Ramadan Mubarak

... and a Happy Navratri, too, as the Gujurat government is wishing Muslims this year. We're sweaty (when we're not in a restaurant/shop/internet cafe/hotel with AC) but happy, and I think all looking forward to escaping Mumbai for Kerala.

We've done a lot in the last few days, been on a tour of Mumbai, bought tickets to Kenya (we hope! money has changed hands anyway!), bought more clothes and the girls have set up a beauty parlour just for us. We can have foot and head massages, facials, manicures and pedicures - all at a price of course!

I have managed to sleep last night but still woke up early raring to go and had to wait two and a half hours before the others were ready, can't wait 'til we are at the beach when I can just go for a walk and leave them to it. Can't remember when I last just felt like jumping out of bed in the morning - this IS what I came away for, to regain a sense of excitement and joy in life.

I bought a nice salwar kameez today (which I have on) and Melissa got a shop to empty its contents out for her before deciding she didn't like any of them! Rosa has finally bought some clothes - rather than just wearing the new clothes that I bought ...

I am having some qualms about the cheapness of the clothes and my bargaining has got softer today as a result. Up 'til now I haven't paid more than 80 rupees (about 1 pound)for any item of clothing bought on the street, but then I looked at a top and thought about the people growing and cutting the cotton, the people spinning, weaving, dying, cutting, sewing and embroidering the cloth and I thought how can I justify haggling hard to get the piece for such a low price. God, capitalism stinks! It's really hard to think about what the morals of it all are, and what an individual 'should' do. The same dilemmas come up around the beggars and hawkers. We sit in a nice air-conditioned coffee shop, drinking our expensive coffee(well actually really cheap to us - less that 50p for a nice latte!) and then we come out and refuse to give even a penny to the poor people outside. There are some beautiful kids around and I just want to cry at the lives that they are doomed to. I have given little bits of food to a couple of children - nuts and honey and plan to keep some in my bag for the regulars around here.

It was really interesting yesterday as we toured Mumbai in a car and drove past large slum areas, often slowly due to the traffic, and I really got to look at the people and (at the risk of sounding contradictory, hypocritical or naive) I was struck by how ordinary their lives looked. They were chatting, laughing, playing, lying around, working hard, frowning, smiling, looking happy and sad just like me. I am so glad that I don't have to live in such squalid conditions and that I get to live a longer and healthier life and don't have to physically break my body to keep my children fed and sheltered - but am I happier? Probably than many, probably not than many. The poor in China definitely look healthier but I'm not in a position to say whether or not they are happier - and what does that mean anyway. I know I'm getting all philosophical but, hey, I'm in India the land of ancient philosophy, mystery and contradictions - if you don't start questioning life here - where else? I'd probably better stop now though all the same.

We're off to Kerala tomorrow - hooray! Mumbai is fab but the beach will be very welcome.

It's strange not to be fasting this year over Ramadan, being in India and all but glad as the heat would make not drinking hard - thinking of all of you that are though, enjoy it and say a prayer for me.

- Heather