Author: Trips with James

Film/Theatre director-producer, teacher, author, traveler. Currently resides in Atlanta, GA.

LA Under Curfew Over Protests of George Floyd’s Murder

I was in the midst of publishing a blog about Los Angeles’ uncertain opening following the COVID-19 lock down that has been part of daily life in Los Angeles since March 15th. Yet the death of George Floyd and the resulting public outcry across the country for justice, the protests in many cities and the looting that has followed those protests cause me to change my mind on what I wanted to talk about.

The subject on everyone’s mind is the heinous murder of George Floyd that everyone in America has seen. While I know nothing of the city of Minneapolis or its police force or its racial history just watching a white man kneel on the neck of a black man for 12 minutes until he died tells me a lot. One of the other officers who was involved and fired is an Asian American. He is a person of color, yet he did nothing. It seems that the bond between police officers to back each other up outweighed their duty to protect the public at least in this case.  

(Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)

Los Angeles my home city is under curfew tonight. The entire city from Downtown Los Angeles all the way to Santa Monica is closed. The curfew started at 8:00 PM and will last until 5:30 AM on Sunday morning. There were fires at the Grove, a popular high-end shopping mal,l and looting and burning along famous shopping district of Melrose Ave. There were also reports of fires in Beverly Hills and in other parts of the city.  When the curfew started at 8:00 PM and for the next 2 hours you could hear police sirens going off in all directions and for some unknown reason also a tremendous amount of fireworks.

What follows are two completely different views of what happened at a protest rally at Pan Pacific Park near the Grove and the historic Farmers Market on Fairfax Ave between Beverly and 3rd. This is an old historical area that is going through many changes and now it’s a very upscale shopping area. Today it was the scene of a clash between police and protesters that ended up in police cars being set on fire and certain buildings being looted or also set on fire. At one time the police shot rounds of rubber bullets into the crowd to make them disperse.

The first voice you’re going to hear is from Godfrey Santos Plata, a Democrat running for the California State Assembly, District 53 in the general election this coming November 3rd. He was at the protest at Pan Pacific Park to be there in support of the protesters who he claims were incredibly well organized and peaceful until the police showed up. In a series of tweets on his site @godfreyplata, he wanted to talk about a few things that the public was not being shown by the mainstream media about what really happened at Pan Pacific/Fairfax rally. First that multiple families of murdered black folks were present, and the leaders of the protest did a roll call. And that #BlackLivesMatter co-founder Patrice Cullors gave a rousing and moving speech that was in no way inciting the crowd to violence.

Protest Downtown LA

Also, Plata pointed out that there were multiple groups of volunteers who were passing out free water to the demonstrators, and folks were reminding other people to continue to wear their masks. He further remarked that most of the homeowners in that area are white and they came out to honk their horns or pump their fists and to show support for the demonstrators.  There were many remarks online about the mayhem that was taking place in the intersection of Fairfax and 3rd where motorists seemed trapped in their cars. Plata states that the mayhem was actually demonstrators trying to direct the traffic where to go.

Finally it is Mr. Plata’s assertion that when the police began to shoot rubber bullets into the crowd, a cry went up from the demonstrators for all the white people in the group to come to the forefront to help protect the people of color behind them. And he says this actually happened. He goes on further to say that for all the anger and rage that the crowd was feeling, they basically had come there to support the other demonstrations that were going on in other cities and demand that killer cops be prosecuted and to defund the Los Angeles Police Department. In the Mayor’s newest budget, it has seen an extraordinary increase in the amount of funding that LAPD is to receive while the city is cutting back on housing and workforce development and education.

Again, this is all according to Mr. Plata who was running for political office In Los Angeles

Mayor Eric Garcetti setting curfew in place

Yet after four days of continuing violence and protests about George Floyd’s death, Los Angeles mayor Eric Garcetti had reached his limit. He requested that Governor Gavin Newsom send in the National Guard to help LAPD which had repeated clashes with protesters as they pillaged businesses and torched police vehicles.

The Mayor was quoted as saying, “The California National Guard is being deployed to Los Angeles overnight to support our local response to maintain peace and safety on the streets of our city.” The mayor had ordered a rare citywide curfew until Sunday morning.

(Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)

According to NBC Channel 4, referencing the same area that Mr. Plata was in as one of the hardest hit areas. The Grove which sits next to Pan Pacific Park is where hundreds of protesters swarmed the area and showered the police with rocks and other objects and vandalized stores. The mostly peaceful demonstration devolved when protesters set several Police Department cars on fire, broke store windows and climbed on top of a bus. Police used batons to move protesters back and shot rubber bullets to scatter the crowd.

The scale of the damage in Los Angeles has been compared to the 1992 Rodney King riots when over 1 billion dollars in property damage was done. Currently there’s no estimate about how many businesses have suffered damage during the protests but it’s clearly extensive.

