The flies are disappearing...

Elephanta Carving [Enlarge & More]

I’m writing this from the comfort of my bed on the 0111 Konkan Express from Mumbai to Goa. We’re staying in class 1A, which is air conditioned and has reasonably private cabins with either two or three beds. So far the train journey has been ok, bar the usual train station scammers that you normally encounter – trying to extract money for every little thing!

Today was a good day. We checked out of the hotel at midday, and made our way to the India Gate, at which point we boarded a “Deluxe” boat to Elephanta Island. The boat was not particularly luxurious, but there was a lovely breeze blowing across the sea and the hour long boat ride was pleasant. Elephanta Island was excellent – the attractions there are the ancient Hindu temples, which mainly contain depictions of Shiva and Parvarti in huge and awe inspiring carvings, pulled right out from the rock of the island. Although the island was amazing, there was a small climb to the top, and by the time we reached the temple I was completely drenched in sweat! One Indian guy got a photo with me, although I’m not sure whether that was because I’m a tourist, or because my sweaty t-shirt was photo-worthy!

A little hot![Enlarge & More]

Our visit to Mumbai has now come to an end, but I have to say I really enjoyed this first stop of our trip. I noticed some surprising things about Mumbai – one of which being that there seemed to be hardly any flies! This could be due to an effort to clean up the city, as there is also very little rubbish in the city centre and tourist areas. Similarly, there are hardly any dogs, cows, or open sewers, so I guess that the flies don’t have too much to eat! Furthermore, there are no rickshaws, a mode of transport I always used in my last trip to the north of India – there only seem to be taxis in the centre.

All in all, Mumbai has been brilliant – I just hope the rest of our trip is as good (or better)! Off to Goa now – time to see what the Monsoon is all about.

We are closed, weathering out the storm and will open in Oct 09

Dhobi Ghat, Mumbai [Enlarge & More]

The heat is exhausting….

I’ve found myself with very little energy over the past few days and it must be down to the heat. The Monsoon is late in Mumbai and the heat and humidity is oppressive. I’m not a big fan of air conditioning but we’ve had it on constantly in the hotel room.

It’s our 3rd full day in India and it’s been pretty hassle free so far. I go about pretty unnoticed while Jono attracts all the peddlers. Also if I’m walking behind him I get to see all the stares he gets as a ‘white tourist’, sometimes I’m in awe of how far they can twist their necks round – just like an owl. There is no shame in staring here and I get my own posse of watchers when I’m trying to get that shot with my camera, usually crouched on the floor.

India Gate [Enlarge & More]

It was another slow start today and we made it to the Dhobi Ghats where probably all of Mumbai’s laundry gets done. I’ve seen it on the TV and as always with that way round it seemed a lot smaller than I imagined in real life– interesting all the same.

Finally found somewhere to stay in Goa , the Monsoon has arrived there and all the beach huts we planned to stay in are closed. We got one reply back from an owner saying “we are closed, weathering out the storm and will open in Oct 09”, let’s hope it’s not that bad.

Eating: Lovely cheap food at Kamat restaurant in Colaba for another princely sum of 300rps. For that we ate:

Bhel Puri ( an interesting spicy mix of dried bits including rice puffs)
Paneer Palak ( Cheese & Spinach)
Yellow Dal Fry
Roti
Garlic Naan
Bottle of mineral water
Tea

Sir...something?

CST Train Station [Enlarge & More]

I’ve noticed a pattern whereby shady looking men with bloodshot eyes come up to me when I’m walking down the street in a particularly tourist-centric area…

“Sir… something?”, or a whispered “…Hash?”

At first I thought they were saying “Nash”, and I thought – how do they know my name?! But I figured it out pretty quickly and my standard response is now “No, nothing!”.

Today was the hottest day yet, and we’re both suffering from blisters on our feet and a bit of heat rash from wandering around in the humid conditions. Here’s hoping we get used to it!

