Now a trial in English, notice: i am also not an english expert ;-)India, the country is known for meditation, yoga and "let it go", of course also for spices, colours, overcrowding, rubbish, digestion problems, working kids and cheating men... as there is no end of this list, as big is this country. Different regions - different languages, different people, different gods, different landscapes, different animals, but in one they all agree: India is incredible! - and it is!
I travelled mostly in the south, so the nordern parts and their people are still an unknown territory for me, what is a very good reason to come back and I am looking forward to. When I look back, all my journey from the very beginning until now, I was surrounded and accompanied by angels. As my time in India passed so quickly as usual, I felt now like being carried and passed - from one angel's hand into another. In every situation, I got help, before I even realized that I need help. It is not important if you believe in angels or not, I am talking here from humans, my friends - people from India and all over the world. Of course, I have more often been carried from men, they have more muscular strength ;-). I am very thankful for every encounter with anyone I met, especially for sharing with me their life and experiences, so "aware" moments, and mostly for pushing me from one step to another on my "spiritual ladder".
India's people showed me, what means to surrender, to be selfless or unegoistic, patient and able to accept the situation, however it is, and to give. Traveller friends helped me to practice spirituality, understand their guru's teaching, and finally to find what I was looking for, my inner peace or god's bliss.
I want to remind you, that everything I wrote here, is from my point of view: subjective! So enjoy the journey seen through the "sunglasses" of my mind and ego.
Since my online booked flight from Cairo to Mumbai didn't appear at the check-in computer at the airport, i had luck that a white dressed angel of the Etihad Airways did everything that I get a seat in this plane and got on port per time passing quickly the long queue to the control points. Of course, I was happy that everything went all right, but I enjoyed this stay in Cairo so much, that I had no hurry to get out of there. A long stopover in Abu Dhabi, where I had a coffee with two nice and interesting guys from Istanbul, who just left to Australia to learn English and to start there a new life - one way flight of course - i was said to be a little bit crazy just going to Mumbai and don't know anything about the country and without having any plans. Who is more crazy? ;-) Indeed this flight I took as a ride in the freedom. 
In contrast to my further travels, I am now independent on time (or other) plans, it's just me and looking what will happen. Also the the time of the flight - the 7. to the 8. of September - has a special meaning to me. Since it is the birthday of my beloved angel Alex, both to the physical world and more or less also to the spiritual world, it should also indicate my rebirth in a new life. Abu Dhabi has a nice, little airport, free internet and 3 very clean toilets, and whilst running from one toilet to the next, the 5 hours waiting time quickly passed and I got ready for India, nothing worse could happen - the falafel yesterday made my body already to a liqueur machine - for what India normally is well known ;-). In Mumbai at the airport my taxi was already waiting and before I realized how easy it was, I was lying in the new looking and smelling dormitory of a very nice hotel, just me, thinking what kind of youth hostel is this. But when I woke up, the two irish girls, Ger and Fiona, have joined me there.
We three positive minded physicists made our way to the downtown of Mumbai, where it didn't take long until we were catched in the first tourist trap: an indian "friend" offers us his help, to arrange everything what we need for our travel through India. He will help us getting everything very cheap and beware us of the many thieves of India, who just see in us tourists the money... My inner feeling said I should not trust him, but there appeared his friend - this nice blond german angel - who always agreed what he said. 
So finding ourselves in a clothes boutique, I agreed also to buy one of the "indian women" outfits, because according to our friend, it is necessary/better to wear such things outside of the bigger towns, to get respect of India's people. No idea of what is a cheap price, 4000 Rupees ( 1 euro approx. 60 Rs) for this good quality outfit, I am happy not knowing at this time, that I could have bought 20 comfortable, good looking trousers for that money, instead of this unnecessary thing what i never wore and still not gave away, because maybe there will be a special occasion what never happened! I was not really angry about our friend, who also went out for drinking beer with us, just doing his job, but that a tourist "friend" help to cheat her "neighbors" was an interesting experience! But I made this decision by myself, knowing it might be to expensive, I am happy for this lesson without spending a real fortune. And I don't want to forget to mention the good help of her, finding the cheap youth hostel and for information. By the way it was the best trick ever - in my whole trip in India I never met on person who cheated me for more than a few euros or even tried it!
With the idea in my head of working in India, i was surprised how easy it is, when I checked-in into the youth hostel in downtown two days later, when the receptionist asked me if I want to work for Bollywood tonight. Of course I want, finding myself in a big bus full of young traveler, going to a shopping mall.
Since it is open on daytime, the mall is used in nighttime for making this Bollywood movie. A food for free and 500 Rs, it was a long night waiting for the 2h scene, a good, not-to-miss experience and exchange with others about traveling. And for people who think they abuse for such movies foreigners to get to see more skin - it was not in my case - I rather removed my two wool pullovers, which I had to wear, every free minute ;-).
But once is enough, it was the end of my artistic career and also the end of the idea of working in India: India is cheap, and a lot of people sleep in the streets, to do charity work is possible, but still you have to come up for your costs of living yourself - so from the money's and my ego's point of view, its better just to travel and see the country.
With Chris from the U.S. and Seth from the U.K., Fiona, Ger and me checked out some places in Mumbai,
and had one or two Kingfisher (beer)
what lead us rather out in the "inward coming" sea instead of Honkong or Singapore.
