Our first Blog from India refers to our fist few days here which were spent in Mumbai.
The journey to India from England was long and tiring, it stretched across two days but was comfortable enough. This was Shane's longest flight to date and he was pretty excited by the amenities provided by Gulf Air. A gazillion hours, three flights and not much sleep later and we are in Mumbai Airport. On sound advice we booked a prepaid taxi to take us to Hotel Royal Castle where we would stay for the next two nights.
The moment we left the cool calm of the arrivals lounge the heat and chaos of Mumbai hit us. We were immediately ushered to a large gathering of taxi drivers, a service we mistook for a kind gesture until the eager Indian demanded "One Dollar" - This was to be our first lesson and our feet had barley touched ground!
It took a while to find our taxi driver, the process being rather like a game of Bingo - The number nine (our allocated cab) being continually shouted until one man finally popped up. So the crowd parted and the dusty old fella with his battered old banger strode forward to give us the taxi ride of our lives. How best to describe the roads in Mumbai? INSANE. The experience is comparable to the start of a Grand Prix where drivers go hell for leather trying to battle their way in front. The difference being that these guys have swapped a race car for a tin can, and rather than winning a medal after each race, they get the simple pleasure of another death defying journey to look forward to!
Needless to say, by the time we reached our hotel, we were a little shell shocked. I really dont think one can prepare themselves for a first look at Mumbai. Its chaos, noise, dirt and sheer quantity of people is at first intimidating.
The next day, and what I am classing as our first day in the City, we took a walk to Chowpatty Beach. Although the area provides a little space from the constant heaving of the streets, it is by no means picturesque. Dirt and litter cover entire areas of sand and the water is by no means inviting. Saying this, we did however later discover that the beach acts as a social hangout in the evening when families and groups of friends sit and talk, run and play and sip Chai Tea provided by mobile vendors.
Along the beach we saw a group of children on a school trip, a group of which ran by us in order to get a better look - staring being an oddity it seems we will have to get used to. These children were a stark example of the extremities in Mumbai. Their clean clothes and well groomed appearance being a world away from the children begging in grubby corners all over the City.
Begging, like staring, is also something to get used to. It is difficult to ignore, especially when children are involved (it is not uncommon to see young children cradling new born babies whilst approaching cars in pursuit of change). But if you start giving in a country where poverty is so rife, where do you stop?
After the beach we ended up in a small bar where a few beers chilled us out. The place was a locals, and although we were clearly not local, we were welcome all the same. Shane popped some money in the Jukebox and we asked the Waiter to put on his favorite songs which went down very well indeed.
We ended the evening with a wander back to the Hotel, picking up some tasty street snacks en route, the initial shock of Mumbai slowly receding and the excitement of our Indian adventure bubbling.
The moment we left the cool calm of the arrivals lounge the heat and chaos of Mumbai hit us. We were immediately ushered to a large gathering of taxi drivers, a service we mistook for a kind gesture until the eager Indian demanded "One Dollar" - This was to be our first lesson and our feet had barley touched ground!
It took a while to find our taxi driver, the process being rather like a game of Bingo - The number nine (our allocated cab) being continually shouted until one man finally popped up. So the crowd parted and the dusty old fella with his battered old banger strode forward to give us the taxi ride of our lives. How best to describe the roads in Mumbai? INSANE. The experience is comparable to the start of a Grand Prix where drivers go hell for leather trying to battle their way in front. The difference being that these guys have swapped a race car for a tin can, and rather than winning a medal after each race, they get the simple pleasure of another death defying journey to look forward to!
Needless to say, by the time we reached our hotel, we were a little shell shocked. I really dont think one can prepare themselves for a first look at Mumbai. Its chaos, noise, dirt and sheer quantity of people is at first intimidating.
The next day, and what I am classing as our first day in the City, we took a walk to Chowpatty Beach. Although the area provides a little space from the constant heaving of the streets, it is by no means picturesque. Dirt and litter cover entire areas of sand and the water is by no means inviting. Saying this, we did however later discover that the beach acts as a social hangout in the evening when families and groups of friends sit and talk, run and play and sip Chai Tea provided by mobile vendors.
Along the beach we saw a group of children on a school trip, a group of which ran by us in order to get a better look - staring being an oddity it seems we will have to get used to. These children were a stark example of the extremities in Mumbai. Their clean clothes and well groomed appearance being a world away from the children begging in grubby corners all over the City.
Begging, like staring, is also something to get used to. It is difficult to ignore, especially when children are involved (it is not uncommon to see young children cradling new born babies whilst approaching cars in pursuit of change). But if you start giving in a country where poverty is so rife, where do you stop?
We ended the evening with a wander back to the Hotel, picking up some tasty street snacks en route, the initial shock of Mumbai slowly receding and the excitement of our Indian adventure bubbling.
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Emma and Shane