On Friday night protesters rampaged through downtown late at night smashing windows and robbing jewelry and other stores and the police ended up arresting 533 people.

Mayor Garcetti initially imposed a curfew for downtown but then quickly expanded it to cover the entire city as the violence seemed to be expanding everywhere. The curfew is to last from 8:00 PM on Saturday night till 5:30 AM on Sunday morning.

Mandatory Credit: Photo by ETIENNE LAURENT/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

NBC Channel Four also reported that a large group of demonstrators actually entered the city of Beverly Hills and held a protest on Rodeo Dr, one of the most famous shopping streets in the world. Channel 4 says they were mostly peaceful and as you can tell from the photograph of the Beverly Hills protest, it seems quiet and respectful. Yet, in spite of that, social media has posted lots of video posts showing marchers chanting ‘Eat the Rich’ while a crowd broke into the high-end stores and fled with merchandise

As in Minnesota where the governor has accused out of state right wing extremists as the cause for the looting and violence in Minneapolis, California’s governor said that authorities were closely monitoring organized violent extremist groups who may be trying to use the protests for their own agenda.

“When the violence escalates, no one wins,” Garcetti stated. “I’m asking all of Los Angeles to take a deep breath and to step back.”

Let us all hope we do!

Los Angeles Is Closed

Living During Covid-19

Los Angeles is closed.

The mayor of Los Angeles closed down the city on March 15th, 2020. The governor followed the next day shutting down the entire state on March 16th, 2020, with a “shelter in place “order. Since that time all schools, restaurants and bars, churches, parks have been closed. The beaches are closed. Our famous hiking trails throughout Los Angeles are closed. All movie theaters, museums, any place where people would gather are closed. This is what it’s like living in Los Angeles, California, in the time of plague.  

When I first came to Los Angeles in 1984, it was already an overpopulated city. There were too many people, traffic jams, incredible air pollution, a growing homeless problem, and you had to add 20 minutes to any trip that you were going to take anywhere in the city just to be on there on time. But it was also the capital of filmmaking in the entire world and I wanted to be in the entertainment business, plus it had great beaches, incredible sunsets and that incomparably great weather.

Thirty-eight years later, it’s even more crowded. The traffic jams are even worse. You have to add 45 minutes to any trip that you’re going to take now. The pollution is a lot better, but our homeless problem has grown to such proportions that by itself is larger than most mid-sized cities in the United States. It’s still the movie capital of the world but there’s now five world class museums, two sports teams in every major category: baseball, football, basketball, hockey and soccer. And still we have those incredible beaches and sunsets, and still enjoy the best weather in America.

But Los Angeles is closed.

I’ve been sheltering in place since March 16th. On the 15th, two days before Saint Patrick’s Day, I went out to an Irish bar and had a Guinness while sitting in the most distant corner of the bar to keep social distance between myself and others. Other than going to a grocery store or a pharmacy that’s the only human interaction I’ve had since March 16th. I have a roommate, so I have someone to talk to. But I can’t imagine what it’s like for people who lived by themselves and can’t venture out. Humans are made and programmed to be around other humans and to not have any human contact is almost inconceivable.

Few days ago, I was allowed the opportunity to take a Corona virus test. The week before I had reached out online to the testing authority here in Los Angeles to see if I had symptoms of the virus, and I was told that I didn’t and stay home. But then I was contacted by them because I fit into a certain age category and have an underlying health condition. They allowed me to come be tested. It was very strange as the photographs show. It took place in a large parking lot of a church. Everyone was dressed in hazmat suits and you were told to roll down your window just a little bit so they could slip you a test kit. No one personally tested me. Those photographs or videos that you see on the television or online of someone sticking a swab up another person’s nose didn’t happen for me. What happened was they gave me a plastic bag with a swab inside of it, a small vial filled with a toxic liquid, a list of instructions and two smaller plastic bags. The man who handed it to me at the side of my car told me what I needed to do. Then he asked me to repeat it back to him, and then he told me the instructions one more time. At that point, I was supposed to pull off to the side in the parking space and perform the test myself.

I was supposed to open the kit and take out the swab. Then I was to swab the inside of my mouth three times. Then I was to break the swab in half so it would fit into the small vial with the toxic liquid and close it. I was warned several times not to let this liquid spill on me. Then I was to take that vial and put it in the smallest plastic bag and seal it. Then place that bag in the next size bag and seal that one. And finally put that bag in the bag that the test kit came in and seal it. I was then to drive to the exit of the parking lot and throw the bag in a large container that had all the other test kits that had been used. That was 10 days ago. I still don’t have my test results. And I have my doubts that that is the most effective way to test people for coronavirus. What if they don’t understand the instructions? What if they get confused? What if they don’t do the test in the correct way? Don’t think that’s the most effective way to do it.  No human interaction whatsoever. Self-testing seems like it leaves a lot of room for confusion and improper testing.

