The arrival in Mumbai after landing was joy. The first contact with India was land of a warm feeling great. A departure was waiting for us Shridhar the driver had given us our friend Navin, and lead us to the house that our friend is in Mulund, near Mumbai. The contact with the ground and first impressions were of a traffic very very very very chaotic, many men (almost all with mustaches), pollution, ringing, piercing eyes, poverty and dirt, but at the same time and a good feeling to be surrounded by millions of Indians after a trip almost infinite. We arrived at the house of Navin in half-hour drive where Tai was waiting for us, our housekeeper, who like Shridhar had given us our friend Navin. The house is amazing, we have more than necessary, all makes us feel very comfortable, everything spotless and the bed of a luxury room, not to express it in words I can say out loud THANK NAVIN and of course his Veer father has always been concerned that nothing fails.
That afternoon we had our first contact with the city of Mumbai, after a trip with everything you can imagine between beeps, mustaches, and other crossing a large bridge appeared before us a mosque in the sea Haji Ali's quite peculiar , one of the richest areas of Mumbai Chowpatty Beach would take us to where we were told that the evening families gathered to spend time flying kites and telling stories while they enjoyed the dinner sitting on their mats 4x4. Exceeded all our expectations, just look how easy it is to enjoy watching as the sun sets in the company of people you care about, and how well the children spend with a manual treadmill and the four children's attractions, thanks to Shridhar we tried the delicacy of the posts from the beach, spicy but good. Later we went to the Colaba area and the Gate of India, all this at night, and more or less what we expected, but shocked to see so many people everywhere, not alone or bathroom, AWESOME. The detail of all this I put in the form of surprise, as we have had the opportunity to meet Indians in several countries we have visited before and we were quite heavy at the time to sell you something, here almost all not because they need a Non-stress response. And most do not borrow money even being with many needs.
We had time to go home but we ask Shridhar who passed through the area before the Fashion Market and Victoria Station to keep an eye for the next day. English-style station at huge brutal, but a breakdown in the light left us with the desire to see at night. On the way back home took a shortcut Shridhar left us a bit expensive, because after closing the latches of the car as we passed through the area of Dog (suburb where the film was made and where they really see the reality of many people in India) we had a few problems with the driver of one of the hundreds of thousands of taxis that plague Mumbai, the distances between cars millimetric become so if the driver of a car does not read the mind of other in the split second that you have to, the disaster occurs, but as the speed is minimal, the damage is also minimal, the snag with the Taxi Fiat 50 years ago ended in a bent bumper (the bumper roll Renault 4L Mauri), and a small scratch and a party in our Daewoo Hubcap Heaven. From there to the bed like that.
14/01/10
At day 14, wakes up at 9:30 with Tai knocking on our door after a good breakfast we prepare to begin another day of fighting in the streets of Mumbai with Shridhar. We left at 11 to see if we could make a couple of processes with internet and buy a sim card for mobile. Finally, the sim will have to wait.
We went to Mumbai and visit the Victoria Station at rush hour (everything is rush hour), the number of people can not be explained, people are hanging on the wagons, push and try to cram in any way, I must say that that happens on local trains, but is worth seeing. The station building is very well preserved despite the 150 years that we provide, good pictures and a taxi driver by changing the brake pads in the middle of the great city traffic.
Shridhar we suggest a www.prashantcaterers.com Samrat Indian vegetarian restaurant is a kind of quality chain offering everything from ice cream, coffee shop, restaurant, 100% recommended and service, smiles, attention, we came to serve between 8 and 10 different a for everything, very professional (on an island from which I can not remember the name we should learn to treat customers better way and that others are already doing) point came spontaneously.
Our first contact with a Thali was almost indescribable, was a fusion of flavors, mixed with the different types of bread, rice, and sauces with the incentive to eat with your hands, has almost been like the first time with chopsticks because only You can use the right hand because the left is, shall we say fine UNCLEAN, as the Indians use it to wash when there is greater physiological needs (more than one will be splitting the chest of laughter). Turning to the Thalis food you are filling the whole time, and bread and all that you go to an end, they lack the time to come to offer more quantity, so that the food is still spectacular, we came with expectations, but is surprising us every day.
Resume the march towards Colaba to see what moves on a holiday in India, walked in the Colaba market where there is something for everyone, compasses, watches, slippers, bracelets of many colors, even fans of feathers a pheasant, and all at a good price without bargaining, as we shop for within 46 days, weigh the backpack, but his own. Just the fact of walking through a local market parallel to Colaba makes us see that we have different needs and those with the Indians, and in the Colaba Market sells a thousand and one gadgets, the location is the blacksmith work on the street, fruit, greengrocer, a character who makes delivery of eggs from your local bike and that eye has calculated that 20 dozen in the passenger asientodel hooked to a rope a little unstable for the potholes that will find its way and a girl asks us our names and wants us to do photos in his humble house saying (nice house take a picture) Children always touch the sensitive part.
Continuing our way along the path that will give Gate of India we find a lot of people, as it is lively and is that enough Indian tourists came to Mumbai to visit, there are professional photographers that will print the photo at once, but the most curious thing is that young Indians like these photographers will take pictures with tourists like us, today Cathrin and I'll be in the portfolio of over 10 that are the pictures that we have left to do. In Gate of India have been quite a while watching people passing by and getting a little more in India that we want to know.
Now we are at home with the preparations and calls to our new driver Lakhan impatiently awaits us our next destination Delhi. Reporting will continue.
