Shuba Deepawali

The last few days here in Mumbai have been great. I've really enjoyed myself here with all of my relatives. So many stories to share and fun times to write about. I have uploaded a whole wack of photos so you can check out all of those and really get a feel for what I've been up to. The sites, the sounds, the colours - words just cant describe it all.

What I can tell you about though is getting the hairs on my right forearm singed as I walked past a firecracker exploding on Saturday night. I was walking with my cousin Gaurav and both of us were trying to be cautious and looking in all directions. However, neither of us was able to see this one and bang, it went off. It was a smaller one (that kind of spread out like a big mushroom) and it caught both of our arms. Me in short sleeves have some singed hairs now and my cousin Gaurav has a small hole in the cuff of his sleeve. Anyway, it was definitely a nice Diwali souvenier to have for sure...

Meeting up with my buddy Vas last Saturday night was really cool. He's a guy we've known for years in Toronto and to hang out with him at a couple bars in Mumbai was a pretty strange experience - especially at Tendulkar's bar. It turns out that Vas was at the cricket match I went to as well the day before but unfortunately, we didn't know that the other one was there so we couldn't meet up. That definitely would have made it more fun but oh well, can't win them all I guess.

So what's next you ask???

Well, for starters - 3 weeks of absolutely ZERO contact with the outside world. Starting tomorrow, I am flying to Kathmandu and on Friday, I start trekking for 21 days, returning to Mumbai on November 20. I'll be climbing Mera Peak (Altitude is 6800 metres) over that stretch and getting an amazing view of Everest and 3 of the World's 5 highest peaks. I found someone's blog online with some amazing photos of what I'll be seeing over the next few weeks - check it out. I hope I can see all of this stuff with my own eyes.

Thanks for all your emails since I've been away. I miss you all and can't wait to share my stories when I return.
I reallly appreciate all of your support.

Love,
Aneil

Greetings friends. I'm back on the road. I left Toronto on October 15, 2006 and this time, I'm gone for just over 2 months. I stopped in London on the way and spent a night with Raj and Pari. We had a great time and went to an English Priemiership League match in Fulham where we saw the homeside win 2-1. The crowd was quite intimate and really into the match so that was great. It was a pretty short trip in London because I left the next day. But on my way to Heathrow, I did manage to stop by Buckingham Palace to say hello to the queen. She appreciated my visit but unfortunately the tea and scones were finished so I didn't overstay my welcome.

I flew Emirates to India (via Dubai) and all I've gotta say is - Wow, that is an airline! In my books, it's up there with Japan Airlines, Singapore Airlines and Air New Zealand. Their service was exceptional, food was excellent and the entertainment was plentiful (movies, tv, games - you name it). By the way, I got 101 lines in Tetris so I was pretty pleased with myself. The airport in Dubai is a huge shopping mall. It's all duty free shopping in Dubai and you can get everything there! I was there for my layover from midnight to 4:00 am and during that time nothing closed and it was packed the whole time.

I arrived in Mumbai on Wednesday morning (Oct 18) and got through customs and baggage very quickly because mine was the only flight that came in that morning. I was picked up by cousin who took me to my aunt's house in Vile Parle. Nothing has changed at all here. The same traffic, the same noise, the same chaos. But overall, that is the beauty of this place - there really is NOTHING else like it in the world. It's Diwali time now too so you can tell that everyone is getting into that festive mood. There are lights, puntis and candles everywhere in anticipation of the big celebration that starts this Saturday. It will last for about 5 days and I'll be here for all of it (before I leave for Nepal).

Right now here in India there are two growing problems related primarily to mosquitos. One is an outbreak of Dengue Fever which started in New Delhi and is spreading and the other is something called Chikungunya which causes paralysis and started in the south and in Africa. It's spreading as well so you have to be very careful. I am wearing mosquito repellent like hand cream and cologne combined. I am trying to wear long sleeves and long pants as much as I can but in 35 degrees PLUS (and 100% humidity), that makes for a daunting task.

Diwali is right around the corner. I can hear fireworks every night as people are already starting. I really don't know what to compare this too back home. Think of Canada Day or the 4th of July Fireworks (that crazy 2 or 3 minute show you watch at night) and multiply that by 100 and then imagine it occuring every minute of the day from about 6:00 am until 11:00 pm. That's what I've been warned about...so we'll see what comes next.

Thanks for reading and I will talk with you all soon.