Three days ago, I was so stir crazy that I decided to drive down to Santa Monica. Just to see what there was to see. Nothing. Empty streets. Closed stores. Hardly anyone on the street at all. The 3rd Street Promenade and Santa Monica Pier were completely closed and empty of anyone. Standing on the cliffs overlooking Santa Monica beaches, they were completely empty.

There was a movie that came out in 1959 or 1960, that I remember seeing as I was growing up. It starred Gregory Peck, Ava Gardner and Fred Astaire. It was called On The Beach. It was based on a controversial book that had come out in the late 50’s about a possible nuclear war that happens between the Soviet Union and the United States. The war happens and the fallout from the radiation kills everyone on the planet. Gregory Peck is the commander of a submarine that was at sea when the attacks happen and, they survive. The eerie scene of the submarine sailing into San Francisco Bay to find nothing. The city wasn’t blown up, it was just empty of people. No one there. Empty streets, empty buildings, just empty. And that’s what Santa Monica reminded me of. It was very spooky and eerie and unsettling.

What will life look like on the other side of this plague. Will we remember to be nicer to each other as we are now? Will we maintain the slow pace of life that we have managed to accomplish now? Will the pollution continue to get better because there are less cars and less movement on the streets now? Or will it return to the way that it was before with overcrowded freeways, and the hustle and bustle of a massive city.

Life will begin to return to normal. Movie theaters will open, churches will open, schools will open, restaurants and bars will open, and life will begin to return to something that resembles normal. The beaches will open. The parks will open. And there’s still the incredible sunsets and the beautiful weather. Right now that’s in the future and no one knows when that will happen.

Los Angeles lives one day at a time. Some people still go to work but many people have lost their jobs because film production is stopped, and the service industry of bars and restaurants have shut down. And the ripple effect has affected almost everyone that I know. Whether they are renters or homeowners or landlords or just regular business owners because all nonessential businesses have closed as well. Los Angeles is closed. And we don’t know when it’s going to reopen.

When it does, those of us that live here hope you come back because our city exists on tourism as a major source of our income. But will you want to come here? Will you trust that you can fly in a plane and not catch the virus? Will you want to be on the Hollywood Walk of fame with hundreds of other people, will you want to go to our fabulous beaches with hundreds of other people, or want to go to our museums, the 3rd St promenade, and the Santa Monica pier?

Los Angeles is closed. And the Los Angeles we used to know will be very different than the one that arrives when they finally lift the shelter in place order. And I wonder what that will be like?

We should be thankful all across the country for the men and women who work as doctors, nurses, EMT’s, grocery store clerks, people that restock stores, pharmacists and their colleagues in drug stores, Amazon drivers and UPS drivers, and the growing business of food delivery. All those people risk their lives every day being confronted with the possibility Covis-19. I don’t know that I could do their job. Yes, they’re making a living because they have to but they’re also brave. I really don’t know if I could stand behind a cash register as hundreds of people walked by me maybe with the disease or maybe not. The odds of not getting it are not Vegas odds, but they’re still not good.

In the meantime, please stay inside, when you go out wear a mask and remember social distancing. The reason that California, the most populous state in the United States, has some of the lowest Corona virus numbers is because our mayor and our governor got out in front of this and our curve is a lot lower than other places especially New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and Louisiana.

Be careful, be safe and stay healthy.    

Hosting in the Time of Corona

AirBnb hosting during a pandemic.

Yes, for those literary types who caught the reference, the title of this blog references the famous novel by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Love in the Time of Cholera. The title of this famous book references a disease but the term Cholera as it’s used in Spanish can also denote passion or human rage in its feminine form. Therefore, the title of the book is a pun: Cholera as a disease and Cholera as a passion.

For those of you that have been following this blog for a while, you know that I am an AirBnB host in Los Angeles. And in this time of Coronavirus and very limited travel, I decided to write about what’s happening to the hosting business in Los Angeles.

Hosting for me has been a passion and a way of life since 2011 when I joined AirBnB. And I was playing host to students from University of Southern California for five years before that. So, hosting for me has been going on for about 15 years. In that time, I have hosted over 300 people and have over 150 positive reviews and only two negative reviews. I was a Superhost for three to four years losing that last year when I canceled someone who I thought was a danger coming into my home.

Some of my best friends from around the world I have met through hosting. Some of the people that I have hosted in my home, I have ended up staying with them when I traveled to their country, and conversely, people that I met while traveling have come in stay in my home when they’ve traveled to Los Angeles. My marriage which is now ending unfortunately was also a happenstance of my hosting a woman from Denmark and we ended up being married for five years.

