Welcome to Mumbai!

Well.... I'm finally in India!

I don't have a lot of time to do an in-depth report, but I had a nice flight from Munich to London and spent most of the time talking to the businessman from Toronto sitting next to me.

I then flew from London to Mumbai with Kingfisher Airways. It was a very nice airline and the flight went well. I sat next to Pooja, a young Indian student girl who was studying marketing in Edinburgh, Scotland and was returning to Mumbai for her sister's wedding. She was nice to give me a few hints and tips and she even let me sit by the window on our decent.

Here we are flying over Iran just around breakfast...

Flying over the slums...

I emerged from the airport to palm trees and a balmy 80+ degree day. My taxi driver spoke no English and the hour-and-a-half ride to my hotel felt like a Disney theme-park attraction. I'm pretty sure the Indians were doing everything on cue as I drove by just to welcome me in their country. The pedestrians fearlessly walking into oncoming traffic (and the traffic not slowing), horns honking, street vendors, kids playing, dogs licking, poor woman begging, cows chewing, kids bathing, young people on scooters scooting--all of it seemed to happen right before my eyes as the taxi driver swerved through traffic. From dirty decrepit slums to fancy modern high-rises, Mumbai has it all and it's all there in your face.

I checked into my hotel and have spent the day just exploring and taking it all in. It's loud, chaotic, hectic, but there's a peaceful rhythm to it all.

The smells are amazing; just walking down the street is a potpourri of humanity: spices, incense, urine, men's cologne, burning, decay, exhaust, and then something sweet.

One thing that has surprised me is how few non-Indians I've seen. It's a sea of Indian faces with only an occasional tourist sticking out as an anomaly. But the people have been quite nice. One woman in traditional dress gave me a good long stare, and a tour guide came up and tried to give me a tour, but other than that, I haven't been accosted by touts and beggars nearly as much as I expected.

Everywhere you step, and every direction you look you see another little portrait of humanity. I'm serious when I say it's like an amusement park.

Here's a bit of the chaos...

The busiest train station in Asia...

Typical street scene...

Cricketers in the park...

I enjoyed the bay and some people-watching while the sun set...

I went to dinner at a highly-recommended (from my friend who lived in Mumbai for a time) vegetarian restaurant. I ordered the all-you-can eat and I had no idea what I was getting into. The waiter brought out a large silver tray with little bowls. Then he came out with some dips sauces. Then he started bring out the food and dishing it into the little bowls. Just as I thought he was finished bringing stuff, he would come back with even more. I had no idea what it all was but it was beautiful. And it just kept coming!

Finally I had a chance to tuck in and, boy oh boy, what a treat!

The flavors were a veritable carnival in the mouth!

I ate like a king, and though I was getting full fast (and some of it was SPI-CY) I managed to finish it all. I walked back stuffed to my hotel and now I'm updating the blog.

Tomorrow I will do some more exploring and then in the evening I take a night bus to Goa!

I'm gonna sleep good tonight...

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