Back to the Rock
There is always a little anticipation about getting back on the rock after not having climbed for a while. It had been several months since our trip to Badami and, despite my best intentions, I hadn't done any climbing on my last visit to Thailand. There is the normal performance anxiety over how much you have regressed since your last outing but in Mumbai there are other uncertainties.
For those of you who have read earlier posts, you will recall that to access the crag you need to walk through a recently developed slum. These people are new migrants to Mumbai and apart from those families who live on the streets, reside in the most basic conditions. Last year, I had noticed a gradual encroachment up the hill towards the base of the crag. The leading edge was the cutting of trees and branches for firewood, following by a gradual progression of the open toilet followed by an expansion of the shelters. My concern was that the trees that shade the crag and make climbing in Mumbai possible had been stripped back.
The slum had certainly developed, with taps sprouting up in the narrow lanes that divide the structures. There was a new shop which was open at 7 am on a Sunday morning selling the basics to the community. Francisco who, like many single climbers, had not had breakfast or brought provisions for the morning. He decided to buy some supplies. Using his perfect "Kashmiri" Hindi he tried to buy some biscuits and water from the lady behind the counter. Unfortunately she didn't speak any Hindi, Marathi or English. Her son had a little English and we discovered that they were from Karnataka and only spoke Kannada. It reinforces that for many, internal migration in India presents many of the same challenges as international migration.
After our shopping we carefully navigated the toilet zone which, to my relief, was not as wide or had as many "land mines" as last year. Perhaps some communal toilets came with the running water and taps. To my surprise the foliage had grown back and the crag was still nicely shaded. Possibly due to the residents getting access to Government subsidised gas bottles. Who would have thought of subsidised gas as an environmental saviour.
As it turned out the water bottle purchased at the shop had a broken seal and anything more than a cursory inspection revealed water the colour of Green Tea with floaties. Not wanting to test the water from the new village taps and risk a stay in hospital, Francisco shared my apple juice poppers that I stole from kid's school lunch allocation. As to the other concerns about getting back on the rock, I was stronger than I thought although my finger strength needs more work and my finger tips need to harden up. Francisco enjoyed his first trip to the local crag and we are both looking forward to our next visit.
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| The new shop |
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| Life at 7am on a Sunday morning. Climbing is a ridiculous waste of time and energy for those struggling to feed their family |
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| Francisco climbing in jeans. Very 70's makes me want to pull out the hexes! |
After our shopping we carefully navigated the toilet zone which, to my relief, was not as wide or had as many "land mines" as last year. Perhaps some communal toilets came with the running water and taps. To my surprise the foliage had grown back and the crag was still nicely shaded. Possibly due to the residents getting access to Government subsidised gas bottles. Who would have thought of subsidised gas as an environmental saviour.
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| Crimping hard on the Grigri Route |
As it turned out the water bottle purchased at the shop had a broken seal and anything more than a cursory inspection revealed water the colour of Green Tea with floaties. Not wanting to test the water from the new village taps and risk a stay in hospital, Francisco shared my apple juice poppers that I stole from kid's school lunch allocation. As to the other concerns about getting back on the rock, I was stronger than I thought although my finger strength needs more work and my finger tips need to harden up. Francisco enjoyed his first trip to the local crag and we are both looking forward to our next visit.
