The Indian adventure begins in Mumbai

Hi from Mumbai! I didn't expect to be able to write again so soon, but it turns out that the rather nice hotel that Maren booked for us has free wi-fi, so I thought I better make use of it before we check out today.

The last couple of days has been as vivid and intense as I thought it would be. As the plane descended into Mumbai I began to get very excited and nervous. I'd been thinking about this day for two and half months. Once the plane landed, my first impression of India was given to me by a particularly unfriendly man on the passport control who wasn't impressed that I'd not put any address for where I'd be staying in India. I then waited for my bags, which also threatened to send me into panic, as the majority of luggage on my flight had been collected by the time my bag appeared. However, it showed up and that was it, just a short walk out of the airport and I saw Maren waiting for me. I don't think I can remember her looking more naturally beautiful. When I held her in my arms I wasn't really able to express my emotion, I was too choked up to say very much. Also, I knew that we had to be careful about showing too much physical affection otherwise we might upset the locals, so we headed to the hotel Maren had booked in Colaba.

Maren had decided that it might take a long time to simply get a taxi back, so I got a quick introduction to Mumbai's cheaper forms of transport with a quick ride in a rickshaw to catch a very packed local train into town. The train was quite an experience which was as crowded as any train I've been on in London. However the big difference was the lack of doors on the train. As a couple of trains rolled in, people were literally hanging out of each door, except from the compartments reserved for women. Fortunately, we managed to get well on to the train with our bags so we didn't need to worry too much about falling out. Everyone on board was remarkably good humoured and polite as people alighted and boarded, in fact some we're having a good sing song one carriage down and after a few more stops it emptied enough to sit down. Once getting off the train it was a short taxi ride to the hotel and we'd arrived.

The next day we went for a wander, first going to look at the Gate to India, Mumbai's equivalent to the Arc de Triomphe which was just a few minutes from our hotel by the water. Opposite the Gate To India, across a large square is the world famous Taj hotel, some of which still bore the scars from the Mumbai massacres a year ago in the form of scaffolding on the one side of the old part of the hotel. This is a busy tourist spot, but we were practically the only westerners I could see. It wasn't long before a number of Indian families were asking to have our picture taken with their baby, children and extended family. After posing for a couple of photos we took a walk along the streets of Colaba, towards the CST in the Fort area which is the main train station in Mumbai and where we'll be catching a train to Goa tonight.

As we walked along the streets I got my first real impression of Mumbai. As you would expect there is a hustle and bustle about the place, with lots of street stalls selling all manor of things, from food to clothes to kitsch tourist gifts. As you wonder around you notice that the vast majority of people on the street are men going about their business. The streets themselves are a mish-mash of buildings, some in a good state of repair, some modern and some that must date back many years. Some look almost derelict (yet are clearly occupied) and some look like ancient ruins over grown with vines. Huge trees frequently sprout out of the pavement which make the city look almost organic in places. There is a steady stream of traffic on the streets which is made up of modern (but generally small) and old cars, motorbikes, mopeds, bicycles and taxis. The taxis are very retro, being based on 1963 Fiat 1100 design, however these are supposedly being phased out for a more modern alternative. Negotiating the roads is a chaotic affair for vehicles and pedestrians a like. However, what struck me was the how casually people walked across the roads to a wail of horns, as cars passed them barely centimetres from hitting them.

Alas, I've run out of time to write any more right now, but check out the photos link below.

http://picasaweb.google.com/kris.lander/Mumbai