Time passed, people went, whilst I never thought about what to do in India, I was still tired of sightseeing of the last months, and still no idea of this country, no places where I really wanted to go ..., I found a good friend in Chris, who also stayed longer in Mumbai and had no plan what to do with his time in these days ;-)
So looking for good views on Mumbai's roofs, seaching for a real coffee and following the "Sons of Anarchy", we shared a nice time. There are a few pictures of Mumbai, the different suburb, the beach and the people:
Not only we tourists are interested in taking pictures of local people, also we seem to look very good on especially indian cell phones *g*
On the beach, everything is here to enjoy the time. Food, pop corn, ice cream, drinks, carousels - running per man's (hand) power not by electricity - first to get used, but later a really nice place to hang out between colours, sounds, kitsch and rubbish with begging people sitting hours quietly on your side.
Elephanta island:
After 4 weeks, I finally bought one Lonely planet guidebook and made my way out of Mumbai in direction to the "real" India, just out of the big town, to the little town Nasik.
Mumbai
Since my online booked flight from Cairo to Mumbai didn't appear at the check-in computer at the airport, i had luck that a white dressed angel of the Etihad Airways did everything that I get a seat in this plane and got on port per time passing quickly the long queue to the control points. Of course, I was happy that everything went all right, but I enjoyed this stay in Cairo so much, that I had no hurry to get out of there. A long stopover in Abu Dhabi, where I had a coffee with two nice and interesting guys from Istanbul, who just left to Australia to learn English and to start there a new life - one way flight of course - i was said to be a little bit crazy just going to Mumbai and don't know anything about the country and without having any plans. Who is more crazy? ;-) Indeed this flight I took as a ride in the freedom. 
In contrast to my further travels, I am now independent on time (or other) plans, it's just me and looking what will happen. Also the the time of the flight - the 7. to the 8. of September - has a special meaning to me. Since it is the birthday of my beloved angel Alex, both to the physical world and more or less also to the spiritual world, it should also indicate my rebirth in a new life. Abu Dhabi has a nice, little airport, free internet and 3 very clean toilets, and whilst running from one toilet to the next, the 5 hours waiting time quickly passed and I got ready for India, nothing worse could happen - the falafel yesterday made my body already to a liqueur machine - for what India normally is well known ;-). In Mumbai at the airport my taxi was already waiting and before I realized how easy it was, I was lying in the new looking and smelling dormitory of a very nice hotel, just me, thinking what kind of youth hostel is this. But when I woke up, the two irish girls, Ger and Fiona, have joined me there.
We three positive minded physicists made our way to the downtown of Mumbai, where it didn't take long until we were catched in the first tourist trap: an indian "friend" offers us his help, to arrange everything what we need for our travel through India. He will help us getting everything very cheap and beware us of the many thieves of India, who just see in us tourists the money... My inner feeling said I should not trust him, but there appeared his friend - this nice blond german angel - who always agreed what he said. 
So finding ourselves in a clothes boutique, I agreed also to buy one of the "indian women" outfits, because according to our friend, it is necessary/better to wear such things outside of the bigger towns, to get respect of India's people. No idea of what is a cheap price, 4000 Rupees ( 1 euro approx. 60 Rs) for this good quality outfit, I am happy not knowing at this time, that I could have bought 20 comfortable, good looking trousers for that money, instead of this unnecessary thing what i never wore and still not gave away, because maybe there will be a special occasion what never happened! I was not really angry about our friend, who also went out for drinking beer with us, just doing his job, but that a tourist "friend" help to cheat her "neighbors" was an interesting experience! But I made this decision by myself, knowing it might be to expensive, I am happy for this lesson without spending a real fortune. And I don't want to forget to mention the good help of her, finding the cheap youth hostel and for information. By the way it was the best trick ever - in my whole trip in India I never met on person who cheated me for more than a few euros or even tried it!With the idea in my head of working in India, i was surprised how easy it is, when I checked-in into the youth hostel in downtown two days later, when the receptionist asked me if I want to work for Bollywood tonight. Of course I want, finding myself in a big bus full of young traveler, going to a shopping mall.
Since it is open on daytime, the mall is used in nighttime for making this Bollywood movie. A food for free and 500 Rs, it was a long night waiting for the 2h scene, a good, not-to-miss experience and exchange with others about traveling. And for people who think they abuse for such movies foreigners to get to see more skin - it was not in my case - I rather removed my two wool pullovers, which I had to wear, every free minute ;-).
But once is enough, it was the end of my artistic career and also the end of the idea of working in India: India is cheap, and a lot of people sleep in the streets, to do charity work is possible, but still you have to come up for your costs of living yourself - so from the money's and my ego's point of view, its better just to travel and see the country.
With Chris from the U.S. and Seth from the U.K., Fiona, Ger and me checked out some places in Mumbai,
and had one or two Kingfisher (beer)
what lead us rather out in the "inward coming" sea instead of Honkong or Singapore.
Time passed, people went, whilst I never thought about what to do in India, I was still tired of sightseeing of the last months, and still no idea of this country, no places where I really wanted to go ..., I found a good friend in Chris, who also stayed longer in Mumbai and had no plan what to do with his time in these days ;-)
So looking for good views on Mumbai's roofs, seaching for a real coffee and following the "Sons of Anarchy", we shared a nice time. There are a few pictures of Mumbai, the different suburb, the beach and the people:
Not only we tourists are interested in taking pictures of local people, also we seem to look very good on especially indian cell phones *g*
On the beach, everything is here to enjoy the time. Food, pop corn, ice cream, drinks, carousels - running per man's (hand) power not by electricity - first to get used, but later a really nice place to hang out between colours, sounds, kitsch and rubbish with begging people sitting hours quietly on your side.
Elephanta island:
After 4 weeks, I finally bought one Lonely planet guidebook and made my way out of Mumbai in direction to the "real" India, just out of the big town, to the little town Nasik.
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