India
Mumbai City District

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    • Day 4

      Mumbai - Dharavi Slum

      February 2 in India ⋅ ⛅ 30 °C

      Der Dharavi Slum.
      Wir haben den Slum mit einem Tour Guide besichtigt. Er wohnte früher selber im Slum und ist dort aufgewachsen, bevor im Alter von 15 Jahren mit seinem Eltern wegziehen konnte.

      Manchen Quellen zufolge gilt er als der größte Slum Asiens. Dicht an dicht stehen hier ein- bis dreistöckige Häuser aus Beton, Holz, Blech und Plastik gebaut. Die meisten Familien bewohnen ein Haus, das aus einem Raum besteht. Dieser Raum misst durchschnittlich 12,5 Quadratmeter und beherbergt im Schnitt 5-6 Personen. Private Toiletten gibt es eigentlich gar nicht und so müssen sich 30-40 Personen immer eine öffentiche Toilette teilen. Zugang zu Trinkwasser gibt es zwei Stunden pro Tag.

      Die Bewohner Dharavis leben in selbst organisierten Netzwerken,die ihnen das Überleben sichern. Typisch für das Viertel sind winzige Manufakturen geworden, in denen drei bis fünf Arbeiter Kleidung, Lederwaren, Töpferware und vieles mehr herstellen. Auch Plastik wird in Kleinstarbeit recycelt und wiederverwendt. Vieles in Handarbeit uns ohne moderne Maschine. So erwirtschaftet das Armenviertel Jährlich einen Umsatz von ca 1 Milliarde Dollar. Kaum vorzustellen.
      Außerdem gibt es in Dharavi mehrere Schulen, über 100 Tempel, Moscheen und Kirchen und ein Krankenhaus.

      Die Bilder von Armut sind heftig und für uns nicht vorstellbar in diesen Umständen zu leben. Wir fragten unseren Guide, ob die Leute glücklich sind und wie sie über ihr Leben denken. Er antworte "ja sie sind schon glücklich, war er früher auch, nicht immer, aber sie machen das Beste aus ihrem Leben."

      Mit den Touren werden viele soziale Projekte im Slum finanziert, wie der Ausbau der Schulen und ein Gemeinschaftszentrum.

      Es war schon sehr interessant, diese Einblicke in eine komplett andere Welt zu bekommen und zugleich auch unheimlich aufschlussreich, aber natürlich regt so eine Erfahrung auch zum Nachdenken an.
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    • Day 9

      The Spice Market, Mumbai

      January 14, 2024 in India ⋅ ☀️ 32 °C

      I’m still processing today’s trip to the spice market. There was a rhythm to the machines pounding the chili. You could almost dance to it.

      People really stare when a mixed group of strangers appear with sketching paraphernalia. Initially it felt almost threatening having groups of men staring and I mean staring at you full on. They are curious when we sit and sketch and come and stand quite close. Having said that we’ve met some lovely people and have had great conversations. I think they are genuinely surprised.

      We literally swam through a sea of people fighting our way through the narrow market lanes. Found a spot in an enclosed doorway after getting separated from the group. Thankfully with Joanie and Suhita who is hosting this tour alongside Zainab. . The two guys in the biscuit stall were charmed by Joanie’s drawing of them. Lots of smiling and nodding of heads and photos. It was very strange being photographed.

      Was largely ignored sitting sketching with Maria, Marcel and Judith. They are fair and therefore interesting. I guess I blended into the background for once with my very dark hair.

      Moved by Zainab’s generosity too this morning. Impromptu loo break at her home.

      Finished the evening with a much needed but expensive G&T after a very successful shopping trip! But not fabric this time !
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    • Day 19

      Mumbai

      January 21, 2024 in India ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C

      अलविदा Indien! 🇮🇳
      Wir hätten wahrscheinlich einen einfacheren Start wählen können 😄 Trotzdem war es abenteuerlich, spannend, quirlig und voller Gegensätze. So schnell werden wir das Erlebte sicher nicht vergessen.
      🔝 Leckeres Essen, beeindruckende Ghats in Varanasi, Wüstenübernachtung
      ❓ Delhi als Startpunkt war vielleicht nicht die beste Wahl😄

      1) Indien hat uns zu Teilzeit-Vegetariern gemacht - nach 20 Jahren sogar mich (Nadine) zum Nicht-Nägelkauer (mal sehn wie lange es anhält 😄)
      2) Michels Jacke mit 1000 Taschen ist Gold wert - fast wie Hermines Beuteltasche bei Harry Potter. Dort findet alles seinen Platz, sodass wir tagsüber keinen Rucksack brauchen 🎒👝
      3) Nadine und indische Hunde können co-existieren 😅🐕

