Return of the Khan

Another massive day here in Mumbai – we cannot be accused of not making the most of our time here! Once again, we have been touched by the people here and their generosity and kindness to our group of wayward travellers. In particular, we have to say thanks to the Magician Foundation (India) for the time we have spent together (today was our last day with the Magicians). They are doing incredible work, very similar to Khelo Rugby, in using engagement through rugby to encourage children to stay in school, practise good hygiene, and stay away from drugs and alcohol. Their efforts have come a huge way since we last visited in 2015 and they now influence over 1800 children with only 4 full-time staff. To hear more about their work, head to magicianfoundation.org

Like I said, we have had a big day so apologies for the late post. The YWCA receptionist has just switched off the lights on the hotel's Christmas tree so I think he is trying to tell me to go to bed. Upon telling him I've got to get a blog home to NZ, he was very understanding so in honour of him, here it is:

Wednesday 27 December

7.54am – All rooms received their 7.45am wakeup call from reception. Were they late? Did they mix up the digits 4 and 5? Who knows… but everyone was pretty happy with the 9 minutes extra sleep.

8am-8.45am – Today was the first time we made use of the free breakfast provided by YWCA and, while it was no Taj Hotel, it was good! Eggs made to order, fresh toast, and even some traditional Indian breakfast foods including upma.

9am – We met the fantastic Sancia Sequeria (our traditional guide in Mumbai) at reception and headed out on a tour of the most notable sights of the city. These included:

Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) – formerly known as Victoria Terminus, a historic railway station built with gothic architecture in honour of Queen Victoria's golden jubilee and featured in the movie Slumdog Millionaire.

Mani Bhavan Gandhi Sangrahalaya Museum – the house, now museum, that Mahatma Gandhi occupied during the focal point of his political activities in Mumbai between 1917 and 1934; a fascinating place which detailed his life and his famous messages, and even displayed letters Gandhi sent to Churchill and Hitler in 1939 urging non-violence.

Dhobi Ghat – the manually-operated central laundry hub that services the people of Mumbai.

Antilia – the family home of the Chairman of Reliance Industries (a massive Indian conglomerate). The building is the most expensive residential property in the world, valued at over $1 billion, and is 27 storeys tall. Resting alongside the world's most famous slum, Dharavi, there does not exist a greater symbol of inequality and this was not lost on our group.

Bakery – Sensing the boys' fatigue (it is been a huge few days here in Mumbai), Sancia took us to a local bakery to try an Indian take on breadsticks and puff pastry.

Dharavi Business District – the main industries of the slum are recycling (reported to employ 250,000 people) and pottery and we got to view both in action.

2.30pm – We arrived back at the YWCA and on Sancia's suggestion – this woman really is great – we headed to a nearby restaurant (Chikita) to enjoy an Indian version of fast food. Here chaos ensued when Nikau Reti-Beazley and Josh Roberts switched tables (can you believe it!?), meaning that the restaurant staff had no idea who had ordered what, sending the place into absolute pandemonium. The boys, too engrossed in their game of 500, demonstrated little sympathy for the distress they caused and have been fined accordingly.

5.00pm – The boys were given some time for a quick nap before we met our friends, the Magicians, again for some games at the Oval Maidan. These included touch rugby (of course), Indian bull rush, and a team-building game which required the group – linked in hands – to disentangle themselves from one another. Richard Boswell was heard squealing with glee during this particular game, I think because he has been wanting an opportunity to hold hands with his friends all tour.

7.00pm – After we had been trounced in touch again – Richard loved this one as well, explaining "I'm just a really tactile person" – it was back to the hotel for some quick showers.

7.30pm – Dinner and a movie is apparently Michael Derevianko's idea of an ideal date so that is what we decided to do tonight. Freshened up, we rejoined the Magicians and divided into groups to host them at a restaurant of their choosing. This country and this club in particular have been so good to us so it's only fair we go some way to return the favour, providing an evening that our friends would very rarely get the chance to experience. For us, as well, it served as a great opportunity to get to know some incredible people from an entirely different walk of life to our own.

9.45pm – The group and the Magicians convened outside the Regal Cinema for a 3-hour epic (excluding the intermission during and Indian national anthem preceding!) entitled Tiger Zinda Hai – Tiger Still Alive – the biggest thing in the Bollywood box office right now. And it had it all, consisting of gun fights, car chases, romance, comedy, good vs bad, and far too many scenes focusing on Salman Khan's muscles. The movie was entirely in Hindi with no subtitles and the boys were made to decipher the plot via the shouting and screaming crowd. I had the great privilege (or misfortune?) of sitting next to Will Pretty and can definitively say his whistles each time Khan flexed were the loudest in the cinema.

1am – With what Will described as "a film which took him on a journey through space and time" complete, we said our goodbyes to our friends the Magicians as this will most likely be the last time we see them on this tour. What an incredible few days it's been with these inspirational people.

1.05am – Everyone emotionally and physically wrecked after that thriller of a film, we trotted home and straight into bed, leaving packing ahead of our trip to Goa for the morning.

Thought – In interviewing for this programme, each of the boys was asked the same question: "imagine you are standing at a lectern and you have one opportunity to address the entire world. What message would you want to give them?" Interestingly, Mahatma Gandhi was asked the same question in his time and his reply was displayed in the museum today. It read "My life is my message." Gandhi worked for peace and non-violence in his time. While he is an immense/extreme example of dedication and solidarity, we all have values and beliefs that we hold dear. If your life was to champion one cause or one message, what would it be?

MVP – Ollie Schnauer. If there is one man in this group who enjoyed Tiger Zinda Hai more than Will Pretty, it is the man they call 'Brick'. Its brilliance is best conveyed by relaying some of his reactions: "Wowee, Katrina Kaif is just so amazing, isn't she?", "Is Salman Khan really 52 years old? He looks like an Indian Zeus!", "Oh, those two would just be so good together, wouldn't they?" But Brick's enthusiasm for great cinema is not why he is today's MVP. Nay, it was after the movie that Ollie earned this prestigious title. As everyone queued to say goodbye to their friends from the Magicians, Ollie – obviously inspired by the fiery romance he had seen on screen – audaciously went in for a hug with one of the female players, only to be met with… a high-5. In what can only be described as a moment as awkward and embarrassing as the John Key 3-way handshake of 2011, Ollie's heart was visibly crushed. I don't think it will but I hope this award goes some way to repairing the damage, mate. We're always here for you, MVP.

Tom​