A day in the life of a traveller in Mumbai...

I woke up quite early that morning, around six o'clock and with less than three hours of sleep under my belt, doused myself with a bucket of cold water, re-packed my bag and headed out the door.  I was hoping to find a way into the city, which was about an hour and a half away, through chaotic traffic and to find some sort of hostel or guesthouse that was relatively clean and somewhat safe.  I figured I had all day to accomplish these presumably easy tasks and to still be able to enjoy the rest of the day.

As I and my auto rickshaw driver, drove through massive amounts of traffic that day, I was overtaken by the amount of proverty that I saw.  In order to get to the city you must drive through the slums.  As they say, "to get to paradise, you must go through hell".  The slums are the equivelant to hell.  There are about twenty million people living in Mumbai.  "About fifty percent of the city's inhabitants presently still live without water or electricity".  Their houses are built with mud and left over scraps of metal, siding or wood.  Covered with clothes, branches and plastic bags.  In one house, barely the size of my bathroom at home, live families of six, eight or more.  Ladies are washing and scrubbing their clothes on a platform outside the house with a brush and dirty water, men working in nearby construction sites barely earning enough to buy food each day, and babies sitting atop garbage heaps playing in the rubbish.  I believe, this is the time in everyones life, not just mine, where you ask what the hell is going on in this world?  Why does this life have to be like this.  This is when you are thankful for the life that you have and the opportunites that you are given and the life you are able to live.

...that a lone young woman would venture out all by herself and god forbid, dine alone!

I finally arrived in the city center and dropped off with my stuff in front of a low budget hostel in a side alley near the Gate of India.  What was I to do next?  Here I was completely alone in the middle of India wondering what the heck to do.  So, I walked up the stairs and rented out my first of many hostel rooms to come.  It was clean, somewhat, and quite basic and only cost me 300 rupees a night.  Which I later found out was not that bad of a deal considering the location in the city and my lack of experience in the hostel rental department.  I dropped my things, doused myself again with a cold bucket of water and headed out the door to see why I was here.

I started at the Gate of India and then took a ferry to Elephanta Island to visit the the Elephanta Caves.  They were gorgeous. It is one of Mumbai's major tourist attractions, they are rock-cut temples carved between 450 AND 750 AD.  The caves contain large sculptures relating to Lord Siva.  It embodies the roles of creator, preserver and destroyer.   After the boat trip back to Mumbai's Apollo Blunder, I stepped into a nearby restaurant to have my first Indian culinary experience.  I walked in and sat down at a restaurant filled only with men.  I was feeling a little uncomfortable, but I realised I must get used to it and take it all in stride.  Looks and stares came from each man and amazement that a lone young woman would venture out all by herself and god forbid, dine alone!  I ordered a fresh pineapple juice and a vegetarian thalis.  As the plate was set in front of me, I instaneously was overwhelmed by the delicious scents of spices and curry that wafted through my nose.  It was spectacular.  The naan so fresh and dripping with butter that it melted in my mouth and dripped down my chin.  The curry mixed with steaming rice so spicy and hot that my nose and eyes immediately began to water.  I finished every grain of rice that was on my plate and was completely content.  I left the restaurant that day, receiving many smiles from the men inside, completely surprised that yes, a women can dine alone, and yes, she can still completely enjoy her meal.  I think inside, they were proud of me, as I was for myself.

That night I took a rickshaw to the popular Chowpatty Beach.  The nightlights bright, the beach shore busy with locals sitting and eating and selling their goods.  Families playing, couples cuddling and tourists exploring the sights.  This is no place to swim, but, definitely a place to relax and to take a night time stroll. This is defintely the place to experience your first encounter with Inidan food stalls and street vendors.  No snack is complete without trying 'aloo tikkis' or 'bondas' which are mashed potato patties, spicy and pungent accompanied by different sauces, a light, spicy 'coconut sambar' (sauce) or 'rasam' a thin, tamarind flavoured vegetable broth that instantly seduces your senses in every way.  There are also the ever-so famous 'pani-puris' which are small deep-fried flour discs, puffed when cooked to resemble a small balloon or round cup which lends easily to stuffing.  These wonderful little treasures are filled with crunchy fried vermicelli, diced tomatoes, fresh herbs, chillies and a world of spices and flavours.  These little pillows of goodness are then dipped to order, as you eat, in a cold, spicy, fresh broth one by one. 

Well, there are many other great food expedititions to come throughout my journey, so I have packed my bag to head to the south of India, a place that many people are known to flock to, Goa.  A place where the local Goan, the tourist and the traveller all meet to share their time and the beaches and the next wonderful experience together...