I'm here!

Namaste! I arrived in Mumbai last night just before 11:30pm. That's earlier than I usually arrive by a couple of hours. It made quite a difference in how quickly I was able to get through immigration and baggage claim. It was a speedy process and I was waiting to be picked up shortly after midnight.

Dinesh was there to collect me. It was wonderful to be greeted by a familiar face. Dinesh is my usual driver for day trips and longer drives. We've created some fun memories together over the years. I was happy it was Dinesh picking me up instead of his employee, Jagan. You may recall that Jagan left me stranded at the airport upon arrival last trip because he was sleeping. Dinesh's English is quite good and we chatted on the two hour drive to Ganeshpuri.

He dropped me at Yogini's house around 2:30am. I was disappointed that I wasn't in my usual room. There are several people from Australia here on retreat and they are staying at many of the guesthouses in town. Including Yogini's house. Including the room I usually stay in. I was getting a little twisted up about that as I laid there in bed last night. Then I decided to keep an open mind. I reminded myself that there could be things about that room I like better than my usual room. Change is good, especially when it's a little uncomfortable.

Speaking of change, there are new people working at the house. Pushkar, the chef and house manager, is no longer there. He has been replaced by Ram, who was a chef there during Yogini's time. His brother, Prakash, is helping with the cooking. Apparently, he's a professional. He made me a delicious breakfast of Methi Paratha with homemade yogurt and fresh coffee. Paratha is a Flatbread and Methi is fenugreek leaves. Yum!

Now I'm back in Dinesh's car on the way to Virar. Virar is a small city about an hour from Ganeshpuri. There's a Western Union there where I exchange my money. There's also a store called D-Mart. It's like an Indian Walmart. We may be stopping there as well. I'm glad to have these errands taken care of so quickly. When I get back to Ganeshpuri, I can focus on settling in. And getting to the temple. And seeing my friends. More to come...