For the first time since somewhere in the beginning of 2012, my rooms are empty. I have always been full since that time. I have 4 bedrooms and a guest house and an apartment which I converted from the former servants’ quarters in my large house in Los Angeles. I’m not wealthy. I bought a derelict house and have spent the last 19 years restoring it. It’s taken a lot of time, lot of effort and a lot of love. Working with AirBnB has allowed me to pay my mortgage and pull myself out of debt and repair my ancient home. For some of you around the world, this house would not seem old since it was built in 1904 but for Los Angeles which tears down everything after about 50 years, this place is ancient.

My 4 bedrooms are empty. The guest house and the apartment are rented to tenants thankfully at the moment, but the main house is empty. On around March 14th, the Mayor of Los Angeles and the City Council closed all bars, restaurants and gathering places. The only thing open are grocery stores, pharmacies and other essential businesses. All groups of 50 or more people were not allowed to meet and instantly all concerts and events and conventions that were in the Los Angeles area were cancelled. Within a space of three days all my business for March, April and most of May has completely disappeared. If you listen to the CDC out of Atlanta instead of President Trump, you realize that America is in very bad shape to meet such a pandemic. Believing the science more than I believe the propaganda, the experts are predicting that in Los Angeles, the crest will come sometime in late March or early April, if then. Erring on the side of caution, I’ve also decided to cancel any new reservations for the month of April because the coronavirus is just now arriving in Los Angeles in force. And we are warned that we will soon look like New York or New Jersey or Louisiana in terms of cases and rates of infection and community spread and rates of death.

So, for the first time in my hosting career I am turning people away. And part of me is very sad. But after living in a house full of strangers for the last 15 years part of me is also happy. For the first time the place is quiet. There’s no one around. I don’t have to be worrying about how much noise I make or if I can play billiards in the pool room downstairs past 11:00 PM or play the stereo loud. I’m here by myself. I’ve been self-quarantining for about 11 days and on certain levels I am extremely bored and stir crazy but on the other hand the peace and quiet is kind of nice. It actually makes me think that maybe I’m not going to host anymore. I might rent a couple of rooms to students from University of Southern California but leave the rest of the house quiet.

Hosting in the Time of Corona. It’s a time of reflection. It’s a time of sadness because I have friends who have already passed and many friends who are currently battling the disease. So far, I’ve been lucky. But that doesn’t mean that I will escape it. It’s just now cresting in Los Angeles, so the possibility of me getting it in the next few days or next couple of weeks is very strong. You can’t stay indoors forever.

Yet the peace, the quiet, the reflection and the time to myself has been very nice. So, here’s to the 300 plus people that have lived in my house. Here’s to the 150 plus good reviews that I’ve received for my work and allowing people into my home and treating them like family and friends. Here’s to nine years I have been an Airbnb host. I don’t know if this will continue. It takes a lot to operate a house this big – 6 bedrooms, three bathrooms, living room, dining room, pool room, guest house, an apartment and on and on and on. But I wouldn’t have changed the last 15 years for anything.

Please stay safe. Please stay healthy. Many people seem to take this virus as something that’s not really that important. You’re wrong. This virus is a killer. Most people won’t get very sick but those that do it’s a terrible way to die. Gasping for breath. My thoughts are with everybody around the world as we go through this world changing event. And my prayers are with those who are very sick or who have passed from this terrible disease.

Hosting in the Time of Corona. A life changing event for everyone and one in which the future cannot be known.

Be safe!

Mumbai and a Brief Journey Though India’s Past

The CSMVS or the former Prince of Wales Museum. Mumbai’s main museum.

It was my 3rd day in Mumbai And I was just starting to get used to the heat and the new time zone. However, a family emergency came up for Lubna and she was going to have to let me fend for myself. She offered me use of the family’s vacation home in Goa and I decided to take her up on that but for this last day in Mumbai she decided to take me to the most amazing museum.

The Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya, abbreviated CSMVS and formerly the Prince of Wales Museum

The Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya (translation: ‘King Shivaji museum’), abbreviated CSMVS and formerly named the Prince of Wales Museum of Western India, is the main museum in Mumbai, Maharashtra. Located a short distance from The Gateway to India, the museum is a wonderful introduction to the long history of Indian civilization. Containing over 50,000 examples of ancient Indian history as well as objects from other lands, these items are categorized into primarily 3 sections: art, archaeology and Natural History. Construction on the museum began in 1905 to commemorate a state visit by HRH George, Prince of Wales who would later become George V. The museum was renamed in 1998 after Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, the founder of Maratha Empire.

Inside the Museum

Yet, for a neophyte to understand India is almost impossible. First, the civilization is one of the oldest dating back 5100 years to around 3000 BC. During that time, they’ve been trading with the Middle East, the eastern coast of Africa, China and the islands of the South Pacific. They’ve been invaded from the Middle East and from Europe several times over. Layer upon layer of history, religions, civilizations, different kingdoms and cultures all stacked on top of each other and presented to you in one fell swoop, here is India. The sheer amount of information can be overwhelming. I read a few books about India before I came to help me understand a little. One of those books is called Land of the Seven Rivers: A Brief History of India’s Geography by Sanjeev Sanyal, published by Penguin Books; yet it wasn’t until I entered the museum that I was able to visually understand what the books had told me.

