Mumbai, India - Day 19

Today we had a very unique shore excursion. Our guide picked us up at 9:00a.m. and took us back to the Crawford Market. We went to the fish section to see the various kinds of fresh fish the people here eat. The market was as chaotic as our previous visit. We had not visited this section before and it was quite a sight. Jeff lasted about two minutes after tripping over a slew of fish heads being swept away. The smells were overpowering along with the din of the people yelling at each other. People, people, people around piles of fish, fish, fish.

Our guide showed us some mackerel and some palm fritte (not sure how to spell it), the kind of fish that she would cook for us at lunch at her home. She also took us to where one would buy spices and vegetables for the meal. We then were escorted back to our coach to tour the neighborhood where our guide lives, an area called Bandra, northeast of downtown. This is primarily a Christian neighborhood as is our guide.

Her house is what is referred to as a family home. She and her mother live upstairs and her brother, his wife and two daughters live downstairs. Her father, who was an engineer and passed away many years ago, had designed the house. It is very unusual and considered fortunate to have a single home with yard space in Mumbai. The house was very clean but modest compared to US standards. I was surprised to see that the three bedrooms each had their own bathrooms. There was a large living/dining area and a kitchen. The roof had a large space for outdoor entertaining.

We met our guide’s mother who regaled us with a song. We were served wine and nuts and then escorted into the kitchen to watch the preparation of our meal. Our guide’s houseman filleted and seasoned the fish, boiled the rice and heated a sweet and sour pork stew. The houseman sleeps in the stairwell landing of the house and sees his wife and child (who live four hours away) twice a year. He gets paid US$600 a month for a 12 hour day six days a week. He considers himself very fortunate.

Lunch was excellent. The pork was unbelievable as was the mackerel. The palm fritte was a bit odd but still good. For desert, we were served mango and ice cream. We got to visit with the brother; he is a captain in the merchant marines, and his family. We had a fantastic time and an incredible experience.

Back at the ship, we rested and then met three other couples for a great dinner in the main dining room. The next two days are at-sea days as we head across the Arabian Sea to Dubai.