It's impossible to walk in a straight line in India. You can make a start on a pavement which seems in good repair, but after a few hopeful steps it'll either disintegrate into an uneven, stone strewn path, or your progress will be halted by a Tata truck parked across your way. Then there's the air conditioning units dripping onto the pavement, creating puddles in the dirt. And of course you can't walk along, head held high, looking at the wonderful sights because you might tread in something unmentionable (especially as cows and water buffalo wander freely along the streets, happliy munching on anything they can reach), so you keep your eyes firmly on the pavement ahead. Which isn't that interesting. Should you however look up, you'll immediately be accosted by any number of street hawkers, especially along the Colaba Causeway, a haven for tourists. "Madam!" they cry, "Please look at my trumpet/ telescope/ barometer/ gramophone player/ egg timer etc....". You'll be offered anything from gigantic balloons (and I mean gigantic - at least four feet long and a couple of feet across), bongo drums ("Very good price, Madam"), trips to Goa, free eye tests, clothes ("Good white shirt, Sir?") and sandals. Of course, as soon as you pay any attention, look vaguely in their direction, or, heaven forbid, make eye contact, then you're caught and dragged into their shop where they try and sell you things you really don't need or want and certainly won't fit in your rucksack! So - keep your eyes down and walk determinedly down the road... carefully avoiding the street kids who tug at your clothes, look mournfully at you and ask for money. But you have to resist these little urchins. They're part of the organised street gangs who send kids and women with babes in arms out to beg for them. "Nahi! Chalo!" (No! Go away!) seems to work pretty well and they wander off to try it out on some other unsuspecting tourist. We're getting quite good at avoiding all these things by now.
Today we set about the task of organising trains and accommodation for the six weeks from leaving Mumbai (on 6 Dec) to meeting up with our second tour party in Chennai on 17 Jan. To assist us in this task we've got the Indian Railways "Trains at a Glance" timetable, a map of the whole Indian railway network (well, who else but Clive would have such a thing), and our Lonely Planet Guide to South India. Accommodation is relatively straightforward, but we have to go back to the railway station to reserve berths on the trains, and it soon becomes apparent that the trains are pretty full so we can't always get on the one we've chosen. Then we have to go back and re-think the itinerary. This process takes much of the day, and we've only completed about four weeks. We need to clear our heads and return to the job tomorrow, so we walk to a cheap & cheerful nearby restaurant. But not in a straight line.