      Nach einem längeren kulinarischen Stopp in Mumbai gehts weiter nach Thailand 🇹🇭
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    • Day 18–19

      Travelling to Mumbai

      February 21, 2024 in India ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C

      We checked out of our homestay at 9 and then left our bags and went to breakfast. It was very pleasant killing time drinking masala chai and eves dropping on other travels until our train at 2 pm. As we were paying an old lady who worked there motioned to James asking him to help lift a full basket of papayas with a younger lady, who was going to carry it on her head. James and her struggled to lift it it was so heavy, but as soon as she got it utop her hair she glided past, as if it weighed nothing. It's insane how heavy the stuff women are able to balance on their heads here.

      At the station we got chatting to some local children who are always keen to know where we're from and get selfies.

      Train travel sells out quickly these days and although it was a 15 hour ride to Mumbai all the sleeping bunks were sold out. So we sat in fairly comfy chairs AC class for the journey. A few hours in I got very hungry and went in search of the food trolley. I came across some food boys selling samoas and purchased two.

      Three hours later I was not feeling so good. I'm not sure if it was the food or the rocking of the train, but I had waves of nausea that would not let up. I considered a tactical sick to alleviate the feeling but with one wester toilet completely covered in poo and a decent, but urine smelling squat toilet I just couldn't bear the extra discomfort. I did manage to get some sleep, but James stayed awake the entire trip.

      We arrived in Mumbai at 5 am and after being hassled by the taxi drivers who would not let up, we got into our hostel, used the bathroom (both ends for me) and flooped into bed. Welcome to Mumbai.

      I've decided to not eat train food any more.
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    • Day 140

      Mumbai: Dharavi & Bandra

      April 30, 2023 in India

      Day 1 of 2 in Mumbai.

      Once Insignia was tied up at its berth at the Port of Mumbai, we geared up for the required face-to-face immigration formalities in the terminal. Frankly, I was dreading it. On RTW2017 these same formalities had taken three hours in Cochin … the first port of call in India on that voyage. How long would it take here?

      The good news? While the process was tedious, and included stamping passports, fingerprinting, and photographing our mugs, and Pat had to return from the gate to the terminal to get her landing card stamped (after the guard in the terminal told her she didn’t need a stamp), the process took only about an hour. We were just 30 minutes behind our tour schedule when we left the port with our guide, Husaina.

      For today’s tour, we were joined by Sonia & Boris and Pat & Norm. We’d all done the typical Mumbai tour and the trip out to Elephanta Caves previously, so I had booked something called “Bandra — from Village to Metro — and the Spirit of Dharavi.” I had also specifically requested Husaina, who had guided us in 2017. Once again, she was fantastic.

      Today being Sunday, Husaina suggested we start in Dharavi, a suburb of Mumbai that is considered to be one of the largest slums in the world.

      Established in 1884 — during the British colonial era — nearly 1,000,000 people live and work in an area that is less than 1 square mile in size. Husaina described it as a township … one that has been used as the setting in one scene in “Slum Dog Millionaire.” Our Dharavi guide would later explain that they don’t like the movie because a lot of artistic license was taken and the portrayal of the township is nothing like actual life here.

      The tour write-up described Dharavi as the “Third Face of Mumbai.” Not the rich and glitzy Mumbai. Not the world of beggars. Dharavi is the place of the hard-working poor … with a fierce drive for survival and self-improvement. It’s a place where small industries — mostly based on re-cycling what everyone else throws away — have created an estimated economy worth $1 Billion!!!

      We had a fascinating walk along the narrow roads of Dharavi, escorted by our “student guide,” Mustafa … born and raised in Dharavi … just as his parents and grandparents were before him. Our tour was not a commercial one. Meaning that the money we paid for it did not go to the tour operator. Rather, it went to the Dharavi community … in particular, to the student guides for their continued education.

      During our wander, we saw how self-sufficient the community is. Everything they need is available right there in Dharavi. From homes, to shops, to hospitals, to places of worship, to restaurants and cafes. Anything you can think of … it’s there.

      Everyone works … no one is lollygagging. Skilled workers can earn 12-15 dollars a day; the unskilled earn 6-8 dollars per day. Some of the people who live and work in Dharavi have become quite rich and could move out into more comfortable communities. Yet they opt to remain in Dharavi because it is their way of life.

