My main goal for today was to get a package shipped home. I found the post office without any trouble, but unlike the one in Calcutta there was no one to "seal" it there - they sent me to a tailor. The Indian post office will not accept a package unless it has been wrapped in linen and sewn shut. It took me a while to find the tailor, but on the way I was able to find a box and get the package ready. The tailoring took about ten minutes and the workmanship was very nice - kind of silly really. Back at the post office I relatively quickly got the package sent and by 12:30 was on the street again.
I spent the afternoon wandering around Apollo Bunder and Colaba. I really like Bombay - or at least this part of Bombay. The streets are wide and shaded by trees. The buildings are ornate and stylish - some maintained, some decaying. The people are friendly and it's comfortably western while at the same time being totally Indian. I explored the ferry docks around the Gateway of India and the surrounding streets. I looked at street stalls and went to a couple of the market buildings but there was no way I was going to buy anything immediately after sending a package! Especially when I realized that I had forgotten to send my guide book so now I have an extra heavy book to carry.
In the late afternoon I did a long internet session then went back to the hotel. I ended the night at the same cafe drinking beer, reading, and absorbing the atmosphere.
