Mumbai baby

We arrived in Mumbai by train, a whooping 19.5 hours after departing the quiet and serene lakeside village of Pushkar. Excitement and a pinch of fear for the unknown awaited. This city of 16 million plus was quick to show us its underbelly. A blast of sweltering heat and humidity immediately shocked the skin. Morning rush hour traffic screamed in an orchestra of horns and engine noise, overwhelming the ears. Exhaust fumes stinging my nostrils. My eyes were pulled in a thousand directions trying to absorb my first glimpse of this metro monster... This country mouse will always visit a city, but never live there. All in all, we had an interesting two hour taxi ride that introduced us to more of the city than we wished to see at that early hour. But we landed at our sea shore hotel safe and with a good tale to tell.
Mumbai is a huge city. Approximately 30 miles long by 10 miles wide. It spreads its arms across the western coast of central India being one part sand, two parts port and four handfuls of garbage. The city is a fusion of chic metro fashion, preserved Indian culture, crumbling English architecture, auto rickshaws and taxis, high end lifestyle and absolute poverty. And it's all amazing.
History IS Mumbai. You can feel it walking down the old, broad city streets. The huge overgrown trees that line the way have stories only they know. Palaces and forts have been converted to beautiful museums and fancy dining establishments. With all the spit and polish of the posh comes the opposite as well. People are poor. They have no chance of growing or farming in a concrete city. They struggle to make money for a meal, offering to polish your flip flops for two rupees, or using their soiled children to guilt you into giving money. Renouncing worldly possessions and material objects, these are the people whom Ghandi connected with the most. The people who still welcomed and lived life while looking into the face of hardship.
Old or new, dark or light, rich or poor, it's all part of the far out landscape of Mumbai baby.