      We saw how plastic is recycled into pellets that are then made into bottles and such; how old appliances are taken apart to fabricate and sell new ones; how fabric remnants are sewn into clothing that is then sold to name brands that put their own labels and $$$$ price tags on them; how pottery is made using a hand wheel (motorized ones are also available), dried under the sun, baked in community kilns, and finished with decorative painting. And more. And all these industries have support industries and shops … such as thread shops that support the apparel makers, just to name one.

      Yes, life in Dharavi is not up to the standards we might hold. But it is filled with industrious people making a living instead of waiting for a handout. Husaina had said at the outset that what we saw would make us rethink the definition of a slum. It has.

      This was an eye opening and fascinating tour. One that had a surprise ending when we ran into a Dharavi wedding party. They welcomed photos. Soon we were dancing along the street with them as they invited us to join in the celebration.

      (With the exception of the wedding party, no photos are allowed within Dharavi as the people value their privacy.)

      Frankly, after Dharavi, the Bandra portion of the tour paled in comparison for me. But, before getting to that part of our day, we had a delicious lunch at the Salt Water Café.

      Bandra, is known as the “Queen of the Suburbs. It’s not explored much by international tourists. In fact, we saw very few non-Indians on the streets. Its history dates back to the mid-1500s when the Portuguese gave the Jesuit priests several islands, including Bandra. Some of the churches built at the time are still in use today. Until the causeway was built, the community was a village of plantations … rice and vegetables. With the rise of Bollywood, it became the home of movie stars. Today, it is a fashionable address for the younger, hip population.

      Our meander took us to Mount Mary’s Church, and then to the Bandra Fort nearby. Then we went for a stroll around one of the few original Portuguese hamlets. Here we were introduced to the “ice apple” … an interesting nut with 3-4 fruits that look like a clear jelly … Mui said it would be refreshing if eaten cold.

      It was 5:00p by the time we negotiated the “no-traffic” — at least compared to what it would be like on a weekday — and found ourselves at the port.

      Once again pulling out the landing cards — the size of an A4 paper — we showed them to the guards at the port gate. And again to the guards at the terminal. Considering how many times those permits have been folded and unfolded today, I think we need to put them in a clear document protector or they will be in tatters by the time we leave Cochin on 4 May!
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    • Day 44

      Mumbai Dharavi Slum

      February 18, 2020 in India ⋅ ☀️ 32 °C

      We woke up nice and early and set off to get to Bandra junction train station to catch a train to Mahim junction where we would meet our tour guide for todays tour of Dharavi Slum, one of the largest slums in the world. We got to Bandra and got on any train heading in the direction of Mahim, which we found out as wrong as we sped past Mahim junction without stopping...we got out at a random train station and an Indian commuter decided to take us under his wing and ensure we got on the correct train to Mahim, what a nice guy! He even advised us to wear our backpack on our front to avoid the notorious pickpockets on the Mumbai inner city trains. We eventually got to Mahim and took a seat in Cafe Coffee Day, the exact meeting point for our tour.

      At around 9:45, Yahya arrived outside with three Irish girls, we went out to meet them to start our tour. Yahya worked for a company called ‘The Local Tours’, a company that we had been recommended by Jen, who Tom used to work with. It is a very socially aware company and they recruit university students that live in Dharavi to run the tours as a means of earning money to pay for their tuition fees, so it was a nice company to do it with. Yahya explained to us all that Dharavi was not a sad place to live, in fact a very desirable place to live for people in India. Over 1 million people called Dhiravi home and it has a booming economy, with a GDP of over $1 billion per annum with textiles, leather and recycling industries being its biggest income. Yahya explained how when Dharavi was founded, from dried up marsh land, people from all over India rushed to buy the land due to its central location in Mumbai, and now the land is very expensive at over a quarter of a million rupees per square meter. We walked round the streets and many alleyways of Dharavi and saw first hand each of the major industries at work and also where people were living and it was right what Yahya was saying, people were more than happy living here, in fact they loved living here. We got an awesome lunch in Yahya’s favourite place and then finished the tour near to a barber shop, so ever the opportune, Tom and I decided to get our hair cut, 80 rupees for a haircut!

      The man who would be doing the haircut had bright orange hair with matching beard, so hopefully he was better than whoever does his hair! We played rock, paper, scissors to determine who would go first....for the first time in ages, Tom won, so I was up! I’m not going to lie about 2 minutes in it looked like he had absolutely butchered my hair, but he turned it around eventually and he actually gave me a good cut! After my haircut was finished the man decided to give me a very thorough/violent face wash, involving a pink machine that resembles a polishing machine....it was not pleasant and he was pummelling my cheekbones and nose with this vibrating device. It was then Tom’s turn and that is when we found out he could only really do one style, as we both got practically identical haircuts. Tom then endured the same torturous face wash machine, and tried to pay up....however he was trying to double the cost saying that the face wash (that we didn’t ask for) was additional. Paying no more than the agreed price, we left Dharavi after having a great morning.

