Destination - India

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Stepping off the plane in Mumbai airport, we headed for the baggage carousel. After half an hour waiting, we soon realised that all the bags had came out minus ours.. . panick immediately set in!! We headed to the lost baggage counter, only to be told to wait longer. We were then approached by an Australian woman (also without her baggage) who suggested that we check another baggage belt. Sure enough our bags arrived .... apprently from Sri Lanka! We then headed outside to the pre-paid taxi rank and collected our receipt before jumping in an old beat-up taxi to our reserved hotel for the night. On route we noticed the city was unlike any place we had seen before, in your face poverty and dilapidated buildings and roads! Arriving at the hotel around 4am exhausted we checked in and went staight to sleep.

Day 1 - Waking at 10am we jumped into a taxi and headed for Colaba (the backpacker district) where we swiftly found a room at Hotel Prossers before setting out to explore the neighbourhood. After breakfast it was back to Prossers for some shut eye. Waking around 6pm we headed out to sample local cuisine in the form of paneer butter massala.... a pure vegetarian dish but nevertheless amazing! With Hayley feeling under the weather it was back to the hotel for a good night sleep.

Day 2 - Still feeling jetlagged we rose at around midday and headed out for brekkie and a day of sightseeing. First stop was the gateway of India before heading deep into the city, walking past eye-opening slums and through the city park . After getting ourselves completely lost, we wandered through the streets and back alleys, taking in the sights and smells (some good, some bad) of Mumbai before finally arriving back in Colaba. Next on the agenda was to purchase an indian simcard before indulging in some more delicious food and chai (milky sugary tea mmmmm). then heading back to the hotel to bed down for the night.

Day 3 - The terrential downpour outside soon woke us from our slumber. After packing up our belongings and checking out, we purchased our tickets for the bus which was to take us to our next destination Aurangabad, away from the tourist hub and delving into real India. Roaming the Bazaars (street markets) for a spot of shopping and bargaining, we purchased a much needed umbrella along with other essentials such as door locks and a diary. We then headed to the local supermarket to purchase snacks for the bus journey. After another delicious meal at Baghdadi restaurant and a few more snaps of the local culture, we headed back to the hotel to wait for a taxi to take us to the bus station where we enjoyed watching our first bollywood movie of the journey. Not surprisingly the bus was 2 1/2 hrs late , but better late than never. Eventually we boarded the bus for our 12 hour journey across state lines and along the road less travelled.

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