As the day before, I woke quietly and snuck out whilst Nina slept. I took a tuc tuc to Bandra train station. Spotting the ticket office I got the in the queue, I look around and notice considerably more people are watching me than normal. A man infront of me turns around and points to a queue on the far left side. It’s the women's queue. I was being looked at because I was a white, female in the mans queue, at a local train station. Talk about sticking out like a sore thumb. I get in the queue on the left and listen to a young girl infront of me order a ticket to Churchgate, in English. That's where I was headed too so I asked her if I could tag along. We walk together to platform 5 and take the 10:32am train. All the ladies stare at me as I get on. I think they think I'm lost. The train gets squashed and busy very quickly and there is no consideration made for other people getting on or off. It's a free for all.
Once I have conquered the first part of my journey and I make it to the station, I walk to the taxi rank. I ask to be taken to Express Tower. I speak slowly, I use my guide book, I point to the map. Three taxis refuse to take me. I don't know why they won't take me, but I just start walking. Stage two of ‘China VISA application day’ isn't going well. Express Tower is in Mariner Point which I know is at the waters edge so I head to the water and away from the station. Again, it's boiling hot. I stop a few times and ask security guards for assistance, they all say ‘No English’. After 25minutes of what feels like walking aimlessly, I hear a taxi man shout out offering his services, parked on a street corner, in the shade of a tree. I ask him ‘Express Tower’. He points across the road. I'm close! I walk around and see a construction worker who points to the building next to me, it's Express Tower. I walk to Gate 1. I'm refused entry. I'm hot, sweaty, hungry, irritated that I have had to walk and feeling very lost. He tells me Gate 6, other side. I walk to other side of the building, passing Starbucks where I make a mental note to return to after my VISA update, find Gate 6 and I'm in! Two security checks, one guest book signed, two flights of stairs climbed and I'm standing outside VFS Global. A security guard opens the doors to let me in and asks what application I am submitting. I explain that I haven't submitted anything yet because the company website won't load on my phone or tablet and that Nina and I had tried to get the details on the phone but no one had gotten back to us. I start getting snappy and if I was him I would have sent me packing. An assistant overhears my grumbling and walks over with a check list of things I'll need and fees.
Once I have conquered the first part of my journey and I make it to the station, I walk to the taxi rank. I ask to be taken to Express Tower. I speak slowly, I use my guide book, I point to the map. Three taxis refuse to take me. I don't know why they won't take me, but I just start walking. Stage two of ‘China VISA application day’ isn't going well. Express Tower is in Mariner Point which I know is at the waters edge so I head to the water and away from the station. Again, it's boiling hot. I stop a few times and ask security guards for assistance, they all say ‘No English’. After 25minutes of what feels like walking aimlessly, I hear a taxi man shout out offering his services, parked on a street corner, in the shade of a tree. I ask him ‘Express Tower’. He points across the road. I'm close! I walk around and see a construction worker who points to the building next to me, it's Express Tower. I walk to Gate 1. I'm refused entry. I'm hot, sweaty, hungry, irritated that I have had to walk and feeling very lost. He tells me Gate 6, other side. I walk to other side of the building, passing Starbucks where I make a mental note to return to after my VISA update, find Gate 6 and I'm in! Two security checks, one guest book signed, two flights of stairs climbed and I'm standing outside VFS Global. A security guard opens the doors to let me in and asks what application I am submitting. I explain that I haven't submitted anything yet because the company website won't load on my phone or tablet and that Nina and I had tried to get the details on the phone but no one had gotten back to us. I start getting snappy and if I was him I would have sent me packing. An assistant overhears my grumbling and walks over with a check list of things I'll need and fees.
• 5700 rupees for an express service, submit before 11am and it will be ready between 2pm-5pm the next day.
• Full itinerary of entire stay.
• Inbound and outbound flight details.
• Six month bank statement.
• Application form.
• Passport photos
• Passport.
It's really bloody handy that I bought that China book because due to the trip being cancelled I really have no idea what I'm doing either side of the Xi-an to Beijing trip that I signed up for. Giving the assistant a fountain of thank yous, trying to rectify my babyish behaviour, I take my check list and head to Starbucks. I email Dragoman for the hotel list for the tour and look at flights from Mumbai into China. The cheapest options seemed to be via Kolkata and/or Kunming so I decided to fly to Kolkata, spend a few days there and enter China in Kunming. I text Adrian suggesting a weekend in Shanghai after my tour, which he was up for. So, I then had to fill the days from Kunming to Xi-an, and Beijing to Shanghai. Using the map on my guide book I booked hostels based on what looked like sensible routes, book my flights and email a company to book my internal trains. Feeling relieved that this VISA looks like it may be sorted, I leave Starbucks and walk to the Prince Charles museum. The actual building museum impressed me more than the contents, excluding the Tata art galleries. I've been very fortunate in India to have visited some incredible places already and the contents of the museum is a collection of bits and pieces from those sites. I don't spend very long in the museum, despite paying for the audio guide, and I walk out of the museum and turn right. I follow the pavement around the back the museum looking another restaurant recommended in my book. The pavement is lined with local artists showcasing work on makeshift display stands. On the other side of the road are restaurants and bars. Like I beacon I notice a green and yellow sign ‘The Irish House’. OH MY LIFE IT’S A PUB. AN IRISH PUB. I walk the two flights of stairs and walk into a dimly lit, air conditioned pub. Dark wooden floors, wooden tables, wooden chairs with leather, racing green padding on them. Funny signs and sayings adorn the walls, the bar staff wear t-shirts saying ‘FREE BEER’, with tomorrow written in a tiny font underneath. I order a Moretti beer and a plate of chips with mayonnaise, and chat with a man at the bar who laughed at my excitement when I had walked in. I complete a spreadsheet for my VISA application on my iPad as much as possible, waiting for the hotel names from Dragoman. After another viewing of the menu I notice cider. I didn't even care for the price…it wasn't cheap though. Three ciders later, my blog updated a little, China considerably better planned, feeling pleased with my productive day, I start talking to two Western guys. We end up going to the restaurant next door for dinner. The restaurant that I was looking for but had been distracted by the pub sign. A very smart establishment that we all look a little scruffy in. I order a kathi roll and beer. This place was so over staffed- when I went to the toilet 9 men helped direct me!!
Very happy with my day in Mumbai, I jump in a cab back to Nina's. We drive along ‘the Queens necklace’, music loud, windows down, a warm breeze blowing through the taxi and I think for the first time; I could live in India. Although, I definitely would need to learn Hindi or Marathi if I ever wanted to order a meal without pointing! I book the taxi driver to come back to the apartment at 8am the next morning to return me to the Starbucks next to Express Tower to finish my planning and get my application submitted by 11am.