We have finished our period of hotel living as we made the move to our new apartment last Saturday. I've been rather slack at updating this blog since then but do have an excuse; setting up an Internet connection in the flat has been a challenging process (more below).
We were sad to check out of the hotel but more than ready to leave in the end. We bought a fancy cake from a nearby bakery to say thank you to our lovely housekeeper although this turned out to be slightly complex for him to accept. I had to fill in a form and provide lots of signatures as proof that he hadn't stolen it and so could take it out the building! Checking through a 30 day bill to strip out things that we should pay ourselves was also a bit of a mission, Phil delegated full responsibility to me to sort it out.
On the day of the move, it comprehensively chucked it down. This continued on Tuesday and Wednesday last week (over 20 cms rain in 24 hours), causing widespread disruption and flooding in Mumbai. This didn't impact us too much though we've had various people trooping through the apartment since last Saturday sorting little niggles out. Jobs completed so far include full pigeon netting fitted around the balcony (birds are a menace and cause a big mess in the city), plumber for washing machine, carpenter fitting cupboard door handles (which had bizarrely been removed), men to fix damp patch on kitchen ceiling (common in monsoon) and numerous Internet men / electricians to install a fibre optic Internet connection. A common theme in India is that large numbers of people seem to be thrown at tasks to get things sorted, and getting most things done ends up being a lot more complex than you expect!
All this leads to having lots of people around in the apartment though most things are sorted now. Our man CK has helped with a lot of this which has made our lives easier.
By far the most vexing aspect has been setting up our Internet access. Although we initiated this process a week before moving into the apartment, we've only just got a wired internet connection and are still battling with sorting out the wireless. This has been hard for Phil has he's had to move around finding wifi elsewhere. We joined a small club near our apartment last week which has free wifi which helps, though the only place that it is strong enough is in the snooker room, so Phil's had an unconventional workplace for the last few days!
The club that we've joined is very close to us and has the gym and swimming pool that we have been looking for. Although I've never been a gym goer, it's now become a health necessity given that we get very little exercise any other way (and are eating a load of Indian food). Added bonuses in the club are a cafe, restaurant, bar and snooker room mentioned above, which has two full size tables and a man who does the scoring. We played our first full game of snooker last week and plan to make a habit of it.
Our apartment is close to the action in the heart of Bandra. There are lots of shops and restaurants within a short walk and we're only 5 minutes drive from my office. My journey to work is significantly shorter than my previous London to Cambridge commute!
We currently have temporary furniture in the apartment as ours hasn't arrived yet. We'll make it much more homely once our things arrive. As mentioned previously, we've got plenty of space for visitors, so are hoping for lots!
One consequence of not having our shipment has been that we've been forced to eat out, given that we haven't got anything to eat off or with yet! That's not strictly true, we've bought 2 bowls, spoons, knives and forks, but that doesn't cater for much other than breakfast (though we've found great local yogurt for that).
We've some great places already including ELCO, a cafe serving fresh chaat and South Indian food. It's basically street food but without the health risk (worst in the monsoon) and a fab place to try lots of Mumbai classics. I loved it and, having had my first taste of pani puri, pav bhaji and bhel puri, I'll be going back for more.
Another highlight is a cafe / bakery called Eat Around The Corner, where Philip nearly broke his stomach on a giant slab of red velvet cake.
I managed to order pizza on the rainiest day although making myself understandable over the phone was a mission. The best way to make myself understood seems to be to put on an exaggerated Indian accent which must be very funny to bystanders. The pizzas did get to us eventually, though after several calls from the delivery man who kept putting me on the phone to passers by on the street to translate directions.
Overall, we're really pleased with apartment though will be happier when our things arrive. Further, Indian apartments get dirty very quickly. We are meeting a potential cleaning lady tomorrow who we hope will be able to start soon.
We were sad to check out of the hotel but more than ready to leave in the end. We bought a fancy cake from a nearby bakery to say thank you to our lovely housekeeper although this turned out to be slightly complex for him to accept. I had to fill in a form and provide lots of signatures as proof that he hadn't stolen it and so could take it out the building! Checking through a 30 day bill to strip out things that we should pay ourselves was also a bit of a mission, Phil delegated full responsibility to me to sort it out.
My attempt to strip a month's worth of alcohol out of the bill
On the day of the move, it comprehensively chucked it down. This continued on Tuesday and Wednesday last week (over 20 cms rain in 24 hours), causing widespread disruption and flooding in Mumbai. This didn't impact us too much though we've had various people trooping through the apartment since last Saturday sorting little niggles out. Jobs completed so far include full pigeon netting fitted around the balcony (birds are a menace and cause a big mess in the city), plumber for washing machine, carpenter fitting cupboard door handles (which had bizarrely been removed), men to fix damp patch on kitchen ceiling (common in monsoon) and numerous Internet men / electricians to install a fibre optic Internet connection. A common theme in India is that large numbers of people seem to be thrown at tasks to get things sorted, and getting most things done ends up being a lot more complex than you expect!
All this leads to having lots of people around in the apartment though most things are sorted now. Our man CK has helped with a lot of this which has made our lives easier.
Our man CK
Pigeon man on balcony
Makeshift plug for drill used by pigeon net fitters in the middle of monsoon. This is India-does-health and safety
Q: How many men does it take to puzzle out one internet connection (on third house visit). A: More than four given that it's still not fully working...
Phil's rather pleased to find that we've got access to a roof terrace
The club that we've joined is very close to us and has the gym and swimming pool that we have been looking for. Although I've never been a gym goer, it's now become a health necessity given that we get very little exercise any other way (and are eating a load of Indian food). Added bonuses in the club are a cafe, restaurant, bar and snooker room mentioned above, which has two full size tables and a man who does the scoring. We played our first full game of snooker last week and plan to make a habit of it.
Big Break
Our apartment is close to the action in the heart of Bandra. There are lots of shops and restaurants within a short walk and we're only 5 minutes drive from my office. My journey to work is significantly shorter than my previous London to Cambridge commute!
We currently have temporary furniture in the apartment as ours hasn't arrived yet. We'll make it much more homely once our things arrive. As mentioned previously, we've got plenty of space for visitors, so are hoping for lots!
One consequence of not having our shipment has been that we've been forced to eat out, given that we haven't got anything to eat off or with yet! That's not strictly true, we've bought 2 bowls, spoons, knives and forks, but that doesn't cater for much other than breakfast (though we've found great local yogurt for that).
We've some great places already including ELCO, a cafe serving fresh chaat and South Indian food. It's basically street food but without the health risk (worst in the monsoon) and a fab place to try lots of Mumbai classics. I loved it and, having had my first taste of pani puri, pav bhaji and bhel puri, I'll be going back for more.
Pani puri (foreground) and bhel puri (background)
Same in reverse. Pani puri under construction.
Pav (Pau) Bhaji
Dahi (yogurt) Aloo (potato) something
Street stall outside the restaurant
Another highlight is a cafe / bakery called Eat Around The Corner, where Philip nearly broke his stomach on a giant slab of red velvet cake.
Tasty cake in western setting (though with western prices...)
I managed to order pizza on the rainiest day although making myself understandable over the phone was a mission. The best way to make myself understood seems to be to put on an exaggerated Indian accent which must be very funny to bystanders. The pizzas did get to us eventually, though after several calls from the delivery man who kept putting me on the phone to passers by on the street to translate directions.
We didn't eat all of it...
Overall, we're really pleased with apartment though will be happier when our things arrive. Further, Indian apartments get dirty very quickly. We are meeting a potential cleaning lady tomorrow who we hope will be able to start soon.
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