Situated on 3 floors are room upon room of ancient treasures featuring the different cultures and different civilizations that make up India’s rich history. Also exploring the different religions of Hinduism, Buddhism and Islam and how they all clashed and influenced each other through the ages.

As I noted earlier in this series the weather in Mumbai was extremely humid during my visit. The AC at the museum had a hard time keeping up with the heat, yet there are several locations throughout the museum where you can stop and get a refreshment including a lovely tea room where they serve an English high tea. After 4 hours of wandering through the width and breadth of India’s deep history I was exhausted, so we left to go get lunch in a cooler environment. Yet, I highly recommend the museum as a wonderful introduction to helping understand something of India’s amazing cultures and civilization through the ages.

The Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya Museum, 159-161, Mahatma Gandhi Road, Kala Ghoda, Fort, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400023, India.

Mumbai: Taj Mahal Palace and Tower Hotel

Not the Tomb!

Right across the street from the Gateway to India stands India’s most famous hotel and one of the grandest in all the world, The Taj Mahal Palace and Tower. It is a heritage, five-star, luxury hotel which is historically known as the Taj Mahal Hotel or simply “the Taj”.

View from Mumbai Bay by Yamini vijay lawhate

As you enter the Hotel, you’ll notice a high level of security. This is because the hotel was one of the main targets of the 2008 Mumbai attacks. There are high security bomb walls, and private security and metal detectors, but the way that they are disguised or woven into the fabric of the hotel you almost don’t notice them.

Lobby

Once you enter the hotel though you are overwhelmed by the level of luxury and sophistication of the lobby areas, adjoining hallways and restaurants and gift shops. This five-star hotel serves as a playground for the international rich and the rising young affluent Indian upper class. While outside the bustling streets are loud with the sounds of traffic and the crowds at the adjoining Gateway, inside you don’t hear a sound. The air is fragranced with a scent that seems to be a combination of Mandarin oil and the open sea. Everywhere is opulence. Huge crystal chandeliers, giant vases of bright colorful flowers and a sense of luxury which is combination of the British Raj and modern opulence. The people that populate this space seem to be as almost from another planet. Money seems to be no issue for them and there’s a sense that they live on an elevated plane far above most normal humans.

Giant Vase of Flowers

Yet for such a world-famous, five-star hotel and its sense of wealth and opulence, the price of a small room there is actually not that far out of reach. With a current exchange rate of 71.5 Indian rupees to one US dollar, the price for their simplest room comes in at around 302 US.

Staircase

Opened in 1903, the hotel has a deep and amazing history. Established and built by Jamsetji Tata, the founder of the Tata Group, one of India’s largest conglomerates, the hotel has played host to a wealth of royalty, political figures, and world-famous entertainers. King George V of Great Britain stayed there during his visit to India, the first British Monarch to ever visit India in 1911. American US presidents such as Bill Clinton and Barack Obama have stayed there. And rumor has it that in the hotel’s Ravi Shankar Suite is where the famous Indian musician taught George Harrison of the English group The Beatles how to play the sitar in 1966.  

Original view 1903

When it first opened, the hotel was the first in India to have: electricity, American fans, German elevators, Turkish baths and English butlers. Later it also had the city’s first licensed bar and India’s first all-day restaurant. Initially in 1903, it charged Rs 13 for rooms with fans and attached bathrooms, and Rs 20 with full board. During World War I, the hotel was converted into a military hospital with 600 beds.

On November 26th, 2008, the hotel became famous for another much darker reason. The hotel was attacked by a terror group, Lashkar-e-Taiba, which also targeted many sites in the Mumbai area resulting in the capture and death of many hostages. The final death toll of the attacks was 167 people. The casualties were mostly Indian citizens, although westerners carrying foreign passports were specifically targeted. During the three-day siege of the Taj Mahal hotel itself, the results were the destruction of the hotel’s roof and many of the public areas of the hotel. The siege was over when Indian commandos finally killed the terrorists barricaded in the hotel. At least 31 people died at the Taj. The attack on the hotel served as the subject of the 2018 movie, Hotel Mumbai starring Rav Patal and Arnie Hammer.

photo of ornate roof inside staircase

So if you find yourself at the Gateway of India, please cross the street and enter the Taj Mahal Palace and Tower. Wander around and treat yourself to a sense of luxury that you will not find in many places in the world. Even if you can’t afford to stay at the hotel, treat yourself to High Tea in the Sea Lounge. It will be a memorable experience.

lobby waterwall sculpture

Some facts come from Wikipedia and the Taj Mahal Palace website.

Kobe Bryant, Death of a Hero

The Greatest Laker!

