We´ve made a mad dash from Mumbai to London to NYC to Panama City, what a damn enjoyable whirlwind.
In Mumbai 20 million people share a small piece of earth surrounded by water, trains are full, frequent, and packed. Sidewalks are crowded to the point of near constant physical contact. Trains bulge with men hanging out the open doors. The architecture runs from squalid to grand but is consistently dirty and run down. These physical traits influenced but did not define our experiences there. The crowds of people, specifically a few we knew before our trip who shared their lives and friends with us, made Mumbai one of our favorite places.
London, the biggest city in Europe, shines with money through the gray winter days. Shiny cars with good Italian names whiz around the city dodging the big black cabs full of people with good jobs while the rest of us crowd orderly down the sidewalk. The parks of London blew us away. The middle of February and every blade of grass was in its place, the trees were all trimmed and every kind of stylish Londoner seemed to be out enjoying the lucky sunny Saturday. Our cozy stay on Pete´s canal boat was an insider's view of London life.
We cruised all over in the tube, we hit the pubs with a caste of Pete´s friends, we searched out burritos, and we attacked the free museums. A few days of London living was tops.
NYC´s tired subways had a lot more in common with Mumbai´s train than the slick London Tube. But then we caught up with Mercy´s great aunt on the Upper Eastside and everything got a lot classier. Arriving to a doorman and a home cooked meal we relished the hospitality heaped upon us and relaxed. Donna came out to help us resupply our worn out gear and search out Manhattan´s best pizza and sushi. We caught up with my cousin and feasted on veg food in the Village. We reunited with friends we´d first met in Syria for another home cooked meal in Brooklyn. We indulged in good American microbrew and great conversations. Overall NYC was family, friends, and furious shopping that made for a great time. Then we headed South.
Panama City´s skyline puts Miami to shame. A forest of skinny residential towers crowd the coast, each one strategically placed to claim at least a sliver of sea view ready made for the glossy brochures aimed at Midwestern baby boomers looking for retirement in the ¨next Florida¨. Hobbled once again with our backpacks and jet lag we arrived at a hotel that´d lost our reservation and a city with fully booked rooms. We hunted for hours. Finally, we made our way to Casco Veijo, a colonial section of town in the midst of a rejuvenation where on the same block you can have a steak dinner for 30 bucks or marvel at the palm trees rooted to the decaying stucco of a beautiful, but decrepit 300 year old Spanish mansion. We found home in an hostel constructed for canal workers that hadn´t seen much maintenance since, but was full of character.
We immediately relaxed into Panama. We dined to the strumming of a guitarist playing Brazilian samba. Mercy took a walk and came home raving that every guy she passed looked her in the eye and said good morning (in Spanish no less). We are ready for everything this country holds.
In Mumbai 20 million people share a small piece of earth surrounded by water, trains are full, frequent, and packed. Sidewalks are crowded to the point of near constant physical contact. Trains bulge with men hanging out the open doors. The architecture runs from squalid to grand but is consistently dirty and run down. These physical traits influenced but did not define our experiences there. The crowds of people, specifically a few we knew before our trip who shared their lives and friends with us, made Mumbai one of our favorite places.
London, the biggest city in Europe, shines with money through the gray winter days. Shiny cars with good Italian names whiz around the city dodging the big black cabs full of people with good jobs while the rest of us crowd orderly down the sidewalk. The parks of London blew us away. The middle of February and every blade of grass was in its place, the trees were all trimmed and every kind of stylish Londoner seemed to be out enjoying the lucky sunny Saturday. Our cozy stay on Pete´s canal boat was an insider's view of London life.
We cruised all over in the tube, we hit the pubs with a caste of Pete´s friends, we searched out burritos, and we attacked the free museums. A few days of London living was tops.NYC´s tired subways had a lot more in common with Mumbai´s train than the slick London Tube. But then we caught up with Mercy´s great aunt on the Upper Eastside and everything got a lot classier. Arriving to a doorman and a home cooked meal we relished the hospitality heaped upon us and relaxed. Donna came out to help us resupply our worn out gear and search out Manhattan´s best pizza and sushi. We caught up with my cousin and feasted on veg food in the Village. We reunited with friends we´d first met in Syria for another home cooked meal in Brooklyn. We indulged in good American microbrew and great conversations. Overall NYC was family, friends, and furious shopping that made for a great time. Then we headed South.
Panama City´s skyline puts Miami to shame. A forest of skinny residential towers crowd the coast, each one strategically placed to claim at least a sliver of sea view ready made for the glossy brochures aimed at Midwestern baby boomers looking for retirement in the ¨next Florida¨. Hobbled once again with our backpacks and jet lag we arrived at a hotel that´d lost our reservation and a city with fully booked rooms. We hunted for hours. Finally, we made our way to Casco Veijo, a colonial section of town in the midst of a rejuvenation where on the same block you can have a steak dinner for 30 bucks or marvel at the palm trees rooted to the decaying stucco of a beautiful, but decrepit 300 year old Spanish mansion. We found home in an hostel constructed for canal workers that hadn´t seen much maintenance since, but was full of character.
We immediately relaxed into Panama. We dined to the strumming of a guitarist playing Brazilian samba. Mercy took a walk and came home raving that every guy she passed looked her in the eye and said good morning (in Spanish no less). We are ready for everything this country holds.
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