Mumbai, India
By A.B. Dada
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I arrived back in Mumbai, India yesterday evening around 7pm India time (it’s 11.5 hours ahead of CST). My trip so far has been nothing short of fantastic, one of the best trips of my life, period.

It all started on December 24, Christmas Eve. Blondie and I hopped on a United 767 from Chicago’s O’hare to Paris, France (Charles De Gaulle airport). The flight was mostly on time, arriving just a few minutes late. United’s flight was decent, especially since we upgraded to Economy Plus seating. We’re business class fans, but we’re trying to be tighter on our spending due to the fear of a larger recession than even this contrarian expects.

Paris, as always, is a gorgeous town. If you visit, beware of the hawkers who come into the airport offering taxi services — they’re a rip off. We had maybe 10 hawkers bug us for a cab, but when we received our luggage and went outside, many official cabs are out there. The trip from CDG to Paris downtown wasn’t as bad as I had expected — about 40 Euros for a 40 minute trip. The dollar has declined so much in 5 years that this 40 Euro trip went from around US$30 5 years ago to US$60 now, without a change in the Euro price. Ugh.

Our hotel in Paris, France is my best kept secret about Paris that I will share. Only 1 block from the historic Arc d’Triomphe is a hotel that even the cabbies aren’t aware of: Hotel Du Bois. It’s on an alley street called Rue du Dome, but it really is on Victor Hugo Road. The hotel is tiny, with a gorgeous interior. It’s a half staircase up to get to the front door, and it’s VERY easy to miss. The cost? About 120 Euros a night at Christmas time. They have about 20 rooms, all with private showers, a great steam heating system, and a clean environment. Breakfast is continental style, and 14 euros more per person. It’s an old-fashioned hotel, but it’s perfect for those wanting to see Paris. 10 minute walk from the Eiffel Tower, 3 minute walk from the Arc d’Triomphe, 2 minutes from the Champs d’Elysees. Seriously, there is no better hotel for tourists. You won’t be unhappy.

Our 2 day visit to Paris was about one thing: acclimating to the time change. Paris is 7 hours ahead of Chicago, and about halfway to India. I recommend a short 1 or 2 day stop in the first leg of the trip to get used to the time zone change. We did some shopping (but not much, the dollar is wasted), drank copious amounts of coffee at a cafe on the Champ d’Elysees, and spent many hours in a wonderful bar/restaurant called Sir Winston’s, just 2 blocks from Hotel Du Bois. Food, clothing, energy, gas and anything important or unimportant is outrageously expensive here in Paris, based on US dollars. The dollar has plummeted so much that even cabbies won’t accept the dollar for travel, something unheard of for the last 80 years!

We left Hotel Du Bois for CDG airport on December 27th. Our trip to Mumbai, India is on my favorite airline: Emirates. Emirates First Class (which we did not take) has an actual ROOM for each chair, which reclines flat. You get total privacy. Coach is just fine, though. The service is amazing, with about 20-22 flight attendants on staff. They also have 2 managers (men) who manage each section. The seats are comfortable, and they have a fantastic interactive TV system: you can pause, restart, and pick from 500 channels of TV and movies. The movies are brand new, and you can watch them as you want. There is also a video game system that lets you interact with others. Radio is also available on demand, as is a huge catalog of CDs to listen to, again all on demand. The food is amazing, as well.

When you sleep, the overhead lights change colors through the rainbow to aid in your sleep. It definitely works. The duty free catalog onboard the flight is reasonable in price, unlike most airlines. I can’t imagine flying any other airline unless Emirates didn’t go to the destination. They’re expanding their market even further in 2008, which is exciting to international travelers.

Our Paris to Mumbai flight had a stop in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. As many readers know, I love Dubai. I considered moving there for a contract, and regret not doing so as it would have paid 200% more than expected. It’s a free market zone, with almost no taxes, regulations, restrictions, or controls. The city is booming, beyond belief. I saw Jews, Christians, Muslims, Hindus and Pagans in the airport in Dubai. The food was great, and cheap, too. The duty free shops are just amazing, with prices rivaling wholesale cost in America. The flight from Paris was about 8 hours, and our layover was only 3 hours, so we didn’t take in much of the airport, as we continued on Emirates, bound for Mumbai in only 3 more hours. The Dubai stop is a great chance to stretch your legs. One nice thing about Emirates is that they offer travelers an option to book a 2 day stop, with visa, on any trip through Dubai. For around $90 a day you get breakfast and a hotel, and the option is generally available on any trip through Dubai. We passed, as we had our plans booked every day in Mumbai.

The last 3 hour leg to Mumbai was also excellent, with a huge breakfast and more interactive television and video games. I watched about 5 Simpsons episodes (as well as the Simpsons movie) on-demand, and paused it whenever I needed to walk or hit the water closet.

Mumbai Airport is not the most modern airport in the world. In fact, it feels like something out of the 50s. Dirty, crowded, smelly, air conditioning not working, but it’s what is expected of one of the most populace cities in the world, with a government that taxes much, but gives little. The rest of this multi-part article will cover greater details on the trip so far, and how it finished.

We stayed 4 days in Mumbai, then took a fast flight to Goa, which is Paradise on Earth. 20km of beaches, Portuguese style living, siestas for 2 hours each day in the afternoon. We returned from Goa for 2 more days in Mumbai, another stop in Dubai for 3 hours, then 2 more days in Paris. Our arrival will be Tuesday/Wednesday in Chicago.

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