City to seafront
Trip Start
Dec 11, 2011
1
3
36
Trip End
Feb 27, 2012
Where I stayed
Agonda, Goa, India
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Manasi cracked the whip at 8.00am, so suited, booted, packed and raring to go we were guided through ANOTHER market. This time the ANTIQUES market… much more up our street. Having redesigned our entire houses, a huge container of beautifully carved front doors and an abundance of station clocks – which were literally two a penny and would look great on any kitchen wall – will be arriving in London at some point in 2012. I can feel a new business coming on…
Dressed in our uniform of quick-dry zip off trousers, second-day white tee-shirts and market-worn trainers, Manusi felt it would be a perfect opportunity to introduce us to Mumbai’s finest (and Gucci-clad) ex-Pat community… Marginally embarrassed the often-used phrase was "we thought we’d dress appropriately for the slums" – which of course, was our next port of call.
Everybody probably remembers the scene at the beginning of Slumdog Millionaire with the trains and the pipelines and it was here we were taken for the start of our tour. Initially the view of the slums and the stench was a huge shock, but they are incredibly proud of their industriousness from recycling all waste materials from wire insulation to washing machines and paint pots. It is clear these are considered to be family businesses.
Next stop… Laundry. Who ever would have thought we would pay to see a laundry? Probably the most fascinating part of the day. Here people spend up to 10 hours knee-deep in chemicals, 7 days a week – because they get paid by the hour to send money home to their families, living hundreds of miles away – upto 6 people, sleeping in shifts, share each shack which is no more than 6ft by 6ft.
Kitty “oh I never suffer from Delhi-belly” Barclay, by this stage was, of course, showing the early tell-tale signs. The relief that we were going to board a short 1 hour flight to Goa, as opposed to a night-sleeper train journey was immense!
With Kitty’s – how shall we say? – “dilemma” and Emma’s concern of the lack of European bathroom facilities, the car journey the other end was quiet – only interrupted by the Miss Barclay’s gurgling stomach! Relief all round when we arrived in Paradise!
