Gateways

Taj Mahal Palace and Tower,
Gateway of India arch on right
(not my photo; I didn't get out to the sea)

I've now moved into a hotel for the last few nights of my journey. Actually, not just a hotel, but the hotel in South Bombay, the Taj Mahal Palace. It was built in 1903 by Jamsedji Tata, still a big name in India in many products and services. Legend has it that he was refused service at a hotel in the city run by Europeans, and got his revenge by building his own landmark hotel in Mumbai. In the 80s, the Taj was ranked in the top five hotels worldwide; dignitaries such as The Beatles, Jackie O, Oprah Winfrey, Hillary and Bill Clinton, and the Obamas have all stayed here. There are two sections, the palace wing (verrry exclusive, where the aforementioned guests would stay) and the tower wing (where I am). I was actually quite lucky to have my room upgraded when I arrived to a sea-facing room.

View from my hotel room
(my photo)

Every morning, I'm greeted by the massive Gateway of India arch and the Arabian Sea through the balcony window. It is a fantastic, surreally beautiful view. Throngs of people visit the Gateway every day - it's especially crowded this weekend - creating a fair-like atmosphere below. There are colorful ferries coming and going at the port. Frankly, my favorite time to gaze out onto the Gateway is early morning, when a thousand pigeons occupy the plaza and there are few people. The sun comes up glowing orange behind the arch and looks like a spotlight through the haze. I can't quite capture the early morning beauty with my point-and-shoot, so you'll just have to believe me.

The Taj was one of the targets of the massive terrorist attacks in Mumbai in 2008. We have our 9-11, they have their 26-11 (November 26th). Gunmen attacked hotels, schools and hospitals and open fired into the crowd at CST (CS Terminus, or Victoria Station). 167 people died in the series of twelve tragic and horrifying attacks, timed to coincide over a three-day period in different locations of the city. Islamic militant terrorists from Pakistan accepted responsibility after the one remaining gunman confessed under interrogation. It took 12 months to rebuild the damaged areas of the hotel where 31 staff and guests lost their lives.

Corridor in the Taj Hotel

The Taj is a lovely place. It feels - as I expected it to - as if I've gone back in time to a British colonial mansion. There are towering tropical trees, white carved wood paneling, and a country club sensibility about the grounds. The service is impeccable; every staff member, even the guards found at every corner are courteous and say hello.

Except the turbaned guard at the entrance with the handlebar mustache. He is stern and very focused on his job, protecting the guests with car bomb checks (every car's hood and trunk must be checked before it drops off passengers) and managing his staff of uniformed bell hops and car parkers. He is a no-nonsense guy with an important job to do. In the picture below, he is smiling for the camera. (Yes, that is him smiling.) Nevertheless, he looks pretty awesome.

Turbaned guard at the Taj

Yesterday, in my room, housekeeping staff left a pair of towel swans on the desk when they turned down my bed. A very thoughtful touch. Plus, who gets turn-down service nowadays? I love turn down service. I left a tip for Dipchand and Snehal this morning for doing such a nice job. When I got back this afternoon, there were fresh red roses in the towel sculpture, a bag of bangles, earrings and bindis, some little sample-sized skin care products, and four water bottles when yesterday there were only two. A chartreuse satin throw and matching pillows had been added to the bed. Note to travelers: always tip the housekeeping staff every day.

I've decided that South Bombay, where I am now, is not nearly as cool as Bandra, where I was before. This probably has much more to do with me than anything inherently wrong with the southern part of the city. Colaba, like much of South Bombay, is a tourist area. There are museums and nice hotels and popular restaurants. However, there are also lots of tourists. After being part of Karen's everyday Bandra life, where we just did our thing, now being a "tourist" is a bummer. A tourist is a target here, for taxi drivers, vendors and hungry shoeless children. I was asked today if I wanted to take a picture with a skinny little macaque monkey whose neck had been rubbed raw by the string tied around it. "Neh, neh." (No, no.) Madam, madam, you are wanting to buy a lovely "silk" pashmina? "Neh, neh." Please (small, dirty hand touching mouth), please. "Neh, beta. Neh." It's harder to hold it together here. I just want to stay in my hotel room with its white goose down comforter and air conditioner. And I don't feel good about that.

What I have to recognize is that this is the way I usually travel - to tourist locations, for just a short time.  To get out into the world on an average budget, my family often takes cruises. It allows us to see things we might not otherwise see, and is a very relaxing way to have a vacation. However, the cruise port is the very definition of a tourist area; it has often been created just for cruise passengers. It is not real life. I feel sad about this - that so far, my children mostly only know ports, hotels and tourist areas, where people can be aggressive and shout to get your attention. No wonder my daughter says she "doesn't like Mexico." She's never been to the real Mexico.

We are lucky to spend several weeks in Puerto Rico every few years with family. My kids seem to feel fairly comfortable there, especially when they're with their aunt and cousins. We tend not to look at these visits as travel, but as family time. However, these extended trips give the girls a real view into how people live whose culture is different from their own.

I sincerely hope that I can give my kids more of these types of travel experiences - the ones that make you rich with insight and curiosity, get to know people with more than just a greeting, allow you to see things from different perspectives,  and ultimately make you a better person because of it.