fruitcake

We took an early morning flight from Calcutta airport. It was packed with business looking people with attaché case in one hand and mobile phone in another. The jet flew through a thick rain cloud, the moment the runway was spotted it was already a touch down. It was raining quite heavily and it has been so for a number of days. The airport road leading to the industrial district took us almost 2 hours instead of just 20 minutes. We had to sail through a road of portholes with a massive traffic jam. About two months ago a great flood had hits the same place, which was the worst in its history. Water marks still clearly appear on the walls at a height of at least ten feet.

We were late for appointment but it was quite accepted due to the rain. The conditions on the road as compared with the business complex show a big contrast. One is modern and the other is many, many years behind time. The infrastructures in India generally quite outdated but its technologies and communications are far more advance then many others including ours. The programmers and engineers are very intelligent. They have made products that I really impressed. We had lunch in a very nice hotel and yet it is only a doorstep away from the bad roads and drains, a world of differences.

Heading to the city was interesting. One could see the changes along the way. The roads get slightly better and better until the high rise buildings were seen. Enter the heart of the city I sometime feel a little like I was in Penang near the Gurney Drive. Some familiar sites were seen as though it was in Singapore. It also gives a feeling of being in a western country. The roads here are much better although they are all cements and stones.

The Marina Drive of Bombay is beautiful, even though it was raining that day, with low dark clouds ahead. The famous ‘Gateway of India’ arch, was built especially for the visit of Queen Victoria, is standing right at the waterfront. From far with the backdrop of the city skyline of tall buildings create a picturesque view. I regretted for not taken any photo because of the rain, and the strong wind that blew from the Arabian Sea.

We had a nice cup of tea and some nice sandwiches at a bistro with good ambient that attracted a lot of foreigners. Bombay is said to be one of the highest cost of living city but the bill came up to be about RM12 – cheap.

Walking through the streets of the city’s busiest area was quite an experience. Shops were in plenty, and in between these shops and the crowded roads lies another row of sidewalk traders. It is just like our Petaling Street. Baggers infested in every direction. They are like leeches, once they stick on you, it is difficult to get rid off and they are very irritating too.


Grad that we were soon visited our local friends, a Gujarati family, who provided us a comfortable place to put the night. They host a very warm and unforgettable hospitality that makes a day in Bombay such a wonderful one.

SK Goh 28th Sept. 2005 Gangtok, Sikkim.