I’m not near Mumbai

Thanks to the many of you who have either emailed or phoned family members to express your concern about my whereabouts after hearing about the terrorists attacks in Mumbai.  I’m fine and far, far away from Mumbai.  One hour plane ride,  19 hours train ride, and at least 14 bus hours at the very least away from where India’s has “suffered its worse terrorist attack in its history.” 

I have been near Madurai and the ashram that I will be staying at is near a national forest about 45 minutes by bus outside of Madurai in the state of Tamil Nadu near Sri Lanka.   So, I will be in a very peaceful, isolated place as India, I’m sure, will start tightening up its security procedures.  Already, I can not walk into a Hindu temple or famous tourist site such as Mysore’s palace without going through a metal detector. 

I did fly into Mumbai and I’ve seen the Taj Motel on a previous trip to Mumbai and have been in the train station (VT) that was attacked.  Oddly enough, on my taxi drive into Mumbai on the night I arrived, i remember driving by the Oberoi Trident hotel and thinking, “Geez, wouldn’t it be nice to be staying there for the night?” 

So, if there are any future terrorists attacks in India, I am sure they will target well known hotels for the media value.  Well known=expensive = not me!  Guesthouses which charge US$4 to US$10/night are not going to be on anybody’s hit list I would imagine.  If they go after major transit points, trust me, I try to stay as little time in those chaotic, crowded places as possible.  If something happens random on the street, then it just happens.  I am a firm believer that if it is meant to be, there isn’t much that I can change.  Besides, you have to trust me that I am very calm during fast breaking things like potential car and motorcycle accidents, drownings, parachute mishaps etc. 

I’ve been watching some India based English only 24 hour news coverage of the attacks as the place I’m staying at has limited cable TV.  The title has been “Warzone Mumbai” and there is constant, repeating coverage.  The journalists are falling all over themselves to say they are respecting the police’s desire to limit key information about their strategies, hostage evacuation efforts, and to not televise things live which may help the terrorists.  Which left one anchor person saying “A helicopter is dropping some things onto the roof” while the concurrent but delayed camera feed clearly shows commandoes rappelling down from the helicopter.   The camera also shows a lot of khaki uniformed police guys walking around and talking to each other – so just like in the US but the faces and uniforms are different.  There’s a countdown going on too.  It is 35 hours into the action now but all the news reports says it should end soon. 

I am thankful on this day after thanksgiving that the dead and wounded are far less than what they could have been.  I just hope that the attacks don’t further worsen relations between Pakistan and India as the prime minister is already blaming external forces – potentially people from Pakistan.  The terrorists targeted foreigners and a jewish center so hopefully the attacks won’t further the simmering discontent between muslims and hindus which have spurred bombings and riots in the last five years – mostly in northern India or Mumbai.  If you don’t know already, Mumbai is like India’s New York in that it is the financial and entertainment capital of India s, consequently, it  has a higher international profile than New Dehli.

I hope you and your loved ones gave thanks to whatever or whoever for your continued health on your thanksgiving day if you celebrated it.  If you only knew, you should be thankful that you are not experiencing a late monsoon/cyclone like I have been for the last two days.  More than 48 mm of rain fell in 24 hours here – I have no idea what that means in inches but I’m sure it is ALOT as there is flooding in the streets and the rain has often been torrential. Although it is not raining this morning, apparently the downpour continued through 3 am today.  Even I, die hard Seattle resident, bought my first umbrella in years!

I am going back to Madurai today on the train (had to go thru special steps to get the emergency tourist quota  which allowed me to jump my 175th place on the waitlist for a seat) as I don’t trust the road conditions right now.  I feel guilty about taking advantage of this special priviledge but not guilty enough to forego it. 

So, in closing, thanks again for your concern but you don’t have to worry about me.  Peace out!