The Treasure Hunt of an Antique Dealer

When I came to Mumbai last time, I found that the main entrance of the Taj Mahal Hotel is very unique, not facing the sea in the east, but facing the city of Mumbai in the opposite direction to the west.

India is a country in the northern hemisphere. It is simply anti-human to adopt such a direction to build houses. Even if Mumbai does not lack light, it is still a bit confusing to build houses facing west.

The gate faces west, whether it meant that British colonists who did not enter India by sea were not welcome at the time, or it was said that the construction team had reversed the designer’s drawings, or that the guests who came here did not blow the sea breeze—no matter what kind of The reason is that the design of the front door of this hotel is absolutely different.

The second time he came here, Zhang Nan also learned more about this legendary hotel: there is no one of the most luxurious hotels in India, and this "Taj Maha" comes from Arabic, meaning "place where the crown is placed." , And the famous "Taj Mahal" has nothing to do with it, so you don't need to be frightened.

The Taj Mahal Hotel is just an error.

On this trip to Mumbai, the Taj Mahal Hotel was where Zhang Nan and his party stayed. Because Mumbai is only the window of the Manu-Jain family to the outside world, their base is in their hometown in Gujarat, so they stayed in Mumbai (just staying). It’s not even a home.) It’s an entire one-story apartment in a high-end apartment building.

The house is expensive, but it is not suitable for entertaining guests.

Rich Indians like friends to live in their own homes, but in Mumbai, Manu can’t invite VIPs to the wedding to live in his "stay". His family has a huge estate in the suburbs of Mumbai, but Manu can’t let his own. Of guests live with their in-laws.

Fortunately, there is Taj Mahal Hotel in Mumbai!

It may be impolite to let the VIPs who come to the wedding stay in other hotels, but it will not be impolite to arrange at the Taj Mahal. Even if the President of the United States or the Queen of England comes, it will not be impolite, because this is the Taj Mahal. The crown and legend!

Of course, Manu Jain has invited Zhang Nan and his party to visit his hometown in Gujarat in the northwest after attending the official wedding the day after tomorrow, to truly do the friendship of a landlord.

Zhang Nan happily agreed, and after going to Gujarat, which borders Pakistan, he had to go to the Warma home in Kerala, the southernmost part of India, to be a guest again.

Not for anything else, just to hunt tigers again.

......

Last time I entered the hotel from the main entrance on the west side. This is interesting. The convoy stopped on the side of the road on the sea side. Before getting off, I saw a few Indian police officers holding long sticks standing on the road maintaining the order. Armed police led by old acquaintance Singh.

But don't improperly arm the policeman driving the bull-stick. With these guys, the low-caste Indians dare not approach it at all.

Because there is a sidewalk on the side of the road near the sea, many dark Indians are standing there watching the excitement: those tourists dare not come over, not only because the cattle-driving police are there, but also because the roots are fixed one by one. The rope on the lamppost separates the Indians from the road and the legendary hotel in their hearts.

Class, in other countries, as long as you don’t dress like a beggar, you can’t live in this five-star hotel. You can go in and stroll around, get air-conditioned, take a break, and borrow a bathroom. No one will take care of you.

But not in India. Many tourists on the other side of the road will think: "When I get developed, I must go to Taj Mahal."

Thinking like this may be a worker in a regular company, a small foreman in a factory, a small businessman with a little money, a small civil servant from a small place...

In other countries, these people can enter the hotel, but not in India-it is not that the hotel security does not allow you to enter, as long as you are neatly dressed, the security will not stop you, but this is the class concept in the bones of Indians.

Just watched from a distance.

As for the low castes and untouchables, even if it happens, oh, it is a million one developed, I dare not enter Taj Mahal!

A very interesting scene, but in the eyes of Indians, this is all normal. Three brothers think that "you guys gringles think our system is weird" is a strange thing!

When you stop, get off the car. Zhang Nan’s two flesh-shield bodyguards, the Mark brothers, blocked the sight of the east side like a gate. Zhang Nan took his daughter and looked at the hotel in front of a door on the first floor of the main building. Small double-open glass door with copper pillars.

A long red carpet was spread directly into the main hotel building from the door. Tom Jackson, his housekeeper, and several hotel management staff in suits waited in and out of the stilted doorway.

