India, Mumbai

As I have said my fears were justified and Anjas bike got seriously bent. I wanted to use a workshop and fix it myself but this was not going to happen. Not in the tourist part of town where we were staying anyway. I have been round the bikeshops of Mumbai before, on my last trip here and know some new forks that would fit are not available here. There is one possibility in a MTB shop miles away but first I figured to get them bent back.

'Happy Cycles' is on the case. Apparently they are the best in Colaba district and all I can do is trust them to do a good job. We will see. If we can at least get the bike running I can hopefully fine tune things in a village workshop on the road. If I write no more for a few days it is good news.

We are nevertheless enjoying Mumbai. India is India. I am glad to be back. The Hotel Volga is above the Leopold Cafe, expensive haunt of the foreign tourists. There are bullet holes still in the front windows. A reminder of the 2008 attacks. We just met a woman who was shot in the legs while walking by. These people are resiliant.
The fish market at the docks was a bit to ripe for Anja. I was reminded that we are definately now in Asia. How do the people stay so clean when they live amoungst such dreck? We understand little of what goes on here and I reckon after three months we will be none the wiser.