While much more important questions about the implications of the terror strike in Mumbai will be debated by others, it is worth asking what some of the implications of the attacks could be for those of us Westerners who aspire as world-travelers.

The Hotel Sea Lord - always a solid choice

Last March, I had spent a few days in Mumbai, and the “hotel” I had stayed at was located just a couple
blocks from the Taj and the Gateway to India (where most of the camera shots of Taj were based). The terrorists’ targets felt a bit more personal for me, and this personal connection made the unfolding of events on the TV all the more engrossing and horrifying.

Still, though, I never felt the pangs of any “what-ifs.” If these attacks had occured during my visit, I would most likely have been far from any direct danger. While hundreds of Westerners (and Indians) were sleeping away in luxury a few blocks down, I was holed up on the top of five steep flights of raggedy stairs in a non-air conditioned two-bed room I was sharing with four others. There was one restroom for the entire floor, and if anyone in my group had never learned how to use a good ol’ “squattie” before, they certainly did by the time we left Mumbai.

Five flights of these might have had something to do with the rock bottom price

Besides adding serious flavor to our Mumbai adventures, putting us in contact with more interesting people (both locals and fellow backpackers), saving my already-thin wallet, and directly supporting a small local family-owned business, I can now add that our choice in lodging might have made us safer. The irony in this of course is that the common perception is the opposite, that the high tagprice at a hotel not only pays for luxury but also for security. With terrorism looking like it is more likely to expand across the globe than retreat any time soon, this conventional wisdom might no longer be quite as wise in certain areas of the world.

Of course, nicer hotels are probably better for those carrying anything super valuable. And one always needs to do the proper research on a budget hotel’s reputation and the safety of its neighborhood for foreigners. Having said this, I know that if I return to Mumbai, I am more likely to be staying in my Hotel Sea Lord than the Taj or any other 5 star lodging.

This is obviously not a time to be in Mumbai. But the Contemporary Nomads, Tony and Thomas, are there. Their blog is generally very good, but right now it’s a must read. From their latest post:

Two men wearing backpacks and armed with machine guns were firing bullets in all direction blasting holes in a car’s windows below me. The men were literally just meters below, I clumsily threw myself back into the hotel room, yelling to Thomas to hit the deck between the bed and the solid cement wall next to it. The entire time machine gun fire was continuing outside. Terrified that the men might enter our hotel, I crawled back to the door and locked it. I jumped up and quickly found the panel of switches next to the door and switched off our room lights and the TV as well as our air-conditioning system, so that it would appear that our room was locked and empty.

I wish the best of luck to Tony and Thomas, and hope that they can find somewhere good and restful after the adventure they are stuck in right now.