Mumbai, generally

Upon the discovery that Delhi-Mumbai round-trip tickets are less than $150, I took off to Mumbai last weekend, along with my roommate and two and a half friends of ours (a couple and a baby) who are originally from Mumbai. I had been to Mumbai once before in 2010, but as my prior trip was the very first time I was in India, as I was alone during my stay in Mumbai, and as I was pretty  freaked out about the whole "Shit, I'm all by myself in India" situation, I never thought that my time in Mumbai was a proper representation of all that the city had to offer. So, I was excited to go back in the company of locals and really explore the place--at least as much as possible in a weekend during monsoon season.

Mumbai has the reputation of being more cosmopolitan than Delhi--apparently it's not such a big deal to wear knee-baring clothes there and its a very walkable city. Mumbai is the center of India's financial and artistic life,  but, Delhi is where all of the politicians and wealthy industrialists live. I kind of envision Mumbai v. Delhi as being a NYC v. D.C. situation--where the former is clearly the superior city. (Sorry to my DC readers, but if you know me at all, you know how I feel about this). Mumbai is also on ocean, which adds a nice beachfront to the city, though apparently swimming is a total no-no because the water is toxic and filled with elephant gods of festivals past (more on that in a later post). Also, apparently taxis there are just like, you know, normal taxis--in that you get in and they put on the meter without you even having to ask for it!!!

So, given what I knew/had heard about Mumbai, I arrived in the city last weekend fully expecting to be won over by it. And, as my next two posts will illustrate, I really had a WONDERFUL time there. But, I have to say, I prefer Delhi.

Here's why: Mumbai has a traffic problem, and Mumbai has a monsoon problem. The traffic problem really requires no further explanation-- it just takes forever to get anywhere. The monsoon problem was more interesting, though. It was raining hard for a good 70% of the time I was in Mumbai, but I seemed to be the only person who noticed it. All around me on the streets of Mumbai, life seemed to go on as if the gods weren't dumping an ocean on top of our heads--couples were lovingly strolling down the street hand in hand, vegetable sellers were hawking their wears, temple processions were processing, etc. Basically, I just got the feeling that everyone gets used to getting wet all the time and no one thinks of it as such a big deal any more.

I hate being wet, unless I'm in the shower or in a swimsuit. So yeah, for me the constant monsoon thing is kind of a lifestyle killer.

Having said that, I can put up with being a bit damp for two days and so didn't find my time in Mumbai too infringed on by the weather. As you'll see from some of the photos below, Mumbai is just so interesting and full of life that it's really hard not to be a bit seduced by the place.

[You maybe can't tell from this photo, but it was pouring down at the moment I encountered this procession. Nobody seemed to care much--except for maybe the bulls.  I think these guys were en route to Jain temple. Mumbai is really religiously diverse; in my wanderings I even passed a Jewish temple which had recently been reopened (it was a target of the 2009 terrorist attacks in Mumbai). Plus, my friends took me to the park where the Parsi community lays out their dead on the famous Tower of Silence to be eaten by vultures. Seriously, that is the burial rite--look it up).]

[This is the view of my friend's club, where we had breakfast one morning. Clubs like this abound in Indian cities and they sound very much to me like the stereotypical USA country club of the 1950s--membership is passed down generationally and clubs cater almost exclusively to folks of particular religious or regional affiliations. Membership is exclusive and not open to the public; in addition to hefty entrance and annual fees, new applicants must be recommended by existing members to even be considered. The clubs themselves are immaculately upkept and serve as social centers in the cities.]

 [Gateway of India. I dunno, you see one arc de triomphe, you've seen them all.]

[This is the view over Mumbai's harbor--all of that stuff you see there? Oil rigs. I've never seen so many oil rigs in one place--and so near a city, too. Fascinating, n'est pas?]

[Mumbai street art, they really love their elephants!]

[My friends took me to a secret little ghat/pool in the middle of the city. The legend is that the area of Mumabi used to be dry, until a god got thirsty one day and fired an arrow into the earth. A natural spring pool bubbled up from where the arrow hit the earth--and this is that spot. The natural spring pool is not very big, actually, but as you can see every bit of it is being used by folks for swimming, washing, hanging out with friends, etc.]

[I could not figure out this sign. Beware of boys running with purses?]