Travel Mumbai to Osaka, and initial Japan impressions

Wednesday was spent on the plane from Mumbai to Hong Kong with a tight connection to Osaka via Taiwan.
Looks like Tiawan is serious about the drug issue.

I arrived more or less on time with a good flight on Cathay Pacific. My bags made it to Hong Kong but were on the next flight to Osaka and showed up at Satyaki’s home on Thursday about lunchtime.

Satyaki met me at the airport and we took the 30 minute ferry ride across the bay and then home by car from there. Just a pity it was at night because I love ferries!

Thursday was a day to get caught up and post some updates on the blog. It is amazing how a fast connection can help uploading photos. I also did some much needed planning on the NZ portion of the trip as that is now very close. At least the first few days are settled.

Satyaki and his family (Snigtha, and the twins Rohit and Sneha who are 4) have a beautiful home in the hills above Osaka and Kobe, very spacious particularly for a Japanese home. The kids warmed up to me very quickly and I got a little one on one with Rohit when Snigdah took Sneha for her piano lesson in the afternoon.

When Satyaki got home from work we went out for a beer and something to eat at a tiny joint near the station about a mile from the house. I hear that there are lots of good hole in the wall type restaurants and nearly all are close to railroad stations. Satyaki,s grasp of Japanese is very impressive for someone who has only been here a short time, and ordering food and my train tickets was made much easier because of that. Thanks!!

Satyaki works in the Akashi factory and walks to the station (about 15 minutes) and then about 30 minutes on the train and another 15 min walk if the company busses are not scheduled, He takes the 6.23 train and returns around 6.30 or 7 in the evening, often with a late night teleconference from his home. A tough schedule by any measure but not abnormal for an expat in Asia who has to coordinate with people back in the US.

I have done little planning for this portion of the trip and with advice from the family I am going to Kyoto tomorrow, and then probably to Hiroshima on Monday or Tuesday before heading to Tokyo.

Satyaki is running in the Tokyo marathon on the 28^th, and I leave for New Zealand that night.

Tuesday. My last day in India

Before we ate on Monday evening Adrian and Alex went out on their routine to feed some of the local street dogs who are friendly enough and just kind of lay around. They look better fed than many I have seen.
Bob has only three legs having had one crushed by a truck and then having the remainder professionally amputated by an animal charity in Mumbai. He has mange and Alex has some cream she applies and he seems to like that.

Adrian and I spent some time at the Kanheri Caves in North Mumbai. They were inhabited and built by the Buddhists in the 5th century and consist of 109 caves of various size and levels of sophistication. The caves are in a large National Park and after the intensity and bustle/chaos of the city it was a pleasant and welcome change.

From the top of the rock from which the caves are carved you can see some of the towers and skyscrapers of the city.
There was a lot of activity filming an episode for what I think is a local soap opera.

 

 

Also lots of young couples out spending the day together maybe away from the watchful eye of Mom and Dad!.
Adrian had a conference at 1pm so we headed back and I went to the Post Office to mail accumulated material and post cards. Alex is also frantically trying to help organize a conference in Mumbai this weekend with little help from the sponsors so far. In conversation I discovered that Alex's Dad is a pilot and sounds like he and I have many things in common, so I am hoping that another worldwide friendship will be born out of this amazing adventure I am on.

My bag weight has crept up as I have stored cold weather clothes and swapped for shorts and tee-shirts. I shipped out a couple of kilos and when I packed this evening and took my trusty jacket out, my bag felt more normal.
Alex had told me that mailing packages is fairly cheap and that there is a guy who works in front of the Post Office “preparing your package for shipment” I used his services, and once again saw a side of India that many do not. Basically the guy has a little stand and he will take a piece of canvas type material and make and sew your shipment inside a custom made package. He was of course very interesting to watch as he measured and ripped the cloth and then stitched the edges, and then sealed the corners with wax.

