Mumbai: My first dose of culture shock

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I was jolted out of my somber state of existence by my first unexpected dose of culture shock when I arrived in Mumbai, India. The chaotic experience was expected but I had understimated the mayhem of India. Perhaps, it's due to the fact that prior to arriving into this pandemonium, I had spent three months traipsing through Africa which created an unforgettable yet somber experience. The day before I jumped on a plane bound for India, I had returned from a safari in which I had spent 8 days exploring the region of Lake Turkana where there were virtually no other tourists other than myself and 3 others, then jumped on a plane the next day, arrived in Mumbai, India at 3 am without a hotel reservation, a guidebook, or a plan.

I took the first hotel I was offered and walked out of the airport around 3:30am expecting not one soul to be around but to my utter surprise, there must have been over 200 people standing behind a baracade, waiting for loved ones and dozens upon dozens of taxis and buses honking away, adding to the chaos. I forcibly ignored the impulse to turn around and buy a ticket back to Kenya. Instead, I took a deep breath, braced myself and penetrated the crowd. An airport bus shuttled me to my hotel and I hid there for 2 days,except to search for a guidebook, and avoided the underestimated mayhem of India.

In order to ease my entry into this country, I decided to escape Mumbai and head for the fabled beaches of Goa. Anjuna was my first stop, I had gone there to have the "Goan experience" and shop at the Anjuna's Wednesday market, which according to my new Lonely Planet guide was not to be missed.