Shangri-La on so many levels

Ahh Sunday Afternoon. I trekked up the cities' Western Railway north to the Sanjay Ghandi Nation Forest and Big Cat Safari Area in Borivali Mumbai. For the Lion and Tiger Safari. A jungle in the City? No way! And its a big area on the map its huge. People even live in it, not quite indigenous but it's Mumbai, they have space issues!On the map it states, "Fairly Dense Jungle."

The transport costs to this area 35km from my abode ran a whopping $2.07. And that was about what is was worth.

I arrived and we all hoped into bus no.2, it was gift wrapped in chicken wire, and after a fairly technical 'Reverse Rolling Jump/Bump Start' we were off with a head bobble right through a doubled gated and guarded entrance. To my dismay(should've know) we roll upto a large caged area with a resting white tiger, then next to that was another caged area with a restless orange tiger(bengal?) Sweet Baby Jesus! Through another double gate and we were in a free roaming area, where we rolled up on two sleeping lions (about 8m away.) The attendant open the side doors to the bus for some of us to take photos free of the chicken wire foreground. Then he steps to the ground and chucks a few small rocks at the big cats, it rouses them for the pose and all the Indians moan with glee. The attendant returns and sees my big camera and starts poking me in the leg, motioning me to take a picture, and I just smile, REAL BIG. Because I am dying inside laughing, thinking to myself these are my people! Is that bad? I am a scumbag!

Seriously though; need to get rid of that old bag of Mickey D's trash in the car? No problem whoosh right out the window. Too much to drink, just stop and piss, ANYWHERE! Your food ain't sitting well? Or got the runs? Fuckin ditto! And my girlfriend is 20 and the most gorgeous thing I have ever set eyes on! I am investing heavily in India.

"Dart? There's no Dart in my neck! You're Crazy Man. I like you but you're crazy man. "*

Well the 21 st Century was knocking and it is now dragging the Indian community along with it ready or not! It's exciting, but so many moving parts! See you in Hell, Dino.

*Will Ferrell line from the movie Old Skool