 I had to write the address and then the whole affair was carried to the rather surly postal clerk who processed the shipments. Cost of the packaging and workmanship was 100 rupees, or about 2 bucks. Adrian’s driver said that the rate was too high but was so because I was a foreigner! I am getting used to this. An Indian would probably have paid half that.
There was another guy who was selling stationery and also seemed to be writing letters or envelopes that needed that help.

I took some random photos shown below on an afternoon walk.

 

Egg delivery Mumbai style

 Propane delivery Mumbai style

 This job interview was going on as I had a cup of coffee

 I also took a nap in the late afternoon, as today is my last day in India this time. I leave for Hong Kong and Osaka Japan at 4.20 on Wednesday morning.
Adrian, Alex and I went to a good Chinese restaurant for dinner, and I bade them farewell and took a taxi to the airport. The taxi ride was about 25 minutes in what passes for light traffic in Mumbai. The fare was 250 rupees or about $5. The contrast is huge. Some things are outrageously expensive, and many things unbelievably cheap. Such is India.
I have had a wonderful two weeks, full of surprises and easily my best trip to India so far (out of three). Wonderful hosts, many surprises, and lots of smiling people willing to help even if they were uncertain of what you needed. The kids in Dharavi impressed me beyond all.
Farewell India, hello Japan. There is no doubt that I will be back in India, hopefully soon.

Monday. Dharavi and a $700m opportunity.

No photos today but, I hope some compelling reading.

Adrian and I left their apartment around 11 as he had to attempt to tackle the great machine that is the Indian Government to get his Work Permit renewed. Anyone who has some appreciation for how things work in India will appreciate the enormity of this task. He actually came out relatively unscathed after an hour or so, but of course will have to return for another match! We had lunch in a small place that basically serves street food but in more of a snack bar setting with tables etc. It was excellent and I was able to get my South Indian coffee to which I have become addicted. It is hot strong and sweet and made with milk.
We then went off to spend one of the most unusual afternoons of my life. We went on a tour of Dharavi

Dharavi
Dharavi is the biggest slum in India, and was the background for Slumdog Millionaire.
One would initially think that touring a slum (defined as a place where you can own the home but not the ground it sits on) would be voyeuristic and dangerous. Not so. The Tour Company that specializes in this is a registered charity that operates a community center in Dharavi and clearly has a good working relationship with the residents. They have a no camera policy, which they believe, and I agree really helps with their community relations.
Dharavi is two square kilometers and officially houses 1million people, but unofficial estimates are about 1.3 million. It is the most densely populated part of Mumbai and Mumbai is one of the most densely populated cities in the world.
Our guide took a party of 7 of us, and another guide followed with a party of 8. I understand that they will do a total of 4 tours a day with this size of group. One guy in the other group was wearing a Carolina hat and is from Raleigh!
As well as residences there is a huge amount of business in Dharavi with a total of 15,000 individual businesses that range from manufacturing machinery to recycling plastic to making clay pots. The guide claimed that it generates approx US$700 million a year. My skepticism suggests that if the population is understated by 30% then the income is probably understated when you consider unreported income and then try to better define how the number is calculated. Regardless there is a huge amount going on and a huge number of people are employed. Certainly not OSHA of HSE compliant working conditions but work none the less.
We visited a company that made machines that shred plastic with lathes and drilling machines and grinders. These are sold all over the world and also to people like our next visit which was a company that brings plastic in, sorts, shreds and cleans it to recycle into plastic pellets to make car body parts, refrigerator panels etc. Their material supply comes from India, the USA and China, with some from Europe as well.
We also visited a small (maybe 10x20ft) operation that makes wooden shrines, both Muslim and Hindu and a bakery next door that supply pastries to local business in Mumbai, all neatly packaged. We saw leather tanning operations, clothing manufacture and clay pot making.
Certainly not all of the businesses are owned by Dharavi residents, some are owned by Mumbai businessmen, but I did not see anybody who looked downtrodden or depressed, particularly the kids.
We then went on through the residential areas. This is a maze of small passages that are less than 3 feet wide with rooms and homes every few feet. All homes have electricity available and meters, and city water is available to every fourth house for 3 hours a day. There is no schedule as to which 3 hours so retired people are the water watchers, and the residents have to get their supply and store it when it is available.
We visited a small Muslim run private school. It is open to all denominations. Dharavi is 50% Hindu, 30% Muslim and 10% Christian as best I remember and is, and has been extraordinarily peaceful and there appears to be a high level of harmony and tolerance. There is a place for prayer that is non denominational at one of the many entrances to Dharavi. There are tiles with images of the various gods on them and you pray to the one you believe in.
It is an incredible place and defies description. There is a maze of these passages that lead all over the residential section and it is, as you can imagine streaming with people young and old. Many of the little kids want to know your name, shake you hand or hold your hand for a couple of moments and the vast majority of the kids had a big smile and an incredibly positive outlook for living where they do.
The tour is not for the faint of heart but everything is discussed in a positive light with facts to back up the material presented.
There are efforts being made to change at least some of the area to residential housing and apartments but the cost of real estate makes this impractical and the level of employment and integration of the businesses would make it nearly impossible to relocate the whole thing successfully.
There are apartment blocks close by where the rent is 7500 to 10,000 rupees a month, and this will not work if you earn 200 rupees a day. More normal rents in Dharavi are 2500 rupees, which is still a lot, when the school is 200 rupees per child (incidentally the kids have uniforms!). There is certainly no clear solution and though it is hard to believe the residents seem happy based on what I saw in a short 2-hour tour.
I think that the tour company does a very credible job and is sincere in their desire to tell the story, and help the Dharavi residents with computer programs and training and some support services through the Community Center.

