Mumbai/Bombay

Most large Indian cities are not very pleasant. With the right attitude (expect everything foul and offensive, and be accepting of whatever comes) you can survive quite nicely, but I'd not call it enjoyable.

Bangalore was certainly an exception to the rule, and we enjoyed it very much. But we were surprised to find that we also liked Bombay (Mumbai).

Bombay is the commercial hub of India, its New York City. Bombay also has Bollywood, which churns out even more movies that Hollywood, and is the home of many Indian celebrities. Founded on a set of islands by the British a few hundred years ago, it is quite different from most other Indian cities. The streets are wide and tree lined, there are many parks, the waterfront has a nice walk along it (although the beach is still so covered with litter that you cannot walk on the sand). The city has long outgrown the original islands, so the sea in between them has been filled in creating one larger landscape. We spent a day just walking around looking at all of the magnificent buildings dating from British rule, including the Court House, Victoria Station, Bombay University, and many others. It looks much like a European city. The level of wealth within the city is clearly higher than average. Even the auto rickshaws (those three wheel taxis) and cows are banned within the city, so the streets are lined and filled with cars. But then we turn a corner and find a street full of food vendor carts and sidewalk merchants. One entire block is people with used books lain out on the sidewalk. We see an interesting blend of European and India, a blend that seems to work.

The newspapers tell of another Bombay, the slums which house literally millions of destitute people in squalor, with no clean water, sanitation, or housing. People displaced from villages come to the city to make money and end up in the slums. This is a very common story in the developing world from Asia to South America (and is China's single biggest fear, as an estimated 500 million people will be displaced from farms and seek out the cities in the next two decades --that is just a staggering number). As anywhere, the plight of these people is made further by the corruption and insensitivity of the ruling class.

While we are not avoiding such desperate areas, and in fact seem to have generally spent more time in the poorer areas within India, we don't feel compelled to experience them here in Bombay. India has so many different faces, and it is good to see a balanced view. Bihar is absolutely destitute, with people starving and freezing on the streets, their bodies deformed by leprosy and polio; the environment a disaster of deforestation, polluted water and air; and the government officials stealing the money and police abusing the people. Kerala is a green, beautiful place where people are poor but spiritually rich (Muslim and Hindu), very happy with their lives. Each house, however modest, has distinctive charm and is well maintained; the environment is well treated; and literacy rates are as high as in the US. Bangalore is a high-tech Mecca and retirement center, making it a melting pot of the rest of India --most of the residents migrated from other areas of India and still speak their native tongue from their "true" homeland. Bombay is strongly British and commercial. Half of all millionaires in India live in Bombay, and nearly half of the entire upper-middle-class lives here. A large Muslim population and an exiled Tibetan community are a part of the diversity of this city. We are happy to just experience the prosperous face of Bombay, getting another glimpse into this enormity of experiences that this one country can offer.

So we treat ourselves. We have local Indian street food for breakfast (Bhelpuri, a plate with spicy beans, bread, spicy onions, yogurt curd, and potato curry) but then stop for an Espresso coffee in the afternoon! Ah, REAL coffee! We skipped past McDonalds (which offers a vegetarian menu), but ate at a Mexican dinner at a restaurant named New York!

The Prince of Wales museum is rumored to be quite good. But the entry for Indians is 15 rupees and 450 rupees for foreigners. That is more than the entrance fee to the best museums in London and Paris. We don't mind paying a bit more than locals. After all, foreigners are wealthier and the locals pay taxes. But that differential was offensive, and we refuse. So much for us just accepting things as they are!

We walk around town in the evening and hear music and see lights down a side street. We check it out, and find a little celebration with animated characters representing the Hindu gods. A local explains that this is a birthday celebration (for the god, or for a local?). We mostly just enjoy the unexpected fun of stumbling across the celebration, and then amble on.