Bombay

Yup, Bombay. Folks, there's just no other city like it. That's one thing that's become very clear after coming here. When you are in a country where a car is not a luxury, but a necessity, and the public transportation in all places ( save NYC) is minimal to non-existant, you really miss Bombay. Especially in Texas, where everything is far far away.

When you are in Bombay, you complain about the heat, the bad roads, the annoying taxiwallahs, the overcrowded buses and trains. When you are out of Bombay, you complain about the lack of: heat, bad roads, annoying taxiwallahs, overcrowded buses and trains. (OK, so I exaggerate about the road aspect). You got an urge to see the gateway and you're stuck at Borivali, no problem - u'll be there in a jiffy. No such thing here - spontaniety is something that needs to be carefully planned out.

The funniest thing is the loose use of the term "city". Atlanta, Austin, Houston, Dallas, etc are all "cities". I guess I need to switch to Miriam Webster instead of Oxford!

So, folks, India may well be only a state of mind, but Bombay - ah - there's no place on Earth that'll ever be like it!