Sunday. Travel day to Mumbai (Bombay)

Up and out of the door by 6.00 for the flight. The hotel driver took me to the airport which is actually not far from the hotel, albeit on the other side of a hill. We actually went around the end of the runway but were a couple of hundred feet above it. That confirmed my belief that it was a one way in and one way out airport for jets at least. Because of the big hill the planes land to the east and depart from the west where normally landings and take offs are in the same direction. Probably only of interest to aviators!!
Met a pleasant couple in the airport waiting to board. They are from Hyderabad and were there on vacation. He works for the Central Bank and she works for a Financial newspaper. Good conversation about the financial crisis and other things. She has a sister who lives in Smryna GA about 15 miles from my kids!!
I was asked by them to visit Northern India on my next trip and to be their guest in Hyderabad if I came there! The amazing thing is that they absolutely meant it. That is one of the fascinations with this country. If I emailed them and said I was coming to Hyderabad I know they would have me to stay with them, all based on a 20 minute conversation in the airport!
Flights went well and Adrian and Alex met me at the Mumbai airport. I have not seen Adrian for about 10 years, and had not met Alex at all but we spent the afternoon and evening getting caught up. They have a very nice apartment and will be here for Adrian’s work for probably another 12 months or so. Adrian’s Mum and I have been friends since we were about 10, although we did not get along very well to begin with! Adrian’s Dad and I went to college together but I have seen less of him over the years than Jackie and Adrian’s sister Cleone.
Having finally got a SIM card and a working phone in Chennai and Andamar, it does not work in Mumbai. Back to Vodaphone I suspect on Monday morning.

Cellular Prison visit

As mentioned, this had a profound effect on me.

Because the islands are so far from the rest of India it became a natural place to house dissidents or political prisoners.

The other terms use includes, freedom fighters (if you are on that side) Terrorists (if you are not!) or political prisoners in today’s PC world.

Think Alcatraz, Guantanamo, Devils Island, Robbins Island, or anywhere that is relevant to your knowledge.