      We made our way back to Mahim junction and got a train to Charni road where we walked to Chowpatty beach. A little bit of a disappointment if I’m honest...it wasn’t exactly the nicest beach but I wasn’t really expecting much in the centre of Mumbai. We continued walking along the beach to find the hanging gardens that Tom had read about...again a little bit of a disappointment too. However, it was the highest point in Mumbai, hence the name “hanging gardens”, due to its location there was a observation deck nearby that we went up to get a view over crazy Mumbai - this was pretty nice, and free too! We then walked back through Mumbai traffic to a nearby train station, stopping off for a bit of air con in H&M and got a train back to Bandra where we got our now standard order of Chinese Bhel, this time with noodles on top for not additional charge...we were becoming locals here.

      After this long hot day, we went back to the hostel for some chill and then back to the same place for more Chinese Bhel, and then we went over the road for an Orea Shake, which was unreal! With the taste of chocolate in our mouths, we then made a desperate trip to the shop for biscuits then back to the hostel for the night.
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    • Day 4

      Dharavi - größter Slum Asiens

      January 21, 2024 in India ⋅ ⛅ 29 °C

      Dharavi ist mehr als “nur ein Wohnslum”, es gibt auch einen industriellen Teil, indem Müll jeglicher Art von den Menschen sortiert, zerkleinert, gewaschen, verpackt und zur Wiederverwendung abtransportiert wird (die Säcke sind alle voll gepackt mit Müll).
      Es wird Seife aus Ölresten hergestellt, Lederware produziert, Brot gebacken, Kartons aufbereitet.

      Abschluss mit Anthony in einer Bar - er selbst ist Christ, trinkt daher auch “mal” Alkohol, er hatte Bierdurst 😅
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    • Day 42

      South Goa to Mumbai

      February 16, 2020 in India ⋅ ☀️ 30 °C

      We both enjoyed a lie in this morning, enjoying these really comfortable beds as we knew the following night we would spend on a night train. We were out of bed at 9am, the latest wake up time on our trip so far and made our way over to Palolem beach, a 10 minute walk from our hostel. The beach was huge, but quite crowded so we were both pretty happy that we decided to base ourselves in Patnem instead. We walked half-way along the beach and grabbed some veg noodles at a food vendor in a car park just off the beach for 80 rupees and then grabbed a 5L bottle of water to fuel us for the morning. We continued along Palolem beach reaching the island at the end that you could read at low tide, however the tide had already started to come in when we got there so we gave it a miss and decided to actually just head back to Patnem and enjoy our last beach day for a while there.

      Back at Patnem we enjoyed the water, the sunshine and the peace for a little while (even though it was scorching hot) before I looked at our tickets for the upcoming train. I woke Tom from his doze to tell him the tickets for our trains tonight were actually waiting list tickets not actual tickets for the train. We’d not been told about any of this as we’d paid for the tickets a couple of days earlier. We were in a Pool Quota waiting list, and bottom of the pile for that. We did some googling and discovered we wouldn’t have beds on this 11 hour overnight train to Mumbai. This made us both so frustrated at how the Indian rail system works and how anybody actually gets anywhere! We decided that we’d go to the train station in Cancona early to see what we could do. Of course we still had time to have our favourite Thali from the Nepalese restaurant, so we devoured it for the last time and went to get ready at the hostel. We’d asked the guy earlier in the day if we could grab a quick shower before the train, but it was a different person manning the hostel this afternoon and he didn’t like the idea of it! This day was going from bad to worse! We eventually just decided to get a shower as the hostel was empty, and then set off on the walk to the train station via the ATM for some much needed cash. I only had 30 pence on me and Tom only had about £2...not quite enough to get us to Mumbai.

      When we got to the station, there was a crazy guy there, either drunk or drugged up, causing trouble for everyone. The station master was armed with a big wooden bat if he started to kick off more...luckily the police were called and he was taken away. This left the station master to be barraged with questions by me about what all the different codes on tickets meant. Eventually it made sense (Indian sense) and we’d be refunded for the waiting list ticket but we’d have to buy a general class ticket if we still wanted to get to Mumbai tonight. We took a brave pill and got them , only £2.50 each, and awaited the arrival of the train, getting some snacks in the meantime. It hit 20:30 and we went up the platform where we’d been told the general carriages were and we both jumped on before the train had stopped to try and beat some of the locals on so we’d get a seat. It was immediately uncomfortable. Hard benches with a tiny amount of padding, racks above to store luggage where people were sat and very little air. We went for about an hour or so and stopped at some random station where they were selling chapattis and curry through the window of the train, so we grabbed one to share and it was actually pretty good. Once finished we noticed that other who had the same as us didn’t have the little bag or plate they were given. I went on the hunt for a bin but found none - a fellow passenger then motioned for us to just throw it out the window - something that I couldn’t imagine doing, but obviously normal for these guys...we just held onto it for a bin later.

