We arrived in Mumbai early in the morning after a night on the train. I rather like sleeper trains – they are very friendly places. On our trip so far we have met families going on holiday, lone travellers going home, and many more different people from newborn babies to grandparents. Everyone has been very kind to us, giving advice on where to visit in different places and helping us when we can’t convert our seats to beds (though this normally results in a lot of laughter at our expense as well).
Mumbai is a huge city of 19 million- roughly the same as the population of Australia. It sprawls along the coast with 7 islands included in its suburbs. Huge ships are moored out in the bay as raw materials and manufactured goods are shipped all over the world. In some ways the most metropolitan of all the cities we have been to so far, Mumbai is the home of Bollywood and all the glitz and glam that brings with it. When we first arrive the humidity hits us like a wall – we have left the desert behind for the tropical heat.
On our first day in Mumbai we take the ferry across the bay to Elephanta island. The hour long ferry ride provided a very welcome breeze and departed from just under the India gate – built for King George and Queen Mary it was also the point from which the last group of British soldiers left India. On the island there are unfortunately no elephants to be found, but after a very steep climb we reached the network of caves that are a UNESCO world heritage site. The caves contain carvings dedicated to Shiva. The massive stone carvings depict Hindu gods and goddesses and were constructed between the 4th and 7th centuries. Most have been damaged in the intervening years – mostly by the inhabitants of the island and various visitors, but they are still very interesting to see.
The island is home to lots of monkeys some of whom are pretty aggressive – I had a battle with one who was trying to steal my water bottle. I may have won, but lots of people lost their water – the monkeys were struggling in the heat just like us so were taking the water then sitting on walls and drinking straight from the bottle.
In the evening we walked around the market and saw Cafe Leopald and the Taj hotel – sites of the terrorist attacks that shook Mumbai. The Taj hotel has been completely renovated since then, but the walls of Cafe Leopald are still peppered with bullet holes.
We sampled delicious street food for dinner – rolls filled with veg or meat kebabs cooked in a tandoor (clay oven). Later we found a rooftop bar overlooking the bay with great cocktails and amazing views.
On our second day in Mumbai we did a city tour by taxi – the only way to see as much as possible in so short a time. A particular highlight was visiting Gandhi’s Mumabi residence which he stayed in at various times between 1917 and 1934. It was at this house that he formulated his philosophy of satyagraha (non-violent protest) and from here that he launched the 1932 civil disobedience campaign. The house is now an excellent small museum. We also saw the home of the richest man in Mumbai – a towering building with a living wall. It seems incredible that it is only for a family of four – apparently two floors are dedicated to housing all their cars. Another incredible sight was the Mahalaxmi Dhobi Ghat – Mumbai’s 140 year old human-powered washing machine. Everyday hundreds of men beat the dirt out of thousands of kgs of clothes and linen in 1026 open air troughs. The sheer scale of the operation was amazing to see.
On our tour we also decided to visit Dharavi Slum – Mumbai’s biggest slum that is thought to be home to around 1 million people. Going to see the slum is a contentious issue, some feel it is not ethically right to treat it and its people as a tourist destination. I completely understand this opinion, which is why I have no photos of the slum. However, I do feel that it was important to go and see the slum as I don’t believe you can really understand a country without seeing the whole range of life within it. Almost 60% of Mumbai’s population live in slums – they are home to many Indians. I did not want to visit India and gloss over the parts of the country that are hard to see. The visit was very difficult – the conditions in slum are awful. There is hardly any proper sanitation, rubbish covers the floor and homes are crammed next to each other. The slum is full of life and industry – everything from cloth dying to recycling to packing goods for shipping to manufacturing cricket shirts is taking place all at the same time. It was definitely not an easy experience and it is terrible that people are still living in conditions like this, and worse all over the world.
Our day touring Mumbai could not have been filled with more contrasts – going from the house of the richest man in Mumbai to the heart of the slums. However, that contrast is probably the best reflection of Mumbai and India as a whole. Our first guide described India as a kaleidoscope and the more I have seen of it the more I agree. Everywhere you go is so different and full of so many contrasts – between rich and poor, tradition and modernity, rural and metropolitan. It is incredible yet terrible all at once.
a wandering almond 