we arrived last night after a slightly delayed take-off, to a smoky, hazy cool evening in mumbai.
the night before, in sydney, we saw slumdog millionaire at the movies, so the whole thing was set to be slightly surreal from the start.
getting through customs and immigration was rapid and efficient, as was the currency exchange and pre-paid taxi desk.
i’ve never emerged from an airport faster or happier.

then we hit the streets in an small antique fiat taxi cab, with a small antique sikh gentleman at the wheel.
how that man kept his equanimity in that traffic, i will never know.
it was hysterical.
the rule for driving in mumbai is ME FIRST.
somehow we didn’t get killed, nor did we kill anyone else.
the traffic is utterly mad, it’s that chaotic cacaphonous indian traffic you always read about, but it has it’s own rhythm and flow.
there are cows and carts and trucks….o lordy the trucks!…and bicycles and taxis taxis taxis. and those fun-but-lethal tuktuk things that are all over thailand.
weaving amongst the traffic are people crossing the road…the women are all like supermodels floating through the traffic in their bright saris.

our hotel is in the middle of some obscure place, with a lake…and hills…and slums…and cows everywhere.
the staff are helpful and the amenities are zero, however we have booked a night on our return through mumbai because the room is clean and airconditioned and quietish.
across the road and up the hill, however, is a very fancy hotel, and we’ve already had breakfast and lunch here.
faaaaaabulous indian food buffets, both times.
i’ve never had such light and tasty naan in my life.
the bread alone was worth the flight!
no coffee (we were warned), so we have both switched to delicious masala chai for the time being.

we drove around the city for four hours today.
this place is a madhouse…..but in a good way.
it’s hard to say what is being built and what is being demolished and what is just falling down in a ruinous heap.
there is a cheerful air of disrepair…..reminiscent of the philippines or vietnam, but without the depressing atmosphere….that we are enjoying.
everyone we have met so far has been simply lovely….indian people obviously believe in good manners and they do indeed make the world go around.
it’s so pleasant to walk the streets and smile at people and be smiled back at, or be greeted.
there is obviously more poverty here than you can shake a stick at….flying in at dusk was an absolute eye-opener.
MILES and MILES of slum shanties….right up to the airport fences.
in fact the airport fences were possibly the fourth wall in many dwellings.
i was alarmed the first time i approached bangkok by train….horrendous slums….and mumbai makes bangkok look opulent in comparison.

random notes:
a man in a very smart uniform in the lobby this morning, with one of those electric tennis racquet bug zappers, of the precise type that are banned in australia…and embroidered proudly on the back of his coat: B.Free Pest Control.

little boys playing cricket on the road up from our hotel.
photo! photo! they all called out to us, so i turned the camera on and they all swarmed into the shot with their cricket bats and in a perfectly composed group.
cute as buttons….all i had to do was click.

at the gateway to india this morning, a holy man tied bright-coloured cotton threads around our wrists and pressed vermilion powder onto our foreheads, muttering a blessing (i’m assuming it was) as he did so.
we gave him some small notes and he poured a few tiny little sugar-sweets, shaped like miniature flowers, into our hands.

last night we walked the streets around our hotel.
abruptly all the electricity was cut and it was all a bit exciting stumbling around in the uneven road dodging the traffic…not everyone has headlights.
i was more tired than i realised…a motorbike with 3 guys on it came hurtling down a hill and around a corner, just as i was crossing and looking back to see if my husband was also crossing.
they skidded to a halt, and i leapt aside after a stunned split second of looking into the headlight. and we were all going arghhhhhhh at one another!
maurice said watching it had aged him years; he was sure i was a goner.
tonight, i do not leave the hotel without a flashlight.

tomorrow: an early start and flight to ahmedabad, then on to dungapur.
rajasthan, here we come!