The death of Kobe Bryant caught me completely by surprise. As I’m sure it did everyone. As a lifelong Los Angeles Laker fan even when the team was not doing that well, I have always supported the team and cheered on its heroes. Yet for me the biggest hero is not Jerry West, or Magic Johnson, or Kareem , or Shaq, the biggest hero is Kobe Bryant!

I happen to be in Africa the day when he had passed, specifically Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, and believe it or not, I had been to a snake farm that day and had actually seen a black mamba. It’s not a cosmic coincidence, it is just a fact. The Black Mamba is called the most deadly snake in the entire world, and actually, seeing a black mamba in person and knowing how deadly it is it made it all the more exciting. In front of me was a long powerful black snake whose venom could kill up to 10 men with one bite. That’s how strong its venom is.

And that night when I heard that he had died I immediately thought of that snake and Kobe’s nickname, the Black Mamba. And I understood the comparison. The snake is dark, powerful, silent and extremely deadly, and Kobe because of his determination, his will to win, and his desire to be the best that he could be made the comparison apt.

Kobe wasn’t always a hero. There was the rape charge that he bought himself out of whether he did it or not. It is not for me to pass judgement on him because I do not know what happened. Yet, the accusation remains and will tarnish his image and legacy forever. According to rumor, he wasn’t exactly the easiest person to get along with in the locker room or with his teammates. Yet he led the Lakers to 7 championship series of which they won 5. And that’s what we remember. The championships, the last-minute buzzer shots, and the drive to succeed above all else.

I will miss Kobe. He seemed to be turning into an excellent man. Loving father, husband, businessman, and Oscar winning producer. We will never know where his will to succeed would have taken him. My heart goes out to his family for the loss of Kobe and his daughter, and to the other eight people who perished in that crash.

Kobe and his daughter, Gianna.

Death of a Laker. Death of a champion. Death of a hero.

Rest in Peace!

Mumbai and The Gateway to India

and the Elephanta Caves

My second day in India my friend, Lubna had to go to work. I decided to stay close to home and walked the less than 1 kilometer to the Gateway of India. The gateway is located on the island of Colaba in an area called Apollo Bunder. Located at the tip of Apollo Bunder, the gateway overlooks Mumbai harbor which is bordered by the Arabian Sea. It is surrounded by a series of 5 jetties and is directly across the street from the Taj Mahal Palace and Tower Hotel. The gateway is synonymous with the city of Mumbai. Built in 1911 to welcome the King and Queen of England, this stone archway in Colaba is now a historic landmark. Since its construction, the gateway has remained one of the most visited sites in all Mumbai.

Gateway to India

The gateway was built to commemorate the arrival of George V, Emperor of India and Mary of Teck, Empress consort, in India on 2 December 1911. It was the first visit of a British monarch to India. However, they only got to see a cardboard model of the monument, as construction did not begin until 1915. Before the gateway’s construction, Apollo Bunder used to serve a native fishing ground. Its foundations were completed in 1920 while construction was finished in 1924. The gateway was opened to the public on 4 December 1924 by then viceroy, Rufus Isaacs, 1st Marquess of Reading. Following Indian independence, the last British troops to leave India, the First Battalion of the Somerset Light Infantry, passed through the gateway with a 21-gun salute, as part of a ceremony on 28 February 1948, signaling the end of the British Raj.

Gateway to India

The monument is built of yellow basalt and reinforced concrete. The stones were sourced locally while the perforated screens were brought in. There are 4 turrets on the structure of the gateway, and there are steps behind the archway that lead down to the Arabian Sea. The Scottish architect, George Wittet combined elements of the Roman triumphal arch and Islamic architecture. The harbor front was realigned in order to make an Esplanade, which would sweep down to the center of town. On each side of the arch , there are 2 large halls with a capacity to hold 600 people. Due to a lack of funds, the approach road was never built therefore the gateway stands at an angle to the road leading up to it.

Gateway to India

The gateway was the location of a terror attack on 25 August 2003, when there was a bomb blast in front of it. The force of the explosion, from a bomb in a taxi parked near the Taj Mahal hotel, reportedly threw bystanders into the sea.  Following the terrorist attacks of November 2008, which targeted the Taj Mahal Palace and Tower Hotel opposite the gateway, among other locations, the area has become more restricted. While still crowds of thousands gathered there each day at the gateway but police presence and security monitoring is much stronger than it was before 2008 .

Gateway to India and Esplanade

Another thing that you can do from the Gateway of India is to go to the world famous Elephanta Caves. Starting at 9:00 AM, each morning colorful double-decker boats leave one of two jettys that are connected to the Esplanade and they will take you on a journey into the past.

