The Mumbai Experience

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Well this is it. My first ever trip to India, my first time doing anything quite like this and I've never seen anything quite like Mumbai.

When I arrived at the airport a small desk showed Hotel Information. I got directions to a Hotel I found in my Lonely Planet guide book. Outside the airport the weather is a cool 31 degrees Celsius with hazy sunshine. Smog seems to loom permanently over the city - quite handy if you don't want to get too burnt. I ignored the local begging for money and trying to convince me that the bus in fact stopped over the road when it had arrived right in front of me. He probably had some scheme in mind had I missed the bus. A prepaid taxi to Colaba, the busy center of Mumbai costs 350 rupees. I paid 16 rupees for the bus, about 20 pence, and was pleased to have met a guy travelling on his way to Goa in the process.

The streets of Mumbai are just manic. The place is heaving with people. The streets are lined with small market stalls and shacks. Behind those are bigger, smarter looking shops complete with security guards at every door - but only here in the center of town. No space goes to waste in Mumbai. Down backstreets and alley ways you will find other little shops hiding away. The roads are heaving with miniature taxi cabs, motorcycles and cars, continually beeping - night and day - in contention. The constant noise is quite something. Beeping I later discover, having taken a few taxi journeys can mean; hello I'm here, give me right of way, get out of my way I'm coming through or move before I run you over. Which is just as well because they do come from all directions. There are few traffic signals and if you want to turn across the traffic you do just that. All in all it isn't actually that bad because there is so much traffic it barely travels above 10 mph and they will always - somehow - miss each other.

Apart from the obvious busyness of the whole place, walking around, the first thing to hit you is the smell. Everywhere you go in Mumbai there is the smell. It wafts around and frequently catches your nose off guard. There are so many different smells that it is difficult to point point exactly what it smells like. It wafts from Indian cuisine and incense to pollution, exhaust smoke and some things even less pleasant. Some of it I'm told is actually caused by petrol - they don't filter the stuff very well. It's something you get used to if you want to see Mumbai.

I was very uneasy at first but I've come to enjoy Mumbai in a limited capacity. So many people live and work here that it's hard not to have some appreciation for how they live. Colaba market is pretty amazing, fruit and vegetable stalls full of colour, samosa and bhaji cooked on every street corner, colourful clothing brightly lines the streets, live chickens for sale and racks and racks of white eggs. Goats seem to wander aimlessly amongst the crowds, fresh fish are being prepared on small chopping blocks by a dozen women sat on the floor working. At night the market really lights up like a Christmas tree - bustling with people. Mumbai certainly has some amazing sounds, smells and sights that make it an experience.

I stayed here 2 nights before taking a relatively short coach journey to Pune to visit my friends Sandeep, Kirti, Yash and their family.

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Photos

Gateway to India
When the British left Mumbai they marched out through this archway.

Boats
Many boats available for trips around the coast and to Elephantia Isle - presumably waiting for the peak tourist season.

Colaba Market
The narrow streets of Colaba Market are lined with colourful clothing shops like this one and lit up like a Christmas Tree.

Market Bussle
This women agreed to have her photo taken and the market is loaded with people in the background.

Hotel Volga II
This room is overpriced, pretty basic, completely tiled and with no real windows (boarded because there would be little to look at). It does have Sky TV, Fans and air Conditioning though - welcome in the heat.

Backstreets
Everywhere you go in Mumbai the streets are lined with some kind of small specialised outfit. Along this short stretch I saw a public telephone desk, a cloth iron repair shop, a hair dresser's shack with no more than 2 seats and mirrors, a fruit and veg stall, a general foods shop, a selection of spices... the list goes on

Chowpatty Beach
Kids play games on this famous beach - mostly for its evening food stalls and activities but I didn't hang around.

Gandhi
This is a recreation of a room Gandhi used when he stayed here in Mumbai. He worked tirelessly to bring independance to India. It's an amazing story and free to get in. Bargin.

Comments

[Mumbai Trvavel Guide]

Mumbai Travel Guide
Your Website is truly amazing Mr Colins it does give inspiration to its readers.