Tokyo? Mumbai?
 

Heading out tomorrow... any last minute advice for a first-time visitor?

On my list for Tokyo:

My hotel is in Ginza
Nerd district
Harajuku
Robot Restaurant in Shinjuku
Drunkards Alley in Shinjuku
Sushi breakfast at Tsukiji
Christon Cafe in Shinjuku
Shibuya Crossing
Various temples

On my list for Mumbai:

My hotel is the Intercontinental Marine Drive on the ocean
Gateway of India
Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus for the architecture
A drink at the Dome at my hotel
Not sure what else!

How about a visit to the Dell customer support center in India. You can talk to "Bob" or "George" and ask him what his real name is.

Do you guys EVER stay home?

for India..
watch & keep an eye on your Lady..
as other will & not shy about grabbing more..

Rika

This is a motion-only trip.

In Mumbai visit Gandhi's house and do a tour of the slums. (Some of the revenue goes back to the people that live there. Unfortunately we didn't learn about that until later.)

Oh and my wife went to Mumbai by herself for two nights so you should be fine. Just use your head.

in that case..
have blast..
just don't wake up with a unwanted tattoo or piercing..

Rika

I am at over 135 airplane flights so far this year. I think I'll end the year with around 160-170. Love me some Delta airplanes!

Soapland. Hahahahaha!

I had to google that. I don't think Mrs. Motion would approve :)

Wow. Are you going to Mumbai on purpose? I hope it's a business trip - I don't know anyone who has ever been there who would willingly go back, unless they are being paid to do so. I've had to work in some really depressing sheetholes, but that place really takes the cake. Hands down. Granted, there are some stunningly beautiful, historic places to be seen, and hopefully you will be able to spend your time enjoying them. We never get to, so I'm pretty sure I'm jaded. Just be careful, and extremely vigilant about what you eat and drink. We've had guys return home and spend months fighting some infernal bug picked up over there, even as careful as we are.

Yes, on purpose. Some of us have a sense of adventure :)

In Mumbai, take a boat out to the elephanta caves. The boats leave from the gateway of India. Amazing cave temples carved into hillside. You can find 200 year old graffiti that British soldiers carved into the columns.

Meiji Gardens and Shrine - Harajuku stop, opposite side of the tracks. The peace and calm in the middle of a huge city always moves me. Nearby is Yoyogi park, where Tokyoites go to escape their cramped apartments. Tokyo Ramen culture is my favorite - try an Internet Search from whatever neighborhood you are in. And the little shops where you use a vending machine to print out a ticket for your food, sit at a counter and slurp away. Even the packaged foods at 7-11 or FamilyMart are fresh and tasty. Love Japan.

I should send you the short story about my adventure through India. The sensory overload is amazing. Seeing the grandeur and the poor masses. Good to see how the other Billion live for some real perspective in life. The beggar kids. Great food. The physics defying Indian traffic jam, parting for a starving cow sauntering down the street. People hanging off trains. What a trip.

Can't wait to hear your report on both when you return. Travel safe and Enjoy!

Had not heard of this.... sounds like it would be worth it!

Don, sounds like you have some experience here. If you feel like posting it up, I would love to read your short story.

Jeff, I travel for perspective. Being among others, both more and less fortunate than one's own self offers an opportunity for introspection and realignment. Sometimes you need to get out of your comfort zone for this to happen. Its one of the reasons I absolutely love Brazil, and I hope, India.

Oh, I understand that, motion. I travel for work, and it certainly adds perspective. I've been well out of my comfort zone on many, many occasions over the years. And I'm comfortable with that, if that makes any sense...

By the very nature of what I do, much of our time spent overseas is in third world countries that do not have the capability of maintaining and repairing their own aircraft. I have spent an awful lot of time with those far less fortunate than us, and not just by way of observing them from afar, but rather working shoulder to shoulder with them. It can be a very sobering, very enlightening experience.

India just strikes a chord with me that is far different than anywhere else I've been. Of all the places we have been, India offers the sharpest contrast between the haves and the have nots. There is an awful lot of money there, yet so many live in abject squalor. It is the only country to which we travel that we are required, under federal law, to undergo anti-corruption training before we go. Their caste system ensures the rich will continue to get richer (with our money) while the poor get poorer (if that's at all possible). I find it heartbreaking on the one hand, and infuriating on the other, but in the end, just depressing as hell. Everyone should see it at least once in their lives; if it doesn't move them, nothing will.

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