There is no doubt that I will screw up the detail, but suffice it to say that the original prison design was circular and it only afforded the prisoner a view (and there were over 600) of the back of the next cell block, thus reducing any chance for communication by hand signal shouting or any other means. There was one prisoner per cell and a total of over 600 cells in the original design. Remember these were all political prisoners who were fighting for India’s independence from what my guide referred to as “The Britishers”.

Cells were approx 7 ½ feet wide by 131/2 feet long and 10 feet tall. There was a small barred window and a barred front gate.

Other than the isolation, (no talking allowed) the conditions were not incredibly bad, but the brutal treatment of many of the prisoners and the overall harsh conditions drove several of the inmates insane. There were statues outside the prison of six inmates who had died during hunger strikes or more frequently as a result of force-feeding.

There is a place where prisoners were forced to mill and extract palm oil. 50 liters a day, and everyone knew it was impossible and an excuse to repremand and indeed torture prisoners. If they could not keep up they were dragged around. I attempted to photo the description. I hope it is readable. It is difficult to imagine that people do this to each other, but they did and the 

Japanese did it on thye Burma railroad (Bridge over the river Kwai) not far east of here.

We saw the gallows and there were three stations so three people could be hanged at the same time. The ropes shown were new, but the beam and the trap door were original. It is now enclosed but was open so other prisoners could see the hangings. I am not sure if they were forced to watch or not, but would not be surprised if they were.

 

 

The stark contrast is when you look out over the peaceful tropical landscape just outside the prison and realize the brutality and horror of what was happening inside. My thoughts kept coming back to Pappilon, the movie with Dustin Hoffman and Steve McQueen on Devils Island in French Guiana.

Certainly part of my frustration and why it had such an impact on me was the futility of it all and the belief that this sort of brutality and repression would yield the results that the authorities sought. The net result, as it is in so many other places, is that if you repress the masses and subjugate them they will eventually get mad enough about it and have an uprising. There has to be a better way but I bet Mugabe and the Generals in Burma are not reading my blog> Oh well enough ranting for now 

Havelock Island trip

I decided to take a trip to Havelock Island on Saturday as I had heard a lot about the place.
There are two different ferries (I love riding on ferries anyway so this was a motivator in itself) The fast ferry is privately operated and cruises at 24 knots and the journey takes about 90 minutes. It costs 650 Rupees or about $14 for the one-way trip. For reference I returned on the Government run ferry that is slower, but is only 250 Rupees or about $5.50

The fast ferry was very smooth and comfortable, with video entertainment which was a little overwhelming for me as it was noisy and there did not seem to be any escape. I met and talked to a couple from Edinburgh (maybe late 30s early 40s) who had quit their jobs to travel and said that they though by the time they were done that the economy may have picked up again and they could go back to work. A ballsy approach but they said they had talked about it for years and just decided to go for it.

Havelock is a good size island and well known for it’s diving and seems to be a haven for the backpacker / budget traveler and there are lots of small resort type hotels on several beaches. Not quite my scene as I am not a huge beach person but uncrowded and mostly unspoiled, except for the inevitable trash laying around. I will post some photos with comments to give you a feel for the place.
The outbound ferry arrived around 10 and the return was about 4.30 so I was able to take a Tuk-Tuk (auto rickshaw) down to the exotically named “Beach 7” conveniently located just by… you got it “Village 7”

 

 

It was about 10km from where I had walked (Village 3) and had been told that the ride from the ferry terminal was about 200 Rupees one way. I figured that as it was closer from Village 3 the rate would be lower and surprise surprise it was!!. The driver wanted me to commit to hiring him for the return and that was OK excep he was talking 250. Now we are not talking mega dollars here but we agreed to 350 for the whole trip. On arrival we agreed that I would pay heim when we got back to the ferry. He had a good fare and I knew he would be back on time, as he wanted the money for the first fare. A good deal for all.

