The Queen's Necklace

Monday, March 17, Day 2 Mumbai

Richard and I venture out alone. We grab a taxi (a take your life in your hands kind of ride) to the Taj Hotel, a good base, we’re told, for a walk. Right on the waterfront with great shops and restaurants. Spend a great day strolling and watching the people go about their work day. I can’t take too much on the street before I have to duck into a store to gather myself together. But in the stores the volume and variety of merchandise distracts me. I want one of each. My house is small and the décor very minimal, so I try to think of who I could give gifts to. Then it’s back on the streets. I would really be better in small villages, visiting temples and watching artisans working. But the size, volume, variey, and apparent chaos is the signature of India. I would like to experience it, though it’s not my cup of chai. We eat in a restaurant recommended by one of the passengers, and it is, indeed, fantastic. The sauces are the best I’ve ever tasted, but it’s the service that really impresses me. The attention with which the waiter puts the rice on my plate, and then spoons the lamb curry on top, is a dance in itself. It’s as if this is the most important moment and he wants to be totally present and willing to serve. I wish I could be this way always in my performing and knew a way to teach this to my students.
We finished our gormet Indian meal and paid all of $12. I’d be in real trouble if this restaurant was anywhere near my home.
Back to the ship for a short rest, and then Richard is escorting a short tour called “Mumbai By Night: The Queen’s
Necklace.” I pay to go along. This ends up being my favorite sightseeing tour. The long arc of buildings along the waterfront stretches for miles. Lit up from windows, streetlights, head and tail lights from vehicles, signs of stores ever open, it does look like a necklace of diamonds, rubies and precious stones fit for a queen. We travel for over two hours through the different areas of the city then down the road along the beach. It’s Monday night and the sidewalk along the sand is filled with people. Families, couples, groups of teenagers, and solitary souls, all seeking the coolness, space, and relaxation offered by the sea. The night softens the harshness of a city in constant motion, and I can see more clearly.