Pune (Poona)

For the past few days we have been travelling a little bit in and around Mumbai and then headed out to Pune. Once stationed in Pune we were able to take an overnight trip Northeast to see the Ellora caves and some nearby fortress. The fortress was built up on a large hill and it was great to reach the top and take in the surrounding view. The reacurring dissapointment seems to be the ridiculous amount of air pollution that sits as a toxic wall in the distance. The Ellora caves were equally interesting with ancient figures carved into the stone face in tribute to the gods. All-in-all it was a good experience, however the driving is also a reacurring frustration as you can't travel more than 100 feet without a horn being blasted in your ear.

As the busy cities take their toll on my lungs and ears my excitement to travel up north into the mountains grows. It will be nice to find a spot with some peace and quiet where, hopefully, I can see farther than I can throw.

Next on the list is a trip to Goa. We are leaving via train tomorrow night and should reach by morning. I'm not sure what to expect as local media has identified the place as an exploited landscape where foreigners take the environment for granted. Hopefully it will be an uplifting place to relax a while and take in some of the coastline.

The better news is that it seems that my good friend Devin will be flying out near the end of February to join in some adventures. Right now I've been travelling with family, and while its been good, I can forsee the need to branch away and explore the country through a different lens. Although I'll have to keep Dev away from the chillies. :)

Future Travels:
-Goa
-Dubai

Key Lessons:
-Jorge was right
-Even though you may be surrounded by people who seemingly have no regard for the environment and how they manage their waste, be as responsible as you would in Canada.

On the Mind:
-The Mountains
-Pollution
-Relationships

Days 1-3: Meet Mumbai

I'm here! After a day or so of flying I've made it to Mumbai and have already had a great few days. The flights were long and a little uncomfortable, but it's expected. On the way to London I actually got to fly in the new UAE airplane... I think it was an 8380? That might be wrong, but it was brand new and had 2 floors and a lot of space.

Flying over Mumbai on our descent immediately lent some context to the city and its environment. I could see the busy building stacked side by side, one on top of another in a blanket covering the landscape. In between the clusters of buildings you can see vast patches of slums which are manufactured from bits of debris and roofed with tin and fibre glass. It's almost hard to imagine that people live in such close quarters, but I suppose that's the evolutionary strength of humans - the ability to adapt to a variety of environments.

A couple of my uncles picked me and my cousin up from the airport and we were soon exposed to the busy roads and lack of formal traffic rules. It's hard to describe the traffic flow in the congested city streets. Maybe a fitting analogy would be that it's like a pool table where all of the balls are cars and rickshaws and traffic flow is similar to when you break the balls except none of the balls ever touch each other - you have many vehicles going in every direction, but they always manage to escape disaster. That being said, traffic accidents account for a large portion of injuries and deaths and driving is probably the most dangerous thing you can do in India, statistically.

We soon reached our house in Bandra and I met a lot of family that I haven't seen in over 14 years. Everyone's much older but always kind and welcoming. I met my nephew Shawn (in picture above) for the first time. He's 2 and 1/2 and walks and talks a bit. However, his nickname is Denice the Menace because he's becoming quite a trouble maker. It's been really great though to connect back with this side of the family and strengthen some of those connections that didn't really exist while isolated in my western world. It really makes you appreciate the value in relationships and the strength of family. Definitely one of life's key components.

Future Travels:
- Terrorist attack spot
- Pune
- Goa

Key Lessons:
- Driving in India is not for everyone
- Smokers don't need cigarettes, the pollution is enough to kill your lungs
- Family Matters (que theme song)

On the Mind:
- Environments
- Sustainability
- Relationships

Hello!

Well after a small delay and some more time in Vancouver it's finally time for me to say goodbye to Canada and set foot on the soil of India. I'll be landing in India around 9am on Jan. 26th (India time). I'm really excited and can't wait to have some fantastic adventures and discover more about the otherside of the world, and myself. It's been quite a year so far, filled with many successes, some failures, with some relationships lost and many new ones formed. In many senses it is the closing of a chapter in my life and the presence of a blank page in front of me. It feels good to know that I am in a time of extended freedom and that great decisions lay ahead.

I will try to update this blog as I travel and your comments are most welcome.
I hope all of you are doing well!

Best regards,

Geoff