I came back around 3 and looked around the community by the ferry terminal and found a nice little bar with some cold beer, and a couple of young guys from Guilford (UK) who were just bumming around for a couple of months in the sun

The return ferry (the cheaper Government one) was adequate but passengers were mostly on the open deck although there was seating, not no entertainment.
The return took about 30 minutes longer. I talked to one of the crewmen who was an assistant engineer or similar.

He has two kids 8 and 11 and very much understands the competitive nature of them being able to go to college. I suspect he was one of the first in his family to work outside the village, and he was very keen that his kids take that next step. He was a very pleasant man to talk with and I learned a lot. We got back around 6.30 and I had an early night as my flight departs at 7.20

Andaman and Nicobar Islands . Tropical paradise

After several discussions with Vivek I decided to come and see these islands for a few days rather than follow the more normal routes to see the Taj Mahal etc.

These islands are a part of India, but are 1200km (750 miles think Raleigh to Chicago) off the east coast in the Bay of Bengal. They have been a part of India since the colonial days. It is a similar distance to Burma (Myanmar) I think the only flights come from either Chennai or Kolkata (Calcutta), None from the east..

Briefly there are about 550 islands of which 37 are inhabited, and one of the others is home to a live volcano!. There are about 350,000 people and the principal town is Port Blair. That is not very big by Indian standards and has something of the feel of one of the Caribbean towns. I am reminded of Belize City but have limited Caribbean experience.

My hotel is about 50m off a sandy beach. Not the best beach on the islands I understand but pleasant anyway. There is evidence of fortifications everywhere and an abandoned gun emplacement is sitting on the rocks by the beach.

 

 

 

Part of my hotel package was a ½ day tour of Port Blair and I also had to find time to go through the excruciating experience of getting a SIM card for my phone. This was made more difficult because I did it here in Pt Blair. There are some restrictions on foreigners here and everyone has a permit that you have to carry with you. When you arrive you basically go through Immigration all over again.

My tour basically stopped at 4 places. 

 

A real Log Skidder!!

Log Loader with single top clamp!

The first is the Forestry museum and is located in the Chatham wood yard. This is run by the government and is a working sawmill albeit with some fairly antiquated equipment and is designed to provide wood from local forests for local consumption, although I believe some is exported either abroad or back to mainland India.

There appeared to be one crane for unloading ships and one large forklift for handling the incoming wood. One limitation is the gate from the unloading area to the mill. The gate is about 10 ft wide but lots of the logs are longer than that. The solution is to lift the load on the lift truck mast high enough to clear the wall (ICA for the Cat folks). Heaven forbid that someone should widen the gate! (PCA for the Cat folks).

My brother Steve would be in heaven as there are large supplies of unusual hardwoods and with his love of wood and the furniture making potential he would be a happy camper!

There was a small exhibit but the more interesting part for me was walking through the mill and watching the (limited) operations going on. An OSHA of HSE inspector would have an instant heart attack, and the US attorneys would be licking their carnivorous lips if they saw what was going on. Open belts and pulleys, an open circular saw blade and anything else you can imagine. Add to this the policy of allowing unsupervised groups of people to basically wander through the place at will, and I hope you get a flavor of what I am talking about!

At the end there was a stationary exhibit of a railway locomotive that was used to move wood around during the harvesting process. The Brookville Company in the USA built it and a Caterpillar engine powered the locomotive.

I have not had a chance to do any research on this but it does demonstrate the wide-ranging presence of Cat products over the years.

The other three places visited were the naval museum, the aquarium and the prison museum. I have to say that I had minimal interest in the naval museum other than some excellent photos, and in some respects the Aquarium was a repeat or at least very similar to the naval museum.

 

  

Inside my taxi. Note symbol on top left of windshield.

The Prison museum was a totally different story and had a profound effect on me. I would not be doing it justice to include it here so I plan a separate post, that might just include some rants and raves on human rights issues and stupid strategies. As I said it really had a profound effect on me.