Charlize Theron, Swarzenegger, Nicole Kidman and others who have also got off the bus also think that such a hotel door is a bit strange, and it is indeed the first hotel in India, which is very famous in the Western world. incompatible.

Hollywood stars have never been here before, and don't know that the real door of the hotel is on the other side facing west.

what's the situation?

Madhuri Dixit, who was at the same station with Charlize Theron, just got out of the car and saw the doorway and the red carpet, and immediately whispered to the other people who came along: "This is a hotel..."

She is a native of Mumbai and a high-caste Brahmin. She is a family of classical dancers at home. She knows the inside story of Taj Mahal that ordinary people don't understand.

This is a good thing!

Seeing Zhang Nan at the entrance of the station seemed to feel a little bit, and did not immediately lift into the hotel, Manu and Davenlar-Valma were also introducing him.

The former smiled and said: "Ellen, this is the door that the Taj Mahal Hotel will open to welcome the most important guest. Of course, friends and attendants of the VIP guests can also enter from here, but they cannot enter and exit at will.

This time the door was opened for our esteemed Mr. Allen, the Chief of Botswana, because this is a festive event like attending a wedding. My daughter, son-in-law, and other important guests from the past two days also entered the hotel. Can enter and exit through this door. "

"The most distinguished guests don't go through the main entrance but go through the small door here. What is the rule?"

The roadside space is narrow. After the convoy stopped, there were only two lanes left, which was very awkward. And Zhang Nan was puzzled: What does this have to do with being the chief of the Tswa?

Still not leaving, I looked at the small doorway a few meters ago, trying to see something special. At this time, I heard Valmar on the other side: "In principle, this door is only opened for the royal families and heads of government. After the red carpet is spread, the VIP entering this door will not withdraw until the guest has left the hotel. Lose."

Valmar’s voice-over Zhang Nan understood: It’s similar to a Saudi prince who came to Mumbai to live in Taj Mahal. Before the Saudi prince left the hotel, even if the British prince arrived in Mumbai, he would never stay in this hotel. , Because it was only opened for the Saudi prince during the few days that the Saudi prince stayed.

Unless the two princes are here for the same thing, such as attending the same meeting, attending the same wedding, or the two of them are friends when they are sick, an exception will be made in situations like this.

If the king does not see the king, the privilege of opening this door will only be provided to one person within a certain period of time. When the others come and touch their noses?

Strange conventions have become commonplace, and I don’t know who is the first to make these rules.

Then I thought: maybe it wasn't important enough to come by myself last time, so I didn't go in and out through this door myself.

After listening to Valmar's words, Zhang Nan said to him with a little doubt: "I, the chief, is a royal family?

Davinlar, are you a member of the royal family?"

Upon hearing this, Davenlar Valmar smiled and said: "I can walk through this door, but this time you are the guest of honor, and this door is opened for you this time.

Manu took almost the entire hotel for a week. Starting today, the door will remain open.

Besides, Ellen, you are a crew member of the Botswana Chiefs Council. According to Indian tradition, you are a real royal member. In the old days of India, you were a real local prince. "

Okay, I became a member of the royal family, what is this called?

Members of the royal family, listening to such a decadent aura is pungent.

In fact, when he was in the car just now, Manu Jain said that Zhang Nan had been arranged for Zhang Nan's Tata suite, which made him a little depressed!

Why?

It turns out that the presidential suite I stayed in last time was not the best suite in this hotel at all. Perhaps the Tata suite had been booked in advance by others, or some VIPs who walked through this door.

Even if the suite that costs $10,000 a day is unoccupied, it is possible that the time you booked for check-in did not exceed the time that the previous guest left the hotel for 3 days.

Very strange regulations!

After each guest in that suite, starting from the day the guest checks out, it takes three days for the hotel to thoroughly clean and decorate it to ensure that the suite is flawless.

When a new guest checks in, there can be no other smell in the whole suite except for the smell of fresh flowers!

In Taj Mahal, the Tata Suite is the most upscale. The founder of this hotel is Jamsetji-Tata, and the suite is named after him.