      About another hour later and we’d both tried to get some sleep with no luck, but at least we had some of our own space to move about and get comfy. This is when the whole night took a turn...we got to a station just before midnight and what felt like half the Indian population got into our carriage....we were in for a long night.
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    • Day 45

      Mumbai plan day and night bus to Udaipur

      February 19, 2020 in India ⋅ ☀️ 31 °C

      Today we were in no rush at all. We’d seen what we wanted to see in Mumbai, so we had a big fat lie in and a leisurely get up and warm shower. Today was our last day in Mumbai so we needed to check out by 10:30, so we packed up our stuff and chilled in the common area for a little while. We dedicated some time this morning/afternoon to planning what we would do for the next few weeks as well as book flights into Nepal. We spent a few hours researching and adding things to the plan before we both got hungry and went back to our trusty street food man for Chinese Bhel for the last time.

      Tonight we were getting the bus to Udaipur, as our waiting list tickets for the train hadn’t come through. Rather than suffer a 17 hour journey on a train in general class again, we’d booked a luxury bus with our own TVs, films and all the trimmings. It would take just as long as the train, but hopefully we’d get some decent sleep. We went out to get snacks for the bus, the standard crisps, biscuits and bananas before going back to the hostel to chill out before it was time to grab an Ola (Indian Uber) to the pickup spot. The pickup location on the RedBus app was just at the side of the motorway, so we waited for a little while keeping track of the buses location...it was on its way to us, just very slowly. Eventually the bus pulled up, it was a different model bus to what it said online so we wanted to check that it was going to Udaipur, the man grunted at us and ushered us on. We found our beds and set up camp for the night. I must admit, it was certainly worth spending a little bit more money for a bit of comfort on these long journeys.

      After watching Mission Impossible Fallout (great film!) the bus stopped in a random location to refuel and where we could try and get some proper food as we were only had snack...we had tried to get something a few times before but there was just crisps and junk! This time was equally unsuccessful, however even more so as the bus loudly sounded its horn and began to drive off...without us! Tom was faster than me to react and sprinted to the bus and started banging the door until he stopped to let us on. We were not happy at the driver at all and I had a go at him saying that they need to communicate better with their passengers, in response he just grunted at me... back to bed then.

      A little while later we stopped at a slightly more official looking place that were actually selling proper food. We both got 2 samosas, devoured them and then a friendly Indian guy asked us if we wanted to try his crisps...we both tried a few and they were nice, and then the guy decided that he was going to give the entire packet to us, what a gent! We got back on the bus and I passed out for the night in the extremely comfy beds.
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    • Day 11

      Fort Kochi an interesting start !

      January 16, 2024 in India ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C

      Left the hustle and bustle of Mumbai today to fly south to Kochi, It’s very different here, tropical almost. The amount of rubbish is still staggering. We are staying on the island of Fort Kochi. Delays at the airport made sweeter by Zainab’s goody bag. I’m sticking close. Managed to do some sketching whilst waiting for take off. A man snoozing - saggy jowls and bushy moustache just begging to be sketched. Zainab took photos whist Suhita sketched me sketching!

      Shaky start to this part of the trip. I restrained from having full on hissy strop when confronted with the darkest mustiest room ever. I guess the humidity doesn’t help. You can cut through it with a knife.

      They speak Malayalam here - very different to the other Indian languages. The word may have originated from a local dialect. Mala means hill and Alam may mean depths of the ocean. So Malayalam may refer to the land lying between the Western Ghats and the Arabian Sea. Something to explore anyway.

      The main drag seems a bit of a dive. The Blackpool of India. Fort Kochi is a coastal place. More foreign tourists - or maybe it seems that way because it is more compact. It’ll hopefully look better in daylight.

      Went to watch a Kathakali performance this evening. Story telling through expressive dance. where the make up session is part of the performance. Colourful and expressive. Fun to sketch.

      Thankfully found a bar with excellent prawn tempura and beer. Much needed after a long arduous day. Can’t believe they’ve had four inches of snow at home.
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    You might also know this place by the following names:

    Mumbai Suburban, Mumbai City District

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