Day 20 – Amazon Loses Sleep

Our day started at 4:00 am in order to get to the airport for a 7:00 am flight. When we got to the airport we had an emotional Amazon moment when she hugged Ajay, our faithful driver for the past 15 days. Of all the drivers we had, he was the one we felt safest with and very willing to make changes on the fly when requested. He even offered suggestions without coaching (found me some beer). He was worth every Rupee of the tip we gave him with the full approval of the fiscally conservative Amazon.

We got on the plane without incident and arrived in Mumbai on time. As usual, we were met and delivered to our hotel without delay. Following a short wait, we were escorted to our room.

In the afternoon, we were met by our guide, Tombi, who immediately started reorganizing our itinerary. This was necessary because it was a Sunday and certain sites were not open. At any rate we had an eye opening exposure to some of the bazaars and some drives past many of the buildings from the era of British occupation, many of which have been renamed (the current names for the Prince of Wales Museum and Victoria Rail station are unpronounceable)

Tombi took us off the program to observe how spices were blended to order for locals. We observed one lady’s personal blend being prepared and through Tombi’s translations, she explained to us how she would use the batch she was having made. This batch contained premeasured quantities of chilli’s, bay leaf, cinnamon sticks, peppercorns, coconut oil, and the eye of a newt (for all we know). The complete mass was heated in a large wok over direct heat, and when you could barely stand the aromas flaring off the pot, it was quickly transferred to a machine to pound the product into a fine pulpy mess and packaged. The woman said that this batch would last her family about 4 to 6 months. There was probably the equivalent of 2 standard mason jars of volume.

We bought some of these blends just around the corner at a retail shop. Can’t wait to try them after we have been home for about a week (the first week we plan to binge on beef!).

When we got home to our hotel, there was finger food and a happy hour awaiting us in the lounge on the 30^th floor, where we could watch the sun set into the smog over the Arabian sea.