ridiculously lost in Mumbai

So, it's Saturday morning and I thought I go exploring.  I walked down to the Promenade to see what the running situation might be.  I left at 6:45 am and it was quiet but starting to get busy so if I go at 5 like I've been advised the streets should be still enough that I can run to the Promenade.  the Promenade goes along the Arabian Sea.  It is so beautiful.  It isn't beachy like you could swim or anything but it smells way better than Galveston Bay!!  I saw very few runners, but a lot of walkers and people sitting out on the rocks just thinking etc.  On my map it was Carter road curves to the right and there is nowhere else to go.  So I thought I take the curve and walk to Linking rd and see what shops are there.

That is not where I ended up!

I live in Bandra West which is a part of Mumbai that is nice - lots of shops and restaurants and people tend to have a better quality of life here.  I walked into a part of Mumbai that was totally different but I saw some cool things - but didn't have my camera.  The streets here are FAR more crowded!!  Everything is in Marathi or Hindi - I don't know the difference.  I saw a man brushing his teeth with q-tips over a drain.  I saw a little boy - maybe three (hard to tell they are so little) naked and peeding into a drain.  I so no adults around and wondered who he belonged to then I walked a little further and saw a bunch of people laying outside a store where they spent the night.  There were chickens in cages on the street.  There were tons of richshaws and crowds of people.  I was trying to keep track of where I was but that is hard to do. 

1. my map doesn't show all streets and I wasn't on my map part of the time

2. I think I saw one named street in an hour - they don't put signs

3. there is no sun to help me.

4.  I try to notice what I am passing etc.  but there is sooooo much to notice that what you notice going oneway is not what you noticed the other way.  Also it was early morning so stalls were closed up etc but then when I am the other way they were all open and looked different.  and all the signs were in Hindi or Marathi so no words stood out to me.

I got very near the airport!  - could see the planes taking off.  I was hopelessly lost so I tried to ask for directions back to the sea.  I asked more than 10 people.  No one spoke English.  If I come across a Spanish speaker and I ask if they speak English they shake their head and say "no English".  If they ask me "hablas espanol"  I don't speak fluently but i know they are asking if I speak Spanish.  The people here didn't flicker recognition at the word English.  and when I showed them a map they didn't even know what to do with it.  I found a sign that said Juhu Tara rd (Mumbai people - how far is Juhu beach from here?  was I close??  :) :) and I found two guys who spoke a little english and told me where I was, but not how I could get to where I was going.  I started walking and this angel of a Rickshaw driver pulled over and asked me if I needed help.  He said he was an educated man so he spoke English.  I told him I was trying to find Carter rd by the Arabian Sea.  He looked shocked and said "that's in Bandra'  ha!  I had walked myself right out of Bandra.  I was kind of tired and he told me I was 5k from Carter rd and then it is still a decent walk home from that and I'd already been walking for an hour and a half so I asked him to drive me there.  He was very nice and dropped me off at a place on Carter road where I knew how to get home! 

Lessons learned - never take a new route unless you have LOTS of time - always carry money with you!

yesterday we did a lot of school work.  I am going to work on math stuff today and reward my self later by taking a break and walking to Linking rd which was my destination today and never got there!! 

Jordan the other middle school Math teacher so we've been working on curriculum.   Thankfully I have a classroom but Jordan and Pauline (the French and Spanish teacher) doesn't so they use my room too.  so my 6th grade classroom will have Algebra and French posters in it :)  Preya is my downstairs neighbor - she teaches high school English.  Yesterday was Jordan's birthday so a group of us went out to eat.  Preya took these pictures with her phone.  My camera battery died so I didn't get any group pics. 

Jordan and I in front of his building

Preya and I