10/10/10

The room at the Y is decent – single bed with hard mattress, plain tile floors, a wardrobe that smells like mothballs, but it has an ensuite bathroom and air conditioning, so it's pretty luxurious. It's also close to the Gatway of India/Taj/Colaba Causeway area, which makes it very convenient.

We managed to get up in time to get the end of breakfast, which was porridge (yay!), some Indian savories and bread with the ubiquitous Indian red jam. No specific flavor – just red. And of course tea or coffee.

Then we set off to find a church. We had directions to 2 churches and the first one we found was the Wesleyan church. Our group of 4 doubled the size of the congregation. The worship service was very familiar – the order of worship was similar, we said the same prayers and creeds, and sang the same hymns as in the church at home. What a blessing to feel the kinship we have with people that we don't even know, people who are so different from us, but who share the love of God and of Jesus Christ. Whenever I meet Christians of another culture, I love the feeling that we are brothers and sisters in Christ.

After the service, we went into the church parlor and had tea and talked with the people of the church. We all introduced ourselves and learned a little bit about the members of this very small church family. Many of their members have moved out to the suburbs, so the congregation is small. But their hearts are warm and their hospitality is great.

After church, we went shopping because some of us need incidentals like plugs and underwear. Along the way, we picked up a “steering woman” – she walks along with us and steers us to stores who give her a commission if we buy something there. She was nice and I felt sorry for her, but she wasn't bringing us to stores that sold things we liked, so we gave her some money and went to the Taj for a drink.

The Taj is one of the hotels that was attacked in the Mumbai terror attacks in 2008. It was built by an Indian who was refused entry to a whites-only club in years gone by. The Taj Palace was his revenge and I'm sure he thought it was sweet because it really is a palace. We took pictures inside because it is really so beautiful, but I remembered seeing security pictures of gunmen in some of the places. Today is Grace's birthday, so we celebrated by going to high tea at the Taj. It's overlooking the Gateway to India and it's very scenic. Plus the food is fabulous. A good time was had by all, but we were sinking a little bit as well.

Reflection: Shopping

India is a shopper's paradise. It truly is a sensual experience because there are so many beautiful things, gorgeous colors, fabulous textures and wonderful smells, that it engages all of the senses. It can actually be a little overwhelming because when we enter a shop, it's hard to know where to look first. There is so much to attract the attention and it doesn't seem to get any easier. Two of the great things to shop for in India are jewelry and textiles. There's no such thing in India as too much jewelry I always say, and there are so many jewelry pieces to adorn so many parts of a woman's body. The designs are intricate and ornate, pieces of art in and of themselves. The textiles are a feast for the eyes and the hands, bountiful in color and design, delicious in texture.

Shopping is itself an event. First, you may find that you pick up what I call a “steerer” in your travels through the shopping district. This is someone who attaches themselves to you and offers to show you to a shop that will meet your shopping needs. They may tell you that this is the shop of their cousin or that they know just the shop with the goods you are looking for. See the picture of the steering woman who attached herself to us in Mumbai.  In return for bringing you to their shop, the shopkeepers give the steerer a commission. Sometimes this works well and the steering person will indeed bring you to a shop that has just the goods you want and sometimes, in our case in Mumbai, it doesn't work out.

Once we have found a shop with goods we like, the shopping adventure begins. In India, as in many parts of the world, bargaining is expected. It can be uncomfortable for many of us from the United States, where prices are fixed, so each person may have to come up with a bargaining method of their own. For me, I start out showing some tepid interest in something I know I really want. After I express a little interest, I start to hesitate, expressing some doubts about the workmanship or questioning whether I really want it as much as I thought I did initially. This inspires the shopkeeper to come down in his price and the game is on. Both sides know it is a game, but it is something like a dance, with one party making a move and the other party making a countermove. I'm not very good at it, mostly because I cave in earlier than I should, and there are some really hard bargainers who have flummoxed me completely. Also, I feel a little guilty bargaining someone down when I know the price is decent compared to what I would pay for the same item at home. Liberal guilt, I guess.

There is always the question of what to buy: for myself, I would rather have more not-so-good things than fewer really good things. For example, when I go to India, I don't bring very many clothes with me. I bring a couple of days' worth, and then buy clothes there. Rather than buy a couple of expensive outfits, I buy several not-so-expensive outfits and accessorize with inexpensive bangles and earrings. Others prefer to buy one or two nice bangle/earring sets, but there is very good costume jewelry there that I enjoy looking at as much as the real thing. Chacun a son gout, as they say.