Exporing Vashi

Sunday is the only day we are not working here, and this is the first Sunday that I opted out of the excursions to enjoy a true day of rest. This also gives me time to finally update my pictures and blogs. Things are pretty quiet around Vashi (neighborhood in Navi Mumbai) today, despite an email threat about bombs if the Pakistani cricket team didn’t leave India. Mumbai was on the list of cities noted in the threat, and I just got back from the train station. Yeah, I like to live on the edge :)

Co-worker Brandon Penksa and I took a stroll over to one of the 2 malls that are within a mile of our hotel. The mall we went to was interesting, although unimpressive. Only a handful of carts were open, and virtually all of the stores had metal doors pulled down. It was difficult to tell if there were any shops at all. The mall seemed eerily abandoned as the number of security guards and janitorial staff almost outnumbered the visitors. The malls here have an interesting perspective on security. There are security guards everywhere you turn, but they don’t really seem to secure anything. Metal detectors greet you at the entrance, and cameras are not allowed (still can’t figure that one out). As we were walking into the mall today, I forgot about my camera and set off the metal detector. As I apologetically looked at the security guard and reached for my pocket, he simply waved me off and let me walk into the mall before I could show him what metal I had on my person. Nice security!