Boats to Elephanta Caves

The journey by sea takes 1 hour to reach Elephanta Island. The island is located in Mumbai Harbor about 10 kilometers from the gateway. The caves are a collection of temples predominantly dedicated to the Hindu God Shiva. The caves and the statues are cut from solid rock, and the carvings narrate Hindu mythology with large monolithic statues. The Caves are from a time when faith, mysticism and art reign supreme, when the challenge of carving out gigantic statues and caves were accepted as a blessing. Both of these serve as awesome and beautiful examples of Hindu faith, and a testimony to the hard labor and belief of Indian ancestors.

Boats to Elephanta Caves

There are 2 types of launch: Economy and Deluxe. One is large, the other is slightly smaller in size. Travelling by either carries its own fun experience. A ticket for the Deluxe boat is Rs.150 for Adult, Rs. 90 for Child (3 to 7 years) which includes a return journey. If you want to see the view from the upper deck, you have to pay Rs.10/-extra to the launch (boat) operator. Economy boat charges are Rs. 20 less being Rs.130 for Adults.

The first boat of the day is at 9AM; they may wait a little bit for more passengers, but they will pretty much leave the dock on time. A boat leaves for Elephanta Island every 10 minutes. Week days are less crowded than weekends.

Elephanta Caves

The island and the caves are a UNESCO World Heritage site. Some of the work dates back to the 2nd century BC but most of the work seems to have been done between the 5th and the 7th century AD. There is a historical park on the island which you have to pay a fee to get into. There is a tourist tax of Rs 10 for adults and Rs 5 for children. At the entrance of the park, one needs to pay an entrance fee, Rs 40 for Indian citizens and Rs 600 for foreign nationals. Your ticket will be checked by a security guard on entry to the site.

Artwork in Caves

There are five caves you can visit. You can also walk up higher on the Island, on Cannon Hill. There are 2 old cannons there and a view, but nothing else to see.

Elephanta Caves

Take lots of pictures and show them to your friends later. Beware of the monkeys that roam around. They are quite used to the huge masses of people, but they do not like it when kids and even pesky teenagers tease them by throwing stones or making weird noises and gestures. There have been many cases of people being scratched or attacked by monkeys in retaliation. If left alone, they will usually leave you alone. Try to keep with a crowd, especially if you have some packed food with you and want to have a picnic in the area.

It is advisable to take lots of drinkable water with you from Mumbai itself.

Boats to Elephanta Caves

The first boat leaving Elephanta Island for Mumbai is at 12:00 noon and the last one is at 5:30PM. If you are fast, you can take the first boat from Mumbai to Elephanta Island, visit all caves, go up to Cannon Hill to see the old cannon, come back to the dockside, and take the first boat back to Mumbai.

Next: Mumbai and the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel

*Some information taken from Wikipedia and local tourist guidebooks of Colaba.

INDIA – MUMBAI

Arriving in a completely new culture!

I had been invited to Mumbai by my very good friend, Lubna to spend some time with her and her family. She was going to show me around Mumbai (Bombay) for a few days, then we’re going to journey up to Goa. From there, I would go to New Delhi on my own to see the capital and Agra which was just a couple of hours away.

Signs in Engish and Hindi

I landed at Chatrapati Shivaji International Airport about 5 :30 AM in the morning. All airports are basically the same. Some nicer and some not so, but it is all about waiting for your friends to arrive or pick you up, watch your plane to takeoff or land. Lubna finally arrived about 6:15 AM and we grab a taxi to take us across the city to her enclave, Colaba.

Street parking in Colaba

Watching the sun raise on this mega-city of 19 million was amazing. The contrasts between rich and poor, old and new, and feelings of passage of great time, but the sense of now were exhilarating to me! May be it was the lack of sleep or just being overwhelmed by the fact I was in India. A 3000 year old culture, and I was going to try and understand it in 3 weeks.

Street life

As Lubna and I rode across the city toward Colaba at 6;30 AM, the legendary Indian traffic was not in full view, but as we arrived in Colaba, the city was waking up and the streets began to fill with people and traffic. Cars, scooters, trucks, vans, motorbikes and tuk-tuks everywhere. On a road with 4 lanes for traffic, Indians would have created 6 or 7 traffic lanes. I had never seen traffic like this. It made Rome traffic look tame. And it would be even worse when I got to New Delhi.

More parking nightmares

Colaba is a wealthy enclave of Mumbai filled with high-end shops, clubs, bars, galleries and it very popular with tourists. The Gateway to India, the Taj Mahal Hotel and the Prince of Wales Museum are located here. Colaba is also the art center of Mumbai, with all the major galleries and museums located in and around this area. As you walk around the area, the buildings are old with some dating back 200 years. But inside the many apartment structures that look run-down by modern standards are state of the art, very modern apartments and residences. This is like the Beverly Hills of Mumbai but older and cooler. The area is very high density with crowded streets and endless traffic, yet it maintains an old English charm mixed with a very modern feel as well.

Somehow everyone gets to where they need too.