Another late start, although not as late as yesterday, at least we were in time for breakfast this morning. We visited the train station, not to book train tickets but so that Mahmoud could take photos of the magnificent building described in Lonely Planet… OK, so it didn’t end up being quite as an amazing building as was described, but it was pretty amazing watching all the trains coming in, and people leaping off and on. Apparently Mumbai has the largest train station in Asia, and I can believe that – every minute or so a new train would come in and offload several hundred passengers. It really gives you a feel for the number of people in India!

Chowpatty Beach [Enlarge & More]

This afternoon we hopped from one air conditioned café to another until it was cool enough to walk to Chowpatty Beach, one of the few beaches in Mumbai. It was not really worth the walk. The sand was hard and grainy, and I didn’t want to think much about what was in it – the beach was probably pretty polluted. But that didn’t stop hordes of families descending on it, and a lot of people were down there enjoying the afternoon sun. I was slightly (very) disappointed by the lack of places to eat there, so we took a taxi down to Colaba and had a lovely curry – each evening’s meal seems tastier than the last!

Starting to relax into it

Icecream seller [Enlarge & More]

It’s been a couple of days now and it’s bloody hot, it is 33C in the shade.

Mumbai has not been what I expected, it’s cleaner, friendlier and not as intimidating as Delhi was, the only other large city in India I have it to compare to.

I’m slowly getting back into crossing the street which in the face of it is a random process but the key is to start walking and not to change your walking speed. The rest takes care of itself as everyone from trucks, taxis and cyclist steer around you.

It’s easy to forget that it is a city of contrasts, from the air as we came into land all you could see is miles upon miles of ‘slums’ right next to glistening new tower blocks. It must be the area we are in but not seen any of the ‘slum’ side yet.

Even poverty is at bay here, you have to look more closely than other places in India to see it. A stark reminder was on the way back to the hotel from having an all you can to eat Thali, a family including the children were strewn across the pavement, looking like they were settled for the night.

Breakfast at “Place on the Corner” Omlette and Roti for 40rps, ok if you are stuck for somewhere.
Eat at “Samrat Restaurant”, 225rps each for a Thali all you can eat, great value and delicious.

Mumbai - First Impressions

Mumbai Taxi [Enlarge & More]

Today was our first day in Mumbai, and the first day of our trip. I’ve been to India before – I spent time in the north of India – so I thought I knew what to expect from it, but today was quite a different experience.

We left Heathrow Terminal 5 on Monday evening, and spent the night on the plane, arriving in Mumbai nearly 9 hours later at 11:15 the following day. When we walked out of the airport, the heat and humidity were the first things that struck me, and my clothes stuck to my body instantly. Although I wasn’t expecting it, I think I experienced a slight culture shock as we were driven from the airport to our hotel in the Fort area of Mumbai. Seeing the traffic madly zipping past, and watching the people on the side of the road, I began to wonder why I had let myself come back to India! The poverty is always overwhelming here, and it’s shocking to realise that so many people in this country live on so little. It makes you feel lucky, but also a little guilty.

When we got to the hotel, we had a rest and a snooze to catch up on some lost sleep, and then we went out with the goal of getting to the seafront to see if we could catch some good views and get our bearings. After following the map in Lonely Planet, and getting slightly lost, we eventually found our way there. The sun was beginning to set behind the city skyline, creating a gorgeous scene to greet us. Thousands of people were out sitting in the sun, jogging, or walking along the seafront and enjoying the cooler weather of the early evening.

Walking back to the hotel, I was pleasantly surprised to find that I wasn’t being hassled too much to buy things or to give money to beggars. Only a couple of beggars came up to me all day, and most shopkeepers said hello rather than try to hawk their wares on me straight away. This is in stark contrast to Delhi – the hassle capital of India. Despite my initial misgivings I think I’m going to enjoy Mumbai – it’s beautiful, friendly and overwhelming, all at the same time.