Which buddy named Tata was said to have been severely irritated for a while in the hotel when he was alive: Once he and his British friends went to another hotel near the current Taj Mahal for tea, but Jam Shetji-Tata was driven out mercilessly by the British-owned hotel.

Because he is an Indian!

Discrimination against "dogs and Indians" was everywhere in colonial India.

At that time, Tata was already a very successful entrepreneur in India, and he was fully qualified to be respected by people. After this time of severe humiliation, Jamsetji-Tata did not intend to create the British opposition. Instead, he made up his mind to build the most luxurious hotel in India, and he succeeded.

A year before his death, the Taj Mahal Hotel was put into use, and it was still a hotel open to Indians.

The royal family is the royal family. In the northern part of Botswana, Zhang Nan seems to be no different from a local emperor. The actual power and prestige are already above the local king, but he didn't want to completely take others away.

Come in, but before walking into the special door in front of you, Zhang Nan asked Manu one last question: what kind of plane is this hotel, and why should this VIP door be arranged here!

This position looks awkward.

"A legend, but it should be a fact. When King George V of England and Queen Mary arrived in Mumbai in 1911, they entered the Taj Mahal Hotel through this door because George V refused to enter the hotel through the west gate.

The hotel does not welcome British people from the sea. With his back to India Gate, King George V wanted to enter Taj Mahal from the east. "

Okay, this is a legend, but it is very likely to be true, otherwise any brain-dead hotel will leave such a weird regulation and tradition.

I really don't know how long the brain circuits of Indians are. If Zhang Nan was the owner of this hotel, he would have sealed the door long ago, and he would definitely not leave it as an eye-catcher.

But Zhang Nan is not Indian, so there is no pressure to enter through this strange door.

It's been long enough, let's go in.

Upon entering, a middle-aged Indian in his forties welcomed Zhang Nan and others to stay at Taj Mahal on behalf of the hotel. This person Zhang Nan had the impression that he had appeared when he came here last time and was the general manager of the hotel.

The hotel puts on such a welcoming posture, it can't count as if you walk in mightily, because there is still a small ceremony to welcome VIPs to go through.

But it was strange that the general manager warmly greeted him for a handshake last time when he welcomed him, but this time he paused and stretched out his hand after Zhang Nan extended his hand.

Same as the others, or Mr. Manager, reach out first...

Oh, it seems that there is another Valmar who is also treated like this, and the descendants of Tuwang seem to be used to it.

Zhang Nan’s reaction was not slow, and he knew what the reason was: Interesting, he became a member of the royal family in the eyes of Indians. According to the rules of the decadent era, unless he stretched out his hand first, otherwise the hotel staff could not treat himself. The first to reach out is to be rude to the royal family.

After the handshake is the offering of flowers, each guest wears a wreath made of flower petals around his neck. Fortunately, this is a very westernized hotel. Otherwise, according to Indian tradition, Zhang Nan will be the guest of honor, and the wreath around the neck will be thick. It's long, directly beyond the knee.

A middle-aged woman wearing a gorgeous sari dangled a metal plate with an oil lamp in front of her eyes twice. UU Reading www.uukanshu.com can also be regarded as a kind of welcome and blessing ceremony.

The bodyguards are not in this set. The hotel management is not so mentally disabled. The other guests are treated the same as Zhang Nan, that is, Madhuri Dixit is specially taken care of: a middle-aged woman wearing a sari is used on his forehead. Something like rouge is a little red.

Others originally had this treatment, but because just now when the saree woman wanted to point to Zhang Yuchen's forehead, she was stopped by Guan Xingquan on one side.

Don't touch all the messy things!

The passage is quite long, and there is a welcome item before entering the hall—a middle-aged Indian man in a red suit sits on a short table like a snake charmer, with more than 20 large and small tables in front of him. A small porcelain bowl filled with water, which uses two sticks to tap the edge of the bowl to play nice music.

After listening to Manu's introduction, this is the Jatelan Music Bowl, a traditional Indian music art, played only on important occasions: a group of Americans felt so surprised, but Zhang Nan, the guest of honor, didn't feel it at all, so he praised it courtesy.

Xiang Weirong and Guan Xingquan knew the reason: it was just a small way to control the scale by water consumption, and they didn't want to think about who invented porcelain.