Of course, this area had been settled by Indians for 100’s of years before the first Europeans arrived. They were the Portuguese who were very far ahead of the rest of Europe in acquiring colonies in Asia. The Portuguese had acquired these lands from the Sultanate of Cambay in 1534. They would hang on to the area until 1661 when it became a wedding gift to the English when Charles II married a Portuguese princess. Then it would leased to the British East India Company in 1672, and then become part of the British Empire when the East India Company failed in 1857. That is when the British Raj era started lasting until 1947. The name the Brits gave this area was Wellington Pier.

The Royal Bombay Yacht Club

As you walk around Colaba, the English influence is everywhere, in the buildings, in the architecture, and how the streets are laid out. And there is no place in Colaba that is more British in feel then the Royal Bombay Yacht Club. This was where I was going to stay during my visit in Mumbai due to a large family event happening at Lubna’s home.

Official Crest of RBYC

The Royal Bombay Yacht Club is one of the premier gentlemen clubs which was founded in Colaba in 1846. When people still traveled by sea, the Royal Bombay Yacht Club would have been one of the first buildings visitors spotted when arriving in Mumbai harbor. Today, the waterfront venue remains popular because of its old-world charm. This colonial relic of the British Raj oozes history with its high ceilings and geometric tiled floors, along with a strict dress code and facilities that include sailing, a library and a billiards room. The private club has a prime location beside the popular Taj Mahal Palace hotel. The lounge, where wooden fans whirr overhead and staff in mock naval uniforms amble in and out, is rarely busy. Thanks to a ban on mobile phones, the dining room is the perfect place to eat dinner. It offers uncomplicated Indian and Chinese fare, or traditional British dishes. A full meal with drinks will set you back just Rs750 ($12) per person. Members from other sister clubs around the world can visit on a reciprocal basis, including the East India Club in London and yacht clubs everywhere from Monaco to Hong Kong.

The club has an exclusive membership and offers chambers for residence overlooking the Gateway Of India, a bar, a lounge, a restaurant, ballrooms, a club shop, a library and members sleeping room, in addition to sailing facilities in the Arabian Sea.

Hallway outside my room

  • My room was like stepping back in time. I felt like an Indian butler was going to walk through the door with a pot of Earl Grey or Darjeeling tea on a silver tray at any second. With huge high ceilings and whirling fans and a tile floor, the room was cool and inviting. Of course, before the invention of air conditioning, this room would have been a sweat box during the summer months in India.

  • My bathroom was gigantic, easily the size of my kitchen in my home in Los Angeles. The rest of the room included a large sleeping area, a walk-in closet that you could truly walk into, and a separate seating area. The room must have been 500 plus square feet. Filled with old but very comfortable furniture, large windows including a balcony that looked out over Colaba but of course it was too hot to use the balcony as I had arrived during August right in the middle of monsoon season.

  • There was an ocean breeze coming into the streets of Colaba but it was still one of the most humid places I had ever been in my life. If it wasn’t for the fact that I was in one of the most interesting cities in the world, I don’t think I would have ever left the cool darkness of my hotel room. And at $80 US a day it was really a bargain. The service and the staff were excellent. I truly felt like I had stepped back into the early 1920’s and 30s.
My room! I never wanted to leave.

After I checked in at the Royal Yacht Club and put my luggage in my room, Lubna and I went for a quick jaunt around the streets of Colaba. I had a real Indian breakfast and was fascinated by the street traffic and crowds and the sense of age yet vibrant energy of Mumbai. However the jet lag and the extremely high humidity got to me so by lunch time we had retreated to the club room at the Royal Bombay Yacht Club where we had a delightful lunch and a couple of cocktails. After all that I was knackered so I took a long nap and got ready to spend my first full evening experiencing the Nightlife of Mumbai.

COMING NEXT: MUMBAI AND THE GATEWAY TO INDIA

How NOT to Fix a Broken Arm, Part 5

The journey ends!!

Staples in your arm to close the wound!

So we have reached the end! The operation is done and a metal piece has been placed in my arm and rehab starts. I could not embed this last video blog, but the link below will take you there with no problem.

Thank you for following me on this health journey of frustration and corporate mishandling. I hope I get my arm and hand back. Time will only tell.

Corporate villain here is AltaMed! I plan to bash them every chance I get. BROKEN ARM = 37 DAYS before operation! 4 WEEKS BEFORE REHAB STARTS. This the level of care that I get for 800 dollars a month for my policy. WTF? This system needs to be fixed.

https://www.facebook.com/james.carey.104/videos/10156425224386440/

INDIA NEXT!

Giant Budda Head outside the Indian National Muesum in Mumbai

How NOT to Fix a Broken Arm, Part 4

New stories of stupidly run health care in LA!

The operation was successful, but it did not stop my medical group from continuing to screw up right till the last minute! If it was not happening to me, it would be funny. You would not believe this stuff if was in a movie script.

new stories of stupidly run health